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Kretschmarr Cave Mold Beetle
The Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle (''Texamaurops reddelli'') is a small mold beetle. Biology It is less than inch long and their body color can range from a dark purple to a light reddish-brown color and is sparsely and weakly dotted with small pits. They have short wings and long legs. The beetle lives under rocks and logs, in sinkholes, rotting wood, termite nest, and caves, although it is now only known to still exist in three caves in the Edwards Plateau, Travis County, Texas. Not all caves in the region have been surveyed, so this may be an underestimate. It lives in total darkness so there is no use for eyes and uses elaborate appendages and beefed up nerve centers to interpret slight air-pressure or temperature changes, sounds, and smells. This sensory equipment helps the beetle travel, sense objects, and ambush prey. There is no distinct reproduction pattern for the beetle and may reproduce at any time of the year if conditions are steady in the cave. Little is known abou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal life-forms; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae (ladybirds or ladybugs) eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops. Beetles typically have a particularly hard e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Batrisodes Texanus
The Coffin Cave mold beetle (''Batrisodes texanus''), also known as the Inner Space Caverns mold beetle, is a small insect that is only found in caves. They are very small at and lack any form of eyes. They are found exclusively in caves in a single county in Texas, Williamson County. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service considers the Coffin Cave mold beetle to be an endangered species. Threats facing this species include urbanization. Taxonomy The Coffin Cave mold beetle was described as a new species in 1992 by Donald S. Chandler, who gave it the scientific name ''Batrisodes texanus'' and placed it in the subgenus ''Excavodes''. ''Excavodes'' also contains '' Batrisodes cryptotexanus'' and '' Batrisodes reyesi'', and is thought to be monophyletic (containing all descendants of a common ancestor) as of 2019. The holotype had been collected in 1965 in Inner Space Cavern. Its species name "''texanus''" was chosen to allude to its range, which is restricted to the US stat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beetles Of North America
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal life-forms; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae (ladybirds or ladybugs) eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops. Beetles typically have a particularly hard e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cave Beetles
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the Earth#Surface, ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos, that extend a relatively short distance into the rock and they are called ''exogene'' caves. Caves which extend further underground than the opening is wide are called ''endogene'' caves. Speleology is the science of exploration and study of all aspects of caves and the cave environment. Visiting or exploring caves for recreation may be called Caving, ''caving'', ''potholing'', or ''spelunking''. Formation types The formation and development of caves is known as ''speleogenesis''; it can occur over the course of millions of years. Caves can range widely in size, and are formed by various geological processes. These may involve a combination of chemical processes, erosion by water, tectonic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amdro
Amdro is a trade name for a hydramethylnon-based hydrazone insecticide, commonly used in the southern United States for fire ant control. Amdro was patented in 1978 by the American Cyanamid company, now Ambrands, and was conditionally approved for use by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in August, 1980. It is a delayed-toxicity food chain killer, in which soldier ants carry the bait into the mound and feed it to the queen, killing her and decimating the mound. Amdro uses a corn grit and soybean oil Soybean oil (British English: soyabean oil) is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the soybean (''Glycine max''). It is one of the most widely consumed cooking oils and the second most consumed vegetable oil. As a drying oil, processed s ... base, and must be used within three months after opening to be effective. Amdro has several drawbacks: (1) when it rains, or the bait is moisturized, Amdro loses its effectiveness entirely; (2) insecticide baits ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United States Fish And Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people." Among the responsibilities of the USFWS are enforcing federal wildlife laws; protecting endangered species; managing migratory birds; restoring nationally significant fisheries; conserving and restoring wildlife habitats, such as wetlands; helping foreign governments in international conservation efforts; and distributing money to fish and wildlife agencies of U.S. states through the Wildlife Sport Fish and Restoration Program. The vast majority of fish and wildlife habitats are on U.S. state, state or private land not controlled by the United States government. Therefore, the USFWS works closely with private g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Texas State Highway 45
State Highway 45 is a highway loop around Austin, Texas, that exists in two open segments. The official designation of SH 45 is such to form a complete loop around Austin, a distance of roughly . One segment is in southwest Austin and runs southeast from Ranch to Market Road 1826 to Farm to Market Road 1626 and intersects the southern terminus of Loop 1 (Mopac Expressway). Between RM 1826 and Loop 1, the roadway is a divided, four-lane facility with a wide median intended to accommodate a future freeway, after which the current lanes would serve as frontage roads. Between Loop 1 and FM 1626, the roadway becomes a tolled freeway. The other segment is a toll road that forms a backwards C-shape along the boundary of Travis and Williamson County before bending down along the eastern edge of the Austin metropolitan area where it shares its route with SH-130. Route description Before the 2002 Central Texas Turnpike Project (CTTP), SH 45 existed only as a short section of four-l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pleistocene Epoch
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in 2009 by the International Union of Geological Sciences, the cutoff of the Pleistocene and the preceding Pliocene was regarded as being 1.806 million years Before Present (BP). Publications from earlier years may use either definition of the period. The end of the Pleistocene corresponds with the end of the last glacial period and also with the end of the Paleolithic age used in archaeology. The name is a combination of Ancient Greek grc, label=none, πλεῖστος, pleīstos, most and grc, label=none, καινός, kainós (latinized as ), 'new'. At the end of the preceding Pliocene, the previously isolated North and South American continents were joined by the Isthmus of Panama, causing a faunal interchange between the two r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Troglobites
A troglobite (or, formally, troglobiont) is an animal species, or population of a species, strictly bound to underground habitats, such as caves. These are separate from species that mainly live in above-ground habitats but are also able to live underground (eutroglophiles), and species that are only cave visitors (subtroglophiles and trogloxenes). Land-dwelling troglobites may be referred to as troglofauna, while aquatic species may be called stygofauna, although for these animals the term ''stygobite'' is preferable. Troglobites typically have evolutionary adaptations to cave life. Examples of such adaptations include slow metabolism, reduced energy consumption, better food usage efficiency, decrease or loss of eyesight (anophthalmia), and depigmentation (absence of pigment in the integument). Conversely, as opposed to lost or reduced functions, many species have evolved elongated antenna and locomotory appendages, in order to better move around and respond to environmental st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhadine Persephone
The Tooth Cave ground beetle, ''Rhadine persephone'', is an endemic beetle that lives only in karst caves in Texas. They are arthropods of the family Carabidae. The United States government considers these beetles endangered because they are only found in a single cave system. If these caves are destroyed, this beetle will likely go extinct. The cave system is currently threatened by pollution, urban development, and invasion by fire ants. Description This species is a small reddish beetle about 7–8 mm (about ⅓ inch) long. It lives on the ground where it blends in with the silt on the cave floor. Because this beetle lives in caves, its eyes are not well-developed and it is unable to fly. The beetle's body is slender with long legs and long antennae. Life history Details on the life history of the Tooth Cave ground beetle and its relatives in the ''Rhadine'' genus are not known. However, there is life history data for the related cave beetles '' Neaphaenops ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central Texas, Central, South Texas, South, and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihuahuan Desert to the west. San Angelo, Texas, San Angelo, Austin, Texas, Austin, San Antonio, and Del Rio, Texas, Del Rio roughly outline the area. The southeast portion of the plateau is known as the Texas Hill Country. Natural history The bedrock consists primarily of limestone, with elevations ranging between 100 and 3000 ft. Caves are numerous. The landscape of the plateau is mostly savanna scattered with trees. It mostly lacks deep soil suitable for farming, though the soil type is fertile mollisol, so some cotton, grain sorghum, and oats are grown. For the most part, though, the thin soil and rough terrain areas are primarily grazing regions, with cattle, sheep, and goats (Angora goat, Angora and meat ty ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neoleptoneta Myopica
The Tooth Cave spider, formerly ''Neoleptoneta myopica'', now ''Tayshaneta myopica'', is a long spider in the family Leptonetidae. It is endemic to limestone caves near Austin, Texas in the United States and is considered an endangered species. Taxonomy The Tooth Cave spider was first described in 1974 by Willis J. Gertsch, as ''Leptoneta myopica''. At the time it was only known from Tooth Cave in Travis County, Texas, 15 miles northwest of Austin. The specific name ''myopica'' is from the Greek ''myopia'', "nearsighted". In 1977, Paolo Brignoli transferred the species to the genus '' Neoleptoneta''. A 2011 phylogenetic study of ''Neoleptoneta'' and other North American genera in the family Leptonetidae showed that ''Neoleptoneta'' was not monophyletic. Several new genera were erected, including ''Tayshaneta'', to which the Tooth Cave spider was transferred, as ''Tayshaneta myopica''. Description ''Tayshaneta myopica'' is a small spider, about in total body length. Relative to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
