Speleonychia sengeri

Briggs, 1974

Speleonychia sengeri is a troglobitic ( ) described by Briggs in 1974. The Speleonychia is to cave systems in western North America. As a member of the Cladonychiidae, this belongs to a group of small, eyeless, pale-colored adapted to subterranean environments. Very few observations exist—only five records on iNaturalist—reflecting its restricted and cryptic lifestyle.

Speleonychia sengeri 07 by Shahan Derkarabetian, James Starrett, Nobuo Tsurusaki, Darrell Ubick, Stephanie Castillo, Marshal Hedin. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Laniatores (10.3897-zookeys.760.24937) Figure 1 by All photos by MH, except D, E (courtesy of and copyright A. Schönhofer), and F (courtesy of and copyright I. Karaman) Derkarabetian S, Starrett J, Tsurusaki N, Ubick D, Castillo S, Hedin M (2018) A stable phylogenomic classification of Travunioidea (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores) based on sequence capture of ultraconserved elements. ZooKeys 760: 1-36. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.760.24937. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Speleonychia sengeri (10.3897-zookeys.760.24937) Figure 1 (cropped) by (photo by MH) Derkarabetian S, Starrett J, Tsurusaki N, Ubick D, Castillo S, Hedin M (2018) A stable phylogenomic classification of Travunioidea (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores) based on sequence capture of ultraconserved elements. ZooKeys 760: 1-36. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.760.24937. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Speleonychia sengeri: /ˌspɛliːoʊˈnɪkiə ˈsɛnɡəri/

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Habitat

Strictly cave-dwelling (troglobitic). Inhabits subterranean limestone or karst systems with stable temperature and high humidity. Requires complete darkness and moist microhabitats.

Distribution

North America; known from cave systems in the western United States. Specific localities are limited and likely restricted to isolated karst regions.

More Details

Conservation status

As a narrow-range troglobite with highly restricted distribution, this is likely vulnerable to groundwater pollution, disturbance, and climate change affecting cave microclimates. No formal IUCN assessment is available.

Taxonomic notes

The Speleonychia was established for cave-adapted previously confused with surface-dwelling relatives. The specific epithet honors an individual (Senger) associated with the locality or collection.