Blind

Guides

Adranes
ant-loving beetles
Adranes is a genus of obligately myrmecophilous beetles in the rove beetle family Staphylinidae. These small beetles are entirely dependent on ants of the genus Lasius, living as inquilines within their nests. The six described species share extreme morphological adaptations for this lifestyle, including complete eyelessness, reduced mouthparts, and highly modified antennae. They are known from North America, with species distributed across the United States and Pacific coast regions.
myrmecophile inquiline blind eyeless ant-associated Staphylinidae Pselaphinae North-America Lasius symbiosis morphological-reduction Clavigerini
Brachyceridae
Brachyceridae is a family of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) containing at least 150 genera. The family has been treated historically as a subfamily of Curculionidae, but is now recognized as distinct. Some constituent genera, such as Absoloniella, contain blind, wingless species restricted to Mediterranean regions. The family belongs to the superfamily Curculionoidea, placing it among the true weevils.
weevils Curculionoidea blind wingless Mediterranean cave-dwelling subterranean
Campodea
two-pronged bristletails
Campodea is a genus of small, white, ancestrally wingless hexapods in the order Diplura, commonly called two-pronged bristletails. The genus contains at least 130 described species, with Campodea staphylinus being the most widely known and studied. These blind soil-dwelling arthropods possess remarkable regenerative capacity for lost appendages, including their long antennae. As sister group to Insecta (sensu stricto), Campodea serves as a key reference taxon for understanding early hexapod evolution and the genomic origins of insect innovations.
soil-fauna wingless blind regeneration genomic-reference dipluran hexapod-evolution
Cixius yufengi
Cixius yufengi is a species of planthopper in the family Cixiidae, described by Tsaur in 1993. The species belongs to a genus of small, often inconspicuous insects that feed on plant sap. Very little specific information is available about this particular species.
planthopper Cixiidae California-endemic Tsaur-1993 Auchenorrhyncha Fulgoromorpha sap-feeder Hemiptera insect arthropod Hexapoda Animalia Eukaryota Delphacoidea Cixiinae Cixiini Cixius species accepted GBIF Catalogue-of-Life taxonomy distribution California USA United-States North-America endemic invertebrate hemipteran true-bug bug insecta animal hexapod eukaryote arthropoda cixius-yufengi yufengi Tsaur 1993 scientific-name canonical-name authorship rank status genus specific-epithet classification taxonomy-match exact kingdom phylum class order family distribution-records Buglife endemic-species British-endemics Ivell's-Sea-Anemone Edwardsia-ivelli Widewater-Lagoon Sussex extinct likely-extinct not-seen-in-over-forty-years 1973 1983 dance-fly Poecilobothrus-majesticus Essex 1907 Caledonian-Planthopper Cixius-caledonicus not-seen-for-70-years Manx-Shearwater-Flea Ceratophyllus-fionnus 1960s Turk's-Earth-Centipede Nothogeophilus-turki Isles-of-Scilly Isle-of-Wight 1988 never-seen-again conservation James-Harding-Morris book British-endemic-invertebrates Craig-Macadam Celtic-Woodlouse Metatrichoniscoides-celticus Wales western-fringes-of-England 1980s Chater's-Bristletail Dilta-chateri iridescent jumping-powers 1990s Lundy-Cabbage-Flea-Beetle Psylliodes-luridipennis Lundy-Island Devon co-endemism Lundy-Cabbage endemic-plant Lundy-Cabbage-Weevil Ceutorhynchus-contractus-pallipes taxonomic-uncertainty Horrid-Ground-weaver Nothophantes-horridus Plymouth development Northern-February-Red-Stonefly Brachyptera-putata Scotland drumming abdomen-tapping British-Cave-Shrimp Niphargus-glenniei blind ghostly-pale caves damp-rock-fissures temporary-puddles humid-caves rediscovered protected survival conservation-priorities global-responsibility evolutionary-twists ecological-intrigue hope natural-heritage Back-from-the-Brink RSPB Big-Garden-Birdwatch BSBI New-Year-Plant-Hunt plants wildlife nature communications public-engagement campaigns rare-species obscure-species overlooked-species irreplaceable-species local-wonders global-stakes isolation thousands-of-years millions-of-years evolution landscapes Red-Squirrel Hedgehog Europe shared-species nowhere-else no-backup no-second-chances celebration protection cherish recognise awareness habitat-protection research forgotten-creatures spotlight slipping-through-the-cracks unknown-to-public rarely-surveyed barely-hanging-on already-gone uncomfortable-truth important-species least-known strange deeply-unsettling sole-global-responsibility lose-them-everywhere organisations fighting-to-change extraordinary-work rarest most-threatened entirely-overlooked forgotten evolved step-with-Britain's-landscapes familiar-species share-with-Europe population-overseas reintroduce lose-them written journey overlooked irreplaceable found-nowhere-else-on-Earth call-to-recognise protect uniquely-ours available-now booksellers species-found-nowhere-else-on-Earth passionate-nature-enthusiast lifelong-love exploring natural-world trekking mountains rare-flowers scouring fens elusive-moths investigating exotic-invertebrates hothouses fascination unwavering professional-life conservation-sector high-impact-campaigns inspired England's-rarest most-obscure-species mission Britain-and-Ireland fall-in-love-with-plants SHARE Facebook LinkedIn guest-blog author how-many-species found-only-in-Britain simple-question comprehensive-list researching writing 2022 reference buried-in-books scattered-across-internet tucked-away minds-of-species-experts result over-700-species at-least-another-100-subspecies occur-nowhere-else-on-Earth total-global-responsibility very-few-people name-even-a-single-one struck most-irreplaceable-species live-or-die decisions-made-within-our-borders top-of-conservation-priorities celebrated understood set-out tell-their-stories unique-invertebrates incredibly-fortunate Buglife's-Conservation-Director first-time compiling-report 20-species five-species-of-fly four-species-of-beetle two-stoneflies one-each woodlouse centipede millipede flea bristletail spider shrimp sea-anemone tell-stories go-out-and-find-them picked-five track-down bumped-into couple-more searched-under-coastal-rocks exquisite pearly-translucent tiny-species barely-2.5mm-long first-discovered known-only-from-Wales nearby searched-damp ferny-woodlands alien-looking astonishing-jumping-powers named-new-to-science travelled Devon's-Lundy-Island try-and-see particularly-rare-pairing only-known-example endemic-beetle possibly-endemic spend-their-lives wintry-visit search elusive-and-threatened found-in-just-a-few-sites within-the-city perpetually-under-pressure owes-its-survival tireless-efforts guided-tour prime-Northern-February-Red-Stonefly habitat blew-my-mind musical-prowess stoneflies-'drum'tapping-their-abdomens slithering-through-tight muddy underground-tunnels personal-favourite utterly-gorgeous spends-its-life chance-search Devon-coast first-sighting almost-thirty-years ones-we've-lost immediately-drawn only-ever-known unfortunately Craig's-report hasn't-been-seen over-forty-years first-collected last-seen within-a-decade knowing-this-species-existed gone-forever sadly not-uncommon-theme endemic-invertebrates discovered hasn't-been-found over-a-century 70-years don't-think-anyone spotted since-the-1960s not-long-after first-described first-found strange-and-uncomfortable-truth some-of-the-most-important-species also-some-of-the-least-known by-definition Britain's-sole-global-responsibility lose-them-here despite-that-significance thankfully organisations-fighting raising-awareness rarest-and-most-threatened otherwise-remain leading-edge-research evolved-in-step Britain's-landscapes thousands unlike-more-familiar-species no-population-overseas nowhere-to-reintroduce why-I-wrote-Endemic utterly-unique mosses woodlice beetles buttercups stories-full-of right-attention action still-be-saved held-on possible within-our-reach all-good-booksellers overlooked-and-irreplaceable Backs-Goldilocks-Buttercup Heather-Stuckey About-the-Author trekking-up-mountains scouring-fens investigating-exotic-invertebrates fascination-with-wildlife RSPB's-Big-Garden-Birdwatch BSBI's-New-Year-Plant-Hunt Back-from-the-Brink-project care-deeply currently ensure-everyone opportunity work-with-BSBI SHARE-ON
Cryptopidae
Bark Centipedes
Cryptopidae is a family of scolopendromorph centipedes characterized by complete absence of eyes (lacking ocelli) and possessing 21 pairs of legs as adults. The family is dominated by the genus Cryptops, which comprises over 150 species worldwide. Members are commonly known as bark centipedes and occur across diverse geographic regions, with some species showing strong synanthropic tendencies and human-mediated dispersal.
centipedes myriapods blind soil-dwelling synanthropic cryptopids scolopendromorpha horticultural-trade biological-invasion
Glacicavicola bathyscioides
Idaho Ice Cave Beetle, Western Blind Cave Beetle
Glacicavicola bathyscioides is a small, eyeless cave beetle endemic to ice caves in the western United States. It exhibits classic troglobitic adaptations including complete blindness, elongated appendages with sensory setae, and a distinctive false physogastric abdomen. The species has been documented in lava tube ice caves in Idaho and a limestone cave in Wyoming, where it inhabits humid, cold environments with ice formations. Its life cycle is poorly understood, with no larval forms observed and an estimated three-year lifespan.
troglobite cave-beetle blind ice-cave endemic Idaho Wyoming Leiodidae
Motyxia
Sierra luminous millipedes, motyxias
Motyxia is a genus of blind, cyanide-producing millipedes endemic to three mountain ranges in California. All 11 species exhibit bioluminescence, making them one of only three known bioluminescent millipede groups worldwide. Adults range 3–4 cm in length with 20 body segments and prominent lateral keels (paranota). The genus was established by Chamberlin in 1941 and belongs to the tribe Xystocheirini within the family Xystodesmidae.
bioluminescent chemically-defended endemic nocturnal detritivore aposematic blind
Omalonomus
Omalonomus is a genus of blind, wingless, lightly pigmented subterranean rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. The type species Omalonomus relictus was described in 1990 from the Cypress Hills of Alberta-Saskatchewan, Canada. Its highly modified morphology reflects adaptation to a hypogeous lifestyle. The genus is considered a preglacial relict, supporting evidence for ice-free refugia in the Cypress Hills during Pleistocene glaciation.
subterranean blind wingless relict refugium Cypress-Hills soil-dwelling hypogeous
Platyarthrus
Platyarthrus is a genus of small, blind woodlice comprising over 30 described species. Members are obligate myrmecophiles, living almost exclusively within ant nests. The genus exhibits female-biased sex ratios in small populations. Body size in at least some species is dependent on host ant species.
myrmecophile woodlouse blind ant-associated
Raymondionyminae
Raymondionyminae is a subfamily of small, primarily blind weevils within the family Brachyceridae. Members are characterized by reduced or absent eyes, an adaptation associated with subterranean or soil-dwelling habits. The subfamily includes at least four genera: Alaocybites, Gilbertiola, Schizomicrus, and Bordoniola. Most species are poorly known, with the majority of records coming from South America.
Coleoptera Brachyceridae weevil blind soil-fauna endogean South-America
Schizomicrus caecus
Schizomicrus caecus is a species of weevil described by Casey in 1892. The specific epithet "caecus" (Latin for "blind") suggests possible eye reduction or loss, a trait associated with subterranean or cryptic lifestyles in some beetle groups. It belongs to the family Brachyceridae, a small family of weevils within the superfamily Curculionoidea. The species is known from North America, though detailed biological information remains limited.
weevil blind North-America Brachyceridae cryptic-species
Scolopocryptopidae
Scolopocryptopid Centipedes
Scolopocryptopidae is a family of blind centipedes in the order Scolopendromorpha, comprising more than 90 species. The family is distinguished from all other centipedes by having exactly 23 pairs of legs—a fixed trait that contrasts with the variable leg counts in other families. Members are eyeless and possess a distinctive gizzard with kinked, pineapple-shaped sieve projections. The family is most diverse in the Neotropical realm, with four recognized subfamilies: Ectonocryptopinae, Kethopinae, Newportiinae, and Scolopocryptopinae.
centipede blind troglobite 23-legs gizzard intraguild-predation Neotropical forest-floor cave-dwelling Newportia Scolopocryptops