Cavernicolous
Guides
Aemodogryllinae
camel crickets
Aemodogryllinae is a subfamily of Rhaphidophoridae (cave crickets or camel crickets) containing approximately sixteen genera. Members are apterous (wingless) and predominantly inhabit dark, humid microhabitats including caves, stone crevices, and karst formations. The subfamily exhibits a disjunct distribution: tribe Aemodogryllini occurs in Europe and Asia (Korea, Russia, China, Indochina), while tribe Diestramimini is restricted to India, southern China, and Indochina. The greenhouse camel cricket (Diestrammena asynamora) is cosmopolitan and invasive.
Arrhopalites
springtails
Arrhopalites is a genus of globular springtails (Collembola: Symphypleona) in the family Arrhopalitidae. The genus comprises approximately 40 valid species, with roughly half considered troglobionts—obligate cave-dwelling organisms. Species occur across diverse habitats including cave systems, forest leaf litter, and soil environments, with distribution spanning the Neotropical Region, Asia, Europe, and other regions. The genus is taxonomically significant for phylogenetic studies of Symphypleona, though many aspects of its biology remain understudied.
Derolathrus cavernicolus
Jacobson's beetle
Derolathrus cavernicolus is a small beetle in the family Jacobsoniidae, first described from continental North America in 2010. The species is cavernicolous, inhabiting caves and forested habitats in Florida and the Caribbean. It represents the first record of the family Jacobsoniidae for North America. Some populations may have been introduced through horticultural trade.
Emesini
thread-legged bugs
Emesini is a tribe of thread-legged bugs (Reduviidae: Emesinae) characterized by extremely slender bodies and elongated legs. The tribe contains multiple genera distributed worldwide, with some species exhibiting specialized cave-dwelling habits. Members of this tribe include both surface-dwelling and cavernicolous species, with documented arachnophilous behavior in several taxa.
Laemostenus terricola
Laemostenus terricola is a cavernicolous ground beetle native to Europe, capable of maintaining substantial populations in old hedge habitats within intensively cultivated agricultural landscapes. The species exhibits eurychronous phenology with year-round surface activity, though peak activity occurs in late summer and early autumn. It shows strong ecological association with rabbit burrows, which serve as important microhabitat features. The species is considered endangered in parts of its range, including Berlin and Germany as a whole.
Oncopoduridae
Oncopoduridae is a family of springtails (Collembola) in the order Entomobryomorpha, established by Carl and Lebedinsky in 1905. The family contains the genus Oncopodura, which includes subterranean species adapted to cave environments. Members of this family are characterized by distinctive morphological features of the postantennal organ (PAO) and furcula that are important for species identification.
Sensillanura caeca
Sensillanura caeca is a species of springtail in the family Neanuridae, first described by Folsom in 1916. The species epithet "caeca" (Latin for "blind") suggests an adaptation to subterranean or cave-dwelling habitats, a trait common among troglobitic springtails. As a member of the order Poduromorpha, it belongs to one of the most diverse groups of Collembola. Very few specific details about its biology have been documented in accessible literature.
Texoreddellia
Texoreddellia is a monotypic genus of nicoletiid silverfish described by Wygodzinsky in 1973. The genus contains a single described species, Texoreddellia texensis. As a member of Nicoletiidae, it belongs to a family of small, eyeless, wingless insects adapted to subterranean or cryptic habitats. The genus is known from limited observations and specimens.