Southwest Virginia Cave Isopod
Caecidotea recurvata (Steeves, 1963)
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Isopoda |
| Family | Asellidae |
| Genus | Caecidotea |
| Species | Caecidotea recurvata (Steeves, 1963) |
Synonyms
- Asellus recurvata Steeves, 1963 (prior combination, CoL)
- Conasellus recurvatus (Steeves, 1963) (subjective synonym, CoL)
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Stygobiont
- Realm
- Aquatic
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
Distribution
Type locality
Unthank Cave, Lee Co. VA
Range
Known from 13 counties across two states in the Appalachians karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Tennessee, Virginia
Counties
- Tennessee
- Campbell, Claiborne, Clairborne, Hancock, Knox, Sullivan, Union, Washington
- Virginia
- Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Wise
Karst regions
Appalachians
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28S | nuclear | 44 | 386-783 bp | OP757844.1 |
| COI | mitochondrial | 18 | 565-838 bp | OP816967.1 |
| other | unknown | 14 | 597-733 bp | OP763129.1 |
76 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.
Download all 76 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.
Specimens
Type material
- Holotype
- USNM 107753 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Allotype
- USNM 107754 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Paratype ×2
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution | 118 |
| Field Museum of Natural History | 1 |
| Yale Peabody Museum | 1 |
120 cataloged lots in 3 collections. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.
Download all 120 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
NatureServe
G5 Secure
Global rank last reviewed 21 August 2002.
Subnational ranks
- Tennessee
- S2 Imperiled
- Virginia
- S3 Vulnerable
Ranks looked up 23 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Other resources
References
- Fleming, L.E. 1972. The evolution of the eastern North American isopods of the genus Asellus (Crustacea: Asellidae). Part I. International Journal of Speleology 4: 221–256. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1605&context=ijs. details
- Kenk, R. 1977a. Freshwater tricads (Turbellaria) of North America, IX: The genus Sphalloplana. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 246: 1–38. https://repository.si.edu/bitstreams/d38e70a7-fb46–474c-9ea0-f202898980ba/download. details
- Lewis, S.L., Lewis, J.J. & Orndorff, W. 2021. Caecidotea burkensis, new species, a unique subterranean isopod from Burke’s Garden, with a synthesis of the biogeography and evolution of southwestern Virginia asellids. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 83: 78–87. doi:10.4311/2020LSC0126
- Magniez, G.J. 1981. Experimental breeding of the U.S. cavernicolous crustacean Caecidotea recurvata (Steeves, 1963). Proceedings of the 8th International Congress of Speleology. Volume 1: 241–242.
- Niemiller, M.L. & Zigler, K.S. 2013. Patterns of cave biodiversity and endemism in the Appalachians and Interior Plateau of Tennessee, USA. PLOS One 8: e64177. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064177
- Steeves, H.R. 1963. The troglobitic asellids of the United States: the stygius group. The American Midland Naturalist 69: 470–481. doi:10.2307/2422923
- Trumbore, L.E., Reynolds, R.J., Thomas, S.C., Orndorff, W., Cramphorn, B., Gladstone, N.S., Harden, C.W., Lewis, J.J., Milne, M.A., Ober, K.A., Shear, W.A., Stephen, C.D.R. & Zigler, K.S. 2024. Cave biodiversity of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 86: 13–24. doi:10.4311/2022LSC0116
This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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