Poecilophysis weyerensis (Packard, 1888)
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Chelicerata |
| Class | Arachnida |
| Order | Actinedida |
| Family | Rhagidiidae |
| Genus | Poecilophysis |
| Species | Poecilophysis weyerensis (Packard, 1888) |
Synonyms
- Bryobia weyerensis Packard, 1888 (prior combination, CoL)
- Rhyncholophus cavernarum Packard, 1888 (subjective synonym, CoL)
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Troglobiont
- Realm
- Terrestrial
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
Distribution
Type locality
Grand Caverns, Augusta Co. VA
Range
Known from 12 counties across five states across two karst regions.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
Counties
- Indiana
- Monroe
- Kentucky
- Edmonson, Hart, Monroe, Pulaski
- Tennessee
- Fentress, Grundy, Hawkins, Monroe, Van Buren
- Virginia
- Augusta, Rockbridge
Karst regions
Appalachians, Interior Low Plateau
Conservation and management
NatureServe
G3Q Vulnerable
Global rank last reviewed 1 October 1997.
Subnational ranks
- Kentucky
- SNR Unranked
- Tennessee
- S2S3 Imperiled to Vulnerable
- Virginia
- SU Unrankable
- West Virginia
- S1 Critically Imperiled
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
- Bailey, V. 1933. Cave Life of Kentucky. US Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Biological Survey, Washington, DC, USA. 256 pp.
- Banta, A.M. 1907. The fauna of Mayfield's Cave. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 67: 1–114. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/60987. details
- Giovannoli, L. 1933. Invertebrate life of Mammoth and other neighboring caves. In: Bailey, V. (ed), Cave Life of Kentucky, pp. 600–623.
- Harker, D.F., Jr. & Barr, T.C., Jr. 1979. Caves and associated fauna of Eastern Kentucky, Volume 3. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfurt, Kentucky, USA. 130 pp.
- Harker, D.F., Jr. & Barr, T.C., Jr. 1980. Caves and associated fauna of the Western Kentucky coal field, Volume 2. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfurt, Kentucky, USA. 114 pp.
- Holsinger, J.R. 1965a. Free living mites (Acarina) in caves of the eastern United States. National Speleological Society Bulletin 27: 47–54.
- Holsinger, J.R. 1965b. Redescriptions of two poorly known species of cavernicolous rhagidiid mites (Acarina: Trombidiformes) from Virginia and Kentucky. Acarologia 7: 654–662. https://www1.montpellier.inrae.fr/CBGP/acarologia/article.php?id=3734. details
- Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897
- 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
- Zacharda, M. 1985. New Rhagidiidae (Acarina: Prostigmata) from caves of the USA. Vestnik Ceskoslovenske Spolecnosti Zoologicke 49: 67–80.
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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