Neaphaenops tellkampfi (Erichson, 1844)
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Hexapoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Coleoptera |
| Family | Carabidae |
| Genus | Neaphaenops |
| Species | Neaphaenops tellkampfi (Erichson, 1844) |
Synonyms
- Anophthalmus tellkampfii Erichson, 1844 (subjective synonym, GBIF)
- Aphoenops tellkampfii (Erichson, 1844) (subjective synonym, GBIF)
- Neaphaenops tellkampf (Erichson, 1844) (subjective synonym, GBIF)
- Pseudanophthalmus tellkampfii (Erichson, 1844) (subjective synonym, GBIF)
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Troglobiont
- Realm
- Terrestrial
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
Distribution
Type locality
Mammoth Cave, Edmonson Co. KY
Range
Known from 16 counties across two states in the Interior Low Plateau karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Indiana, Kentucky
Counties
- Indiana
- Crawford
- Kentucky
- Allen, Barren, Breckenridge, Breckinridge, Edmonson, Grayson, Green, Har, Hardin, Hart, Logan, Meade, Metcalfe, Simpson, Warren
Karst regions
Interior Low Plateau
Conservation and management
NatureServe
G3G4 Vulnerable to Apparently Secure
Global rank last reviewed 21 August 2002.
Subnational ranks
- Kentucky
- S3S4 Vulnerable to Apparently Secure
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.
- Barr, T.C., Jr. 1959a. New cave beetles (Carabidae, Trechini) from Tennessee and Kentucky. Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science 34: 5–30.
- Barr, T.C., Jr. 1959b. The male of Pseudanophthalmus audax (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Transactions of the Kentucky Academy of Science 20: 1–3. http://psyche.entclub.org/93/93–047.html. details
- Barr, T.C., Jr. 1967a. A new Pseudanophthalmus from an epigean environment in West Virginia (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Psyche 74: 166–172. doi:10.1155/1967/863964
- Barr, T.C., Jr. 1979. The taxonomy, distribution, and affinities of Neaphaenops, with notes on associated species of Pseudanophthalmus (Coleoptera, Carabidae). American Museum Novitates 2682: 1–20. https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstreams/51c5f132–59fd-4ffc-b841-cbc1fd505dfb/download. details
- Barr, T.C., Jr. 1985b. New trechine beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from the Appalachian region. Brimleyana 11: 119–132.
- Barr, T.C., Jr. & Kuehne, R.A. 1971. Ecological studies in the Mammoth Cave system of Kentucky. II. The Ecosystem. Annales de Speleologie 26: 47–96. doi:10.5038/1827-806X.3.1.10
- Benito, J.B., Ober, K.A., Philips, T.K., Orndorff, W. & Niemiller, M.L. 2025. Phylogenomics and biogeography of North American trechine cave beetles (Coleoptera:Carabidae) inferred from ultraconserved elements. Evolution 79: 1622–1642. doi:10.1093/evolut/qpaf103
- Bousquet, Y. 2012. Catalogue of Geadephaga (Coleoptera: Adephaga) of America, north of Mexico. ZooKeys 245: 1–1. doi:10.3897/zookeys.245.3416
- 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. 1980. Caves and associated fauna of the Western Kentucky coal field, Volume 2. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Frankfurt, Kentucky, USA. 114 pp.
- Lewis, J.J. & Lewis, S.L. 2005. Inventory of the subterranean fauna of Tims Ford State Park, Franklin County, Tennessee. Tennesee Natural Heritage Program, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 28 pp.
- Miya, M.S. 2025. A phylogeographic study of the Kentucky endemic cave beetle Neaphaenops tellkampfii Erichson (1844). Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. 60 pp. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/3806. details
- Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897
- Packard, A.S. 1871. The Mammoth Cave and its inhabitants. On the crustaceans and insects. American Naturalist 5: 739–761. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2447590. details
- Putnam, F.W. 1872. The blind fishes of the Mammoth Cave and their allies. The American Naturalist 6: 6–30. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2446708. details
- Tellkampf, T.A. 1845. Memoirs on the blind fishes and some other animals living in the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The New York Journal of Medicine and the Collateral Sciences 5: 84–93. https://www.google.com/books/edition/New_York_journal_of_medicine/rXEdAQAAMAAJ?hl=en. details
- Turanchik, E.J. & Kane, T.C. 1979. Ecological genetics of the cave beetle Neaphaenops tellkampfii (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Oecologia 44: 63–67.
- Valentine, J.M. 1932b. A classification of the genus Pseudanophthalmus Jeannel (Fam. Carabidae) with descriptions of new species and notes on distribution. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 47: 261–280. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24332003. details
This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Neaphaenops tellkampfi (Erichson, 1844). Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-0653. https://cavebiology.org/species/neaphaenops-tellkampfi/ (accessed 18 October 2026).
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.