Robust Cave Beetle
Pseudanophthalmus robustus Valentine, 1931
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Hexapoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Coleoptera |
| Family | Carabidae |
| Genus | Pseudanophthalmus |
| Species | Pseudanophthalmus robustus Valentine, 1931 |
Synonyms
- Pseudanophthalmus megosteus Barr, 1959 (subjective synonym, CoL)
- Pseudanophthalmus neglectus Jeannel, 1949 (subjective synonym, CoL)
- Pseudanophthalmus robustus neglectus (subjective synonym, CoL)
- Pseudanophthalmus robustus megosteus (subjective synonym, CoL)
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Troglobiont
- Realm
- Terrestrial
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
Distribution
Type locality
Johnson Saltpeter Cave, Putnam Co. TN
Range
Known from eight counties in Tennessee in the Interior Low Plateau karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Tennessee
Counties
- Tennessee
- DeKalb, Grundy, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Van Buren, Warren, White
Karst regions
Interior Low Plateau
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28S | nuclear | 2 | 876-877 bp | OR353594.1 |
| COI | mitochondrial | 2 | 702-702 bp | OR509947.1 |
4 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.
Download all 4 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.
Specimens
Type material
- Holotype
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Holotype
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| Cornell University | 2 |
| Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard | 2 |
| National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution | 2 |
| Field Museum of Natural History | 1 |
7 cataloged lots in 4 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 7 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
NatureServe
G3G4 Vulnerable to Apparently Secure
Global rank last reviewed 27 September 2010.
Subnational ranks
- Tennessee
- 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
- 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. 1962. The robustus group in the genus Pseudanophthalmus (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechini). The Coleopterists Bulletin 16: 109–118. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3998965. details
- Barr, T.C., Jr. 2004. A classification and checklist of the genus Pseudanophthalmus Jeannel (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae). Special Publication 11. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, Virginia, USA. 52 pp.
- 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
- Erwin, T.L. & House, G.N. 1978. A catalogue of the primary types of Carabidae (incl. Cicindelinae) in the collections of the United States National Museum of Natural History (USNM) (Coleoptera). The Coleopterists Bulletin 32: 231–256. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3999875. details
- Lewis, J.J. 2005a. A biological inventory of caves of the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee Chapter Cave Program, The Nature Conservancy, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 156 pp.
- 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
- Poulson, T.L. 1961. Cave adaptation in amblyopsid cavefishes. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. 185 pp. doi:10.7302/9847
- Valentine, J.M. 1931. New cavernicole Carabidae of the subfamily Trechinae Jeannel. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 46: 247–258.
- 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
- Valentine, J.M. 1937. Anophthalmid beetles (fam. Carabidae) from Tennessee caves. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 53: 93–100.
- Valentine, J.M. 1952. New genera of anophthalmid beetles from Cumberland caves (Carabidae, Trechinae). Geological Survey of Alabama Museum Paper 34: 1–41.
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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