Valentine's Cave Fungus Beetle
Ptomaphagus valentinei Jeannel, 1933
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Hexapoda |
| Class | Insecta |
| Order | Coleoptera |
| Family | Leiodidae |
| Genus | Ptomaphagus |
| Species | Ptomaphagus valentinei Jeannel, 1933 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Troglobiont
- Realm
- Terrestrial
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
Distribution
Type locality
Sauta Cave, Jackson Co. AL
Range
Known from three counties in Alabama in the Interior Low Plateau karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Alabama
Counties
- Alabama
- Jackson, Madison, Marshall
Karst regions
Interior Low Plateau
Specimens
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| Museu de Ciencies Naturals de Barcelona | 3 |
3 cataloged lots in 1 collection. 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 3 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 2002.
Subnational ranks
- Alabama
- S2 Imperiled
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Other resources
References
- Barr, T.C., Jr. 1963. Studies on the cavernicole Ptomaphagus of the United States (Coleoptera: Catopidae). Psyche 70: 50–58. doi:10.1155/1963/58018
- Barr, T.C., Jr. 1966. Some comments on "troglobites of Alabama - the beetles". Huntsville Grotto Newsletter 7: 33–34.
- Leray, V.L., Caravas, J., Friedrich, M. & Zigler, K.S. 2019. Mitochondrial sequence data indicate "vicariance by erosion" as a mechanism of species diversification in North American Ptomaphagus (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Cholevinae) cave beetles. Subterranean Biology 29: 35–57.
- Nicholas, G. 1960. Checklist of macroscopic troglobitic organisms of the United States. The American Midland Naturalist 64: 123–160. doi:10.2307/2422897
- Nicholas, G. 1966. Troglobites of Alabama - the beetles. Huntsville Grotto Newsletter 7: 29–32.
- Peck, S.B. 1973a. A systematic revision and the evolutionary biology of the Ptomaphagus (Adelops) beetles of North America (Coleoptera; Leiodidae; Catopinae), with emphasis on cave-inhabiting species. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 145: 29–162. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/4336298. details
- Peck, S.B. 1984. The distribution and evolution of cavernicolous Ptomaphagus beetles in the southeastern United States (Coleoptera; Leiodidae; Cholevinae) with new species and records. Canadian Journal of Zoology 62: 730–740. doi:10.1139/z84-103
- Peck, S.B. 1995. The cave fauna of Alabama. Part II: The insects. National Speleological Society Bulletin 57: 1–19.
- Peck, S.B. & Newton, A.F. 2017. An annotated catalog of the Leiodidae (Coleoptera) of the Nearctis Region (continental North America north of Mexico). The Coleopterists Bulletin 71: 211–258. doi:10.1649/0010-065X-71.2.211
This account was last revised 28 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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