searchable PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

Class InsectaThe class Insecta is, of course, a dominant elementIn the cavemicole fauna of the world, just as it is inthe epigean fauna. Troglobites are, however, surprisinglysparse in all tropical areas, and only theApterygota have been very successful in adapting toa cave environment. Twenty-five orders of insect havebeen collected from caves in Mexico, Guatemala, andBelize. Of these only seven-Collembola, Diplura,Thysanura, Blattodea, Saltatoria, Homoptera, andColeoptera-are represented by troglobites (see Table21).Order CoUembolaCollembolans are present in essentially every cavein Mexico and Central America. A total of 16 troglobitesand 21 other species have been identified (seeTable 22), but large collections from numerous cavesin all parts of this area remain unstudied. Althoughcollembolans are most commonly found on organicdebris, animal droppings, and bat guano, they areoccasionally taken from moist flowstone, the surfaceof pools, and on cave walls.MEXICO•l , I~)GUATEMALAFig. 63.-Distrihution of troglobitic and troglophilic millipeds of the family Spirostreptidae: 1, Orthoporus mimus; 2, O.guerreronus; 3, O. fraternus; 4, O. zizicolens; 5, O. spelaeus and O. solieolens; 6, O. diseriminans; unnumbered circles, O.solieolens.195