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searchable PDF - Association for Mexican Cave Studies

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found in Chiapas, while the troglobites occur inYucatan, Veracruz, and San Luis Potosi. The troglobiteT. boneti Rioja from higher elevations in theXilitla region of San Luis Potosi is the only speciesto occur north of Veracruz. A third genus of isopod,Cylindroniscus, also has a similar distributionalpattern. Endogean species are k~lOwn from Cuba andYucatan, while troglobites occur in Yucatan, NuevoLeon, and San Luis Potosi.Two families of pseudoscorpion include representativesin both the Old World and New World tropics.The Vachoniidae contains one African genus andtwo Central American genera. The Central Americanspecies are all troglobites divided between twogenera: Vachonium with one species in Belize andfour in Yucatan and Paravachonium with two speciesin Tamaulipas. The family Hyidae contains severalepigean species from Asia and epigean and troglobiticspecies from the New World. Two of the genera,Leucohya with two species in isolated mountainranges of Nuevo Leon and Trogloh.ya with one specieseach in Chiapas and Oaxaca, contain only troglobites.The third genus, Mexobisium, contains troglobites inBelize, Guatemala, and Tabasco and Veracruz,Mexico. Epigean species have been described fromCuba and southern Mexico.One of the more interesting species known from<strong>Mexican</strong> caves is the cyphophthalmid Neogoveamexasca Shear from caves in the Acatlan region ofOaxaca. This is the only species of the suborderknown from Mexico and is a member of a genusotherwise found only in Brazil and Guyana.The milliped order Glomerida is largely tropical,although some species do occur in the United States.The genus Glomeroides, however, includes epigeanspecies in Mexico, Guatemala, and Cali<strong>for</strong>nia (U.S.A.).The only species known from the surface in Mexicoare restricted to the extreme southern part of thecountry; troglobites have been taken from caves atlow elevations in Veracruz and from higher elevationsin the Sierra Madre Oriental of San Luis Potosi andTamaulipas.The carabid beetle tribe Trechini includes numerousspecies in the genera Paratrechus and Mexitrechusfrom high-elevation, endogean habitats insouthern Mexico and Central America. The northernmostspecies of Paratrechus is P. (Hygroduvalius)pallescens Barr, a troglobite from caves in Queretaro.Three trechine genera, probably derived from thesame lineage as Para trechus, are known only fromcaves: Chiapadytes with one species in the SanCristobal de las Casas region of Chiapas, Mayaphaenopswith one species from Huehuetenango, Guatemala,and Mexaphaenops with four high-elevationspecies in Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, and Tamaulipas.The latter genus also includes a species fromGrutas del Palmito, Nuevo Leon, which has apparentlybeen isolated by the surrounding desert.Most of the remaining species of troglobite knownfrom caves in this region are members of groupspresent both on the surface and in caves throughoutthe region, although some may not occur at higherelevations. It is not possible here to do more thanmention a few examples to illustrate various aspectsof their general distribution.Three arachnid orders which are almost entirelytropical in their distribution are the Schizomida,Amblypygida, and Ricinulei. These are all found insurface habitats throughout tropical and subtropicalAmerica and all contain both troglobite and troglophilerepresentatives.The order Schizomida ranges from South Americanorth into the southern United States and is animportant element of the cavernicole fauna of Mexico,Guatemala, and Belize. The family Protoschizomidaeincludes only four species, two of which are epigeanspecies from Colima and Tamaulipas. The genusAgastoschizomus includes two troglobitic species: A.lucifer Rowland from caves in the Sierra de EI Abra,San Luis Potosi; and A. huitzmolotitlensis Rowlandfrom the Xilitla region of San Luis Potosi. The latterspecies is the only described species in the order fromhigher elevations in Mexico. The family Schizomidaeincludes numerous troglophilic and troglobitic speciesfrom Guatemala into Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The eightpresumed troglobites are from Veracruz, Tabasco,San Luis Potosi, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, and NuevoLeon. The more northern species appear to be isolatedin caves by the surrounding desert.Numerous species of amblypygid of the genusParaphrynus have been reported from caves. Speciesfrom Tamaulipas, Yucatan, Tabasco, and San LuisPotosi are troglobitic. All but one of these are lowlandtroglobites; P. velmae Mullinex occurs at higherelevations in the Xilitla and Aquismon regions of SanLuis Potosi.The order Ricinulei, once thought to be incrediblyrare and still seldom collected, has been found to be asignificant component of the cavernicole fauna ofparts of Mexico and Guatemala. Most of the describedspecies are epigean or troglophilic, but threeappear to be cave restricted: Cryptocellus sbordoniiBrignoli from Chiapas, C. osorioi Bolivar from SanLuis Potosi and Tamaulipas, and C. reddelli Gertschfrom the Sierra de la India of Durango. The last speciesis apparently isolated by the surrounding desert.The phalangodid harvestman genus Hoplobunusranges from Central America into Texas. This is a65

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