The Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion (Tartarocreagris texana) is a small cave-dwelling arachnid of the family Neobisiidae. The species was originally assigned to the genus Microcreagris, and then reassigned to Austalillocregris before arriving at its current genus, Tartarocreagris. The Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion has a small geographic distribution, known to occur in only two caves in Travis County, Texas. Additionally, it is tentatively identified in two nearby caves in Texas, but more research is necessary to accurately define the range where the species lives. There is little known about the biology, life cycle, and life history of the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion due to a lack of research and study. Because of this, the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion is listed on the IUCN Red List as data deficient. Under the Endangered Species Act, the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion is listed as endangered.Hammerson, G., Schweitzer, D., Master, L., Cordeiro, J., Tomanio, A., Oliver, L., & Nichols, J. (2008). "Ranking Species Occurrences: A Generic Approach and Decision Key". NatureServe. https://www.natureserve.org/sites/default/files/eo_rank_specifications-generic_guidelines_and_decision_key_05.08.2020.pdf Retrieved 9 April 2022. Recovery plans for the species focus mostly on preserving the karst ecosystem that the pseudoscorpions live in, especially including lessening human impacts on the environment.
Description Little information exists describing what Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions look like since they live in a few dark caves in Texas and are difficult to find.O'Donnell, L., Elliott, W. R., & Stanford, R. (1994). Recovery Plan for Endangered Karst Invertebrates in Travis and Williamson Counties, Texas https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/940825.pdf Retrieved Apr 9, 2022. Some inferences are made about the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions, however, through the commonalities of the Neobisiidae family and other cave-adapted species. Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions fall under the category of troglobites, which are species that spend their entire lives in caves. Some distinct features of troglobites include attenuated palps and long, slender appendages.Campbell, L. (2003). Endangered and Threatened Animals of Texas; Their Life History and Management. Texas Parks and Wildlife. (pg 117-121) https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0013.pdf Retrieved Apr 9, 2022. Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions are large for cave-dwelling species in this area, measuring about 4 mm (0.15 in) in length. The species has no tail and no stinger, but has tiny pincers which it uses to capture small arthropods.Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule to Determine Five Texas Cave Invertebrates To Be Endangered Species. (1988). Federal Register, 53(180), 51-55. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1988-09-16/pdf/FR-1988-09-16.pdf#page=51 Retrieved Apr 9, 2022. The Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion also has a set of small teeth on these tiny pincers that help in latching onto its prey.Curcic, B. P. M. (1989). Further Revision of Some North American False Scorpions Originally Assigned to Microcreagris Balzan (Pseudoscorpiones, Neobisiidae). J. Arachnol, 17(351-362) Retrieved Apr 9, 2022.
Pseudoscorpions, like arthropods, have a protein called sclerotin on their outer layer. This protein gives the specimen a hard exoskeleton, as well as a reddish color. Surface-adapted pseudoscorpions have more sclerotin than cave-adapted pseudoscorpions. Cave-adapted pseudoscorpions have reduced pigmentation and therefore less of a reddish color due to a lack of exposure to sunlight. Because Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions are cave-adapted, they have less rigid exoskeletons than surface-adapted pseudoscorpions. Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion palps are golden brown, and their body and legs are light tan. Additionally, troglobites have severe vision reduction. Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions show this characteristic through their lack of eyes. Since this species doesn't rely on eyesight, they must rely on other senses, such as sensory hairs to catch prey and navigate in the complete darkness of the caves.
Life history There is limited information about the life history of the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion. But, there is more information on development, reproduction, and dispersal available about the order pseudoscorpion.
Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion The Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion lives in an environment below ground, called a subterranean environment. This species has a lifespan of more than one year, based on what scientists have seen in captivity. This type of environment does not expose Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions to the different seasons. Thus, the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions do not have a seasonal reproduction cycle. It instead reproduces year-round. Individuals, once born, grow and develop until sexual maturity is reached. Sexual maturity is often a body length of 4.1 mm (0.161 in) for females and 3.96 mm (0.156 in) for males. The individual body parts have specific proportions once individuals reach adulthood. The top section of the exoskeleton (carapace) is three times as thick as long; the femur is 1.5 times as long as the carapace; the pincer (chela) is 2.55 times as long as the carapace; the mouth (chelicerae) is two-thirds as long as the carapace. Further inspection of the female genitalia (spermatheca) where the species intakes male sperm can distinguish Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions from other closely related species.O'Donnell, L., Elliott, W. R., & Stanford, R. (1994). Recovery Plan for Endangered Karst Invertebrates in Travis and Williamson Counties, Texas https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/940825.pdf Retrieved Apr 9, 2022.
Pseudoscorpions in general The information below is about the pseudoscorpion order as a whole, not just Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions, because there is no information available for the specific species. The information about the pseudoscorpion order is likely similar to what the information would be for the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion.
Pseudoscorpions do not take part in courtship practices or compete to find mates. To reproduce, males leave their sperm in sacs (spermatophores) in areas frequently visited by females. When a female sees a sperm sac, she intakes the sac into her gonopore. Offspring grow inside the mother until she gives birth.. The first stage after birth is called the protonymph stage, in which the offspring typically stays close to the mother. Most pseudoscorpion species are mobile during this stage, but some are immobile and completely reliant on their mother for nutrients. The next two stages, deutonymph and tritonymph, occur as the pseudoscorpion develops and increases in body size. It sheds the exoskeleton to make room for the increasing size. Once they reach individual maximum body size and sexual maturity, pseudoscorpions reach what scientists term adulthood. Pseudoscorpions do not molt after reaching this stage and permanently leave mothers to live alone.
Pseudoscorpions build silk chambers from galea, a type of tube extending from the body. These silk chambers are where pseudoscorpions molt during their various life stages (protonymph, deutonymph, and tritonymph stages). The pseudoscorpion order also uses these silk chambers to take shelter and make brood sacs for immobile young.
Ecology
Diet Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions are food generalists and eat plants or other small animals available to them. The main diet of the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion consists of invertivores, which are small insects, and other similar-sized arthropods, such as mites. Like other cave-dwelling species, they also rely on surface plants for nutrients. Surface plants in caves mostly consist of leaf mulch, plant roots, and organic debris. Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions also find nutrients in deposited organic matter, especially from bats and cave crickets. The cave cricket deposits feces and eggs in areas accessible to Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions. Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions also have been known to eat decaying bodies of cave crickets.
Behavior There is currently no information on the mating behavior of Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions. However, for pseudoscorpions in general, there are no courtship behaviors associated with reproduction. Because the male leaves sperm in sacs that a female later picks up with specialized organs, the two individuals do not meet each other, but produce offspring together. Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions are also known to forage for food at night, briefly leaving the cave to find nutrition in the surrounding plant and cricket populations near the cave.Tooth Cave Pseudoscorpion (Tartarocreagris texana) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/tess/species_nonpublish/2560.pdf Retrieved Apr 9, 2022.
Habitat Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions need to live in small, dark caves that have acidic groundwater that dissolve calcium carbonate. The acidic groundwater is crucial for the survival of the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions because it creates various types of geographical features, like caves, sinkholes, fractures, and interconnections with other caves. These features act as a natural barrier to the outside world. This barrier ensures that the humidity levels remain relatively high and the temperature remains fairly stable. This is an important factor for the temperature-sensitive Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion. Karst environments also ensure that there is proper drainage of water from the cave to further maintain the prime humidity level.
Each type of cave that the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion lives in is unique. Thus, individual populations have adaptations to their specific environment.Muchmore, W. B. (1969). New Species and Records of Cavernicolous Pseudoscorpions of the Genus Microcreagris (Arachnida, Chelonethida, Neobisiidae, Ideobisiinae). American Museum Novitates, 2392 Retrieved Apr 9, 2022. However, the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion cannot adapt to climate change as fast as it is increasing temperatures.
Range The Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion is only confirmed in two caves: Tooth Cave and Amber Cave, in Travis County, Texas. The caves span the Balcones Canyonlands, ranging from eastern to southeastern Edwards Plateau. Generally keeping to the caves, the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpions have a range of approximately 1 km from the caves before the environment becomes unsuitable for them to live. The caves are currently in peril of falling in due to the urbanization of the local communities, so the populations may shrink in the near future.Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule to Determine Five Texas Cave Invertebrates To Be Endangered Species. (1988). Federal Register, 53(180), 51–55. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1988-09-16/pdf/FR-1988-09-16.pdf#page=51 Retrieved Apr 9, 2022.
Conservation
Population size The Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion population size is currently ranked as "H," or "historical data." The current information about population sizes and distribution is lacking, with too little research to classify the population in a different way. This could be due to many factors such as imprecise locations, disturbances to the population, and unstable habitats. There is also a lack of researchers currently studying the species.
Past and current geographical distribution There is little to no data on the past and current distribution of the Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion. Due to a lack of research and study of the species, there is also little known about where they live. All that is confirmed is that they live in Travis County, Texas, in 2 caves, including Tooth Cave and Amber Cave, and are suspected to live in other nearby caves. However, the extent of their range is unknown.
Major threats