A new genus and species of nicoletiid silverfish (Insecta, Zygentoma, Nicoletiidae) from caves of northern Alabama, USA

By

Espinasa, Luis
Gutierrez, Abrianna
Hinkle, Amata
Niemiller, Matthew L.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

49

Pages

1--17

Subjects

Insect , Interior Low Plateau , subterranean , Thysanura , Troglobiont , troglobite

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.49.119986

 

Abstract

A new genus and species of troglobiotic nicoletiid (Insecta, Zygentoma, Nicoletiidae) is described from northern Alabama, USA. The type species was collected from three caves in the Highland Rim section of the Interior Low Plateau physiographic province on the northern side of the Tennessee River Valley. Morphological and genetic analysis using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA locus show that Spinanycta alabamensissp. nov. is quite distinct from related nicoletiids in North America. The species differs from members of other genera by its urosternum I, which in males is modified with a central pointy extension. The new species significantly extends the distribution of cave-dwelling members of the family into the southeastern United States and suggests that additional nicoletiid diversity remains to be discovered from karst regions of the eastern United States.