Caves
122 species found in this habitat
African Bat Bug
Afrocimex constrictus
A cimicid ectoparasite found on bats in East African caves. It is notable for its unusual mating system involving trauma...
African Cave Cricket
Phaeophilacris spectrum
A large, pale cave-dwelling cricket found in caves across sub-Saharan Africa. It has greatly reduced eyes and elongated ...
Alabama Cave Silverfish
Speleonycta sp. nov. Alabama
A recently described cave silverfish from northern Alabama caves. It is completely blind and unpigmented, representing a...
Alpine Cave Springtail
Onychiuroides alpinus
A recently described blind springtail from caves in the Italian Alps. It lacks eyes, pigment, and a jumping furca....
Amazonian Fungus-Growing Ant
Atta laevigata
One of the largest leaf-cutter ant species with smooth, shiny-headed major workers. Its subterranean colonies can span 3...
Amblyoponine Ant
Amblyopone australis
A primitive-looking subterranean ant from Australia with small eyes and pale coloring. It hunts chilopods in deep soil a...
Anophthalmus Cave Beetle
Anophthalmus hitleri
A small, blind, depigmented cave beetle found in only a handful of caves in Slovenia. It has elongated legs and antennae...
Ant-nest Scydmaenine
Cephennium gallicum
A tiny, blind, pale yellow scydmaenine rove beetle found exclusively in ant nests. Its reduced eyes and pigmentation ind...
Arid-land Subterranean Termite
Reticulitermes tibialis
A subterranean termite adapted to dry conditions in the western United States. It builds mud tubes across exposed surfac...
Asian Subterranean Termite
Coptotermes gestroi
A highly invasive subterranean termite that has spread throughout tropical regions worldwide. They are especially destru...
Baldani Cave Springtail
Protaphorura baldanii
A cave-adapted springtail from Italy with no pigmentation and no functional eyes. It was recently described as new to sc...
Balkan Cave Cricket
Troglophilus cavicola
A common cave cricket found throughout the Dinaric karst region of southeastern Europe. It congregates in large groups o...
Bat Earwig
Arixenia esau
A remarkable wingless earwig that lives exclusively in bat caves, clinging to the bodies and roosting areas of naked bul...
Bat Fly
Penicillidia conspicua
A bizarre wingless fly that lives exclusively as an ectoparasite on bats. It has lost its wings entirely and scurries th...
Bathysciola Cave Beetle
Bathysciola ovata
A small oval cave beetle found in the Pyrenean caves of France and Spain. It has reduced eyes and elongated antennae for...
Benderman's Cave Beetle
Pseudanophthalmus bendermani
A tiny blind ground beetle restricted to a single cave system in Virginia. It is federally listed as endangered in the U...
Black Periplaneta Cockroach
Periplaneta atra
A dark black cockroach from tropical Africa with a shiny exoskeleton. It is less commonly encountered than its cosmopoli...
Blind Cave Leiodid Beetle
Glacicavicola bathyscioides
A tiny eyeless beetle found in ice caves of the western United States. It survives in near-freezing temperatures on cave...
Campodea Bristletail
Campodea fragilis
A common European dipluran found in soil, leaf litter, and caves. It has long multi-segmented cerci and delicate white b...
Canaliculatus Termite
Reticulitermes chinensis
A subterranean termite widespread across China and one of the primary structural pest species in Chinese cities. Colonie...
Canary Islands Cave Silverfish
Coletinia majorensis
A cave-adapted silverfish from Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. It lives in lava tubes and volcanic caves....
Canary Islands Dipluran
Plusiocampa solenla
A cave-adapted dipluran endemic to volcanic caves in the Canary Islands. It has elongated appendages and depigmented bod...
Cascade Ice Crawler
Grylloblatta chirurgica
A North American ice crawler found in the Cascade Range of Washington and Oregon. It lives in volcanic talus slopes near...
Cascade Rock Crawler
Grylloblatta sculleni
A rare, eyeless rock crawler found in lava tube caves in the Cascade Range. It is adapted to permanent darkness and cold...
Cave Bark Louse
Prionoglaris stygia
A primitive cave-dwelling bark louse found in European caves. It retains many ancestral features making it important for...
Cave Cixiid
Oliarus polyphemus
A remarkable cave-adapted planthopper from Hawaiian lava tubes that has lost its eyes and wings. Its body is pale and de...
Cave Cockroach
Nocticola australiensis
A tiny eyeless cockroach adapted to permanent darkness in limestone caves....
Cave Cricket
Ceuthophilus secretus
A wingless, hump-backed cricket with extremely long antennae adapted for life in total darkness. It emerges from caves a...
Cave Rove Beetle
Leptotyphlus mirabilis
A minute, eyeless, depigmented rove beetle adapted to life in deep soil and cave environments. Its body is extremely elo...
Cave Springtail
Pseudosinella violenta
A pale elongate springtail adapted to cave environments with reduced pigmentation and eyes. It feeds on fungi and bat gu...
Cheese Skipper
Piophila casei
A small fly whose larvae infest stored cheese, cured meats, and other protein-rich foods. Larvae can leap up to 15 cm by...
Churchyard Beetle
Blaps mucronata
A large, slow-moving, flightless black beetle often found in cellars and old buildings. It emits a foul odor when distur...
Common Bat Fly
Basilia nana
A tiny, completely wingless spider-like fly that parasitizes bats. Its body is so highly modified for ectoparasitism tha...
Crimean Cave Dipluran
Plusiocampa dublanskii
A cave-adapted dipluran from limestone caves in the Crimean Peninsula. It shows classic troglomorphic traits including d...
Cumberland Plateau Cave Cricket
Hadenoecus cumberlandicus
A cave cricket restricted to caves in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee and Kentucky. It has smaller eyes than surface...
Dark Southern Subterranean Termite
Reticulitermes virginicus
A common subterranean termite in the southeastern United States. It is smaller and less destructive than the eastern sub...
Death's Head Cockroach
Blaberus craniifer
A large cockroach with a distinctive skull-like marking on its pronotum. It is a popular feeder insect and pet species. ...
Dinaric Cave Diving Beetle
Spelaeodytes mirabilis
A remarkable cave ground beetle from the Dinaric karst, with spider-like elongated legs. It was first collected in Herze...
Dinodes Ground Beetle
Dinodes decipiens
A rare cave-dwelling ground beetle from the Balkans with reduced eyes and elongated appendages. It represents an interme...
Discoid Cockroach
Blaberus discoidalis
A large flat cockroach with a distinctive discoid body shape and a dark chevron pattern on its pale pronotum. Adults hav...
Dry Fork Valley Cave Beetle
Pseudanophthalmus montanus
A cave-obligate beetle from the Dry Fork Valley region of West Virginia. Like all members of its genus, it is completely...
Easter Island Cave Springtail
Pseudosinella hahoteana
A cave-adapted springtail endemic to lava tubes on Easter Island (Rapa Nui). It is one of very few invertebrates endemic...
Elegant Cave Cricket
Ceuthophilus elegans
A moderately-sized cave cricket found in caves and dark sheltered areas across the eastern United States. It has a mottl...
Elongate-bodied Springtail
Folsomia candida
A white eyeless springtail commonly found in soil and cave environments worldwide. It is the most widely used springtail...
European Bat Bug
Cimex pipistrelli
A cimicid bug that parasitizes pipistrelle and other bat species across Europe. It may invade living spaces when bats va...
European Cave Cricket
Dolichopoda linderi
A true troglobitic cricket found in caves of the French Pyrenees. It has reduced eyes and elongated cerci compared to su...
European Subterranean Termite
Reticulitermes lucifugus
The most widespread subterranean termite in southern Europe. It damages wooden structures and historical buildings acros...
European Trechus Cave Beetle
Trechus quadristriatus
A small, pale brown ground beetle with four prominent striae on each elytron. Despite belonging to a subfamily with many...
Exploding Termite
Neocapritermes taracua
A soil-feeding termite from French Guiana known for workers that carry backpack-like pouches of toxic crystals. When att...
Fiordland Cave Weta
Pachyrhamma waitomoensis
A large cave weta found in the cave systems of the Waitomo region in New Zealand. It has very long legs and antennae ada...
Giant Cave Springtail
Tomocerus minor
One of the larger springtails in Europe, often found in caves and damp cellars. It has a distinctive metallic sheen on i...
Giant Japygid
Metajapyx subterraneus
One of the larger diplurans, found in deep soil and caves in southern Europe. It is a voracious predator of other soil i...
Giant Nicoletiid
Texoreddellia aquilonaris
A cave-dwelling, blind silverfish relative found in Texas caves. It is completely unpigmented and white, with elongated ...
Giant Pill Millipede
Zephronia siamensis
A large pill millipede that can roll into a perfect sphere the size of a golf ball when threatened. The body is dark bro...
Greenhouse Camel Cricket
Diestrammena asynamora
A humpbacked, wingless cricket with extremely long antennae and legs. It is light brown with dark mottling. Originally f...
Greenhouse Stone Cricket
Tachycines asynamorus
A pale brown cave cricket with enormously long antennae and hind legs. It is wingless with a humped thorax. Originally f...
Ground Pearl
Margarodes vitis
A subterranean scale insect whose encysted nymphs resemble tiny golden pearls....
Guizhou Cave Ground Beetle
Sinaphaenops mirabilissimus
A spectacular cave beetle from southern China with enormously elongated head and appendages. It is one of the most extre...
Hawaiian Cave Spider
Adelocosa anops
A completely eyeless wolf spider found only in lava tube caves on Kauai. It is the first known blind wolf spider ever di...
Herald Moth
Scoliopteryx libatrix
A distinctive moth with scalloped wing edges and orange patches that hibernates in caves, cellars, and outbuildings. One...
Heterotermes Subterranean Termite
Heterotermes indicola
A widespread subterranean termite in South Asia causing significant damage to wooden structures and living trees. Coloni...
Hubricht's Cave Beetle
Pseudanophthalmus hubrichti
A small eyeless cave beetle endemic to caves in West Virginia. It belongs to the most species-rich genus of cave beetles...
Iberian Subterranean Termite
Reticulitermes grassei
A subterranean termite found in the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern France. Colonies build underground galleries in s...
Italian Cave Cricket
Dolichopoda geniculata
A cave cricket endemic to caves in central Italy. It forms genetically distinct populations in different cave systems....
Ivory-headed Cockroach
Eublaberus posticus
A large cockroach with a distinctive cream-colored pronotum contrasting with dark brown wings. It is a burrowing species...
Japanese Cave Cricket
Diestrammena japanica
A large cave cricket native to Japan where it inhabits natural caves and man-made tunnels. It has very long antennae tha...
Kentucky Cave Beetle
Darlingtonea kentuckensis
A troglobitic ground beetle found in caves along Kentucky's Cumberland Plateau. It is eyeless with elongated appendages ...
Kentucky Cave Cricket
Ceuthophilus stygius
A large cave cricket found throughout the cave systems of Kentucky and surrounding states. It has extremely long antenna...
Krubera Cave Springtail
Plutomurus ortobalaganensis
The deepest-dwelling terrestrial animal ever recorded, found at 1,980 meters underground in Krubera Cave. It is complete...
Larger Citronella Ant
Lasius interjectus
A subterranean yellow ant that emits a strong lemon-like odor when crushed. It lives entirely underground tending root-f...
Lepinotus Booklouse
Lepinotus reticulatus
A small wingless psocid with a reticulated body surface found in buildings and caves. It tolerates cooler temperatures t...
Long-cerci Dipluran
Litocampa henroti
A troglophilic dipluran known from caves in western Europe. It has remarkably long cerci used for detecting vibrations i...
Lucifugous Springtail
Megalothorax minimus
One of the smallest known hexapods, found in deep soil and cave environments. It is nearly transparent and extremely dif...
Madagascar Termite
Coptotermes truncatus
A subterranean termite with soft, pale workers and dark-headed soldiers that have elongated, rounded heads equipped with...
Malaysian Subterranean Termite
Coptotermes curvignathus
An aggressive subterranean termite that attacks living trees and wooden structures in Southeast Asia. Soldiers have dist...
Mammoth Cave Beetle
Xenotrechus condei
A rare troglobitic ground beetle known from caves in the Ozark region of Missouri. It is eyeless with greatly elongated ...
Mammoth Cave Cricket
Hadenoecus subterraneus
A large obligate cave cricket and keystone species of Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. Its eggs are the primary food source for m...
Microtermes Subterranean Termite
Microtermes obesi
A small fungus-growing termite widespread across South Asia and the Middle East. Unlike larger Macrotermes, colonies bui...
Milk Termite
Schedorhinotermes lamanianus
A large subterranean termite from tropical Australia with two distinct soldier sizes. Major soldiers have large mandible...
Mole Flea
Hystrichopsylla talpae
The largest European flea, found on moles and other burrowing mammals....
Mount Arthur Cave Weta
Miotopus diversus
A cave weta endemic to caves in the Nelson region of New Zealand's South Island. It has extremely long antennae and pale...
Narrow-Necked Cave Beetle
Leptodirus hochenwartii
The first cave-dwelling animal ever scientifically described, in 1832. Completely eyeless and unpigmented, with an elong...
New Zealand Cave Weta
Pachyrhamma edwardsii
A large cave weta found throughout New Zealand's North Island caves. It has massive hind legs and can grow quite large....
New Zealand Glowworm
Arachnocampa luminosa
A bioluminescent fungus gnat larva endemic to New Zealand. Produces blue-green light to lure prey into sticky silk threa...
Northern Cave Ground Beetle
Pseudanophthalmus menetriesi
A small, blind, unpigmented cave beetle from the limestone caves of the Appalachian region. The genus contains over 250 ...
Orientalis Subterranean Termite
Reticulitermes speratus
The most economically important termite in Japan, causing significant damage to traditional wooden buildings and temples...
Overlooked Cave Beetle
Pseudanophthalmus praetermissus
A rare troglobitic beetle that was long confused with related species before being formally described. It is known from ...
Ozark Cave Silverfish
Speleonycta ozarkensis
A blind cave-adapted silverfish found in caves of the Ozark Highlands. It is completely white and eyeless....
Peppered Cockroach
Archimandrita tesselata
One of the largest cockroach species reaching up to 10cm. It has a peppered brown and cream pattern on its wings. It is ...
Persian Cave Beetle
Anemadus sengleti
A cave-dwelling cholevine beetle discovered in Iranian caves. It belongs to a genus found across southern Europe and the...
Plusiocampa Cave Dipluran
Plusiocampa balsani
A troglobitic dipluran found in caves of southern France. It has extremely elongated antennae and cerci adapted to total...
Psyllipsocus Cave Psocid
Psyllipsocus ramburii
A pale, long-antennaed psocid adapted to dark environments like caves and cellars. It has reduced eyes and elongated sen...
Rock Crawler
Grylloblatta bifratrilecta
A pale wingless insect living on high-altitude ice and snowfields. It is active only at near-freezing temperatures....
Sand Fly
Phlebotomus papatasi
A tiny, hairy, yellowish fly with large dark eyes and wings held in a V-shape above the body. Females feed on blood and ...
Sardinian Cave Beetle
Speomolops sardous
A blind cave beetle endemic to a single cave system in Sardinia. It has no eyes, no pigment, and elongated legs and ante...
Scheltopusik Cave Cricket
Dolichopoda schiavazzii
A cave-dwelling cricket found in limestone caves of central Italy. It has extremely long antennae and reduced eyes adapt...
Slovenian Cave Dipluran
Plusiocampa strouhali
A troglobitic dipluran found in caves of Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It has greatly elongated antennae for sensing ...
Snow Crane Fly
Chionea valga
A wingless crane fly adapted to cold environments, found walking on snow surfaces in winter. It resembles a long-legged ...
South African Cave Cricket
Speleiacris tabulae
A cave cricket endemic to caves on the Cape Peninsula of South Africa. It has reduced eyes and pale brown coloration....
Southeast Asian Cave Springtail
Coecobrya tenebricosa
A widely distributed cave springtail found throughout Southeast Asian caves. It is completely white and eyeless....
Speonomus Cave Beetle
Speonomus pyrenaeus
A small cave beetle from the Pyrenees known for its extreme cave adaptations. It has vestigial eyes and elongated sensor...
Speyer's Cave Beetle
Aphaobius milleri
A troglobitic beetle endemic to caves in the eastern Alps. It has a convex body shape and completely lacks eyes....
Spotted Camel Cricket
Ceuthophilus maculatus
A hump-backed wingless cricket with spotted brown coloring and very long hind legs. It is nocturnal and lives in cool da...
Staphylinus Campodea
Campodea staphylinus
One of the most widespread European diplurans, found in various soil habitats. It is frequently encountered in caves and...
Subterranean Diving Beetle
Limbodessus palmulaoides
An eyeless aquatic beetle living in underground calcrete aquifers of Western Australia. It has lost all pigmentation and...
Tellkampf's Cave Beetle
Neaphaenops tellkampfi
A predatory blind cave beetle endemic to Kentucky's Mammoth Cave region. It feeds primarily on eggs of cave crickets....
Tenerife Cave Cricket
Petaloptila canariensis
A pale cave-dwelling cricket found in lava tubes on Tenerife. It has reduced eyes and elongated antennae adapted to life...
Texas Cave Silverfish
Texoreddellia texensis
A troglobitic silverfish endemic to limestone caves in central Texas. It has no eyes and a pale, elongated body....
Thin-neck Cave Beetle
Pseudanophthalmus parvicollis
A narrowly endemic cave beetle with a distinctively slender pronotum. It inhabits caves in the Appalachian karst region....
Thread-legged Bug
Emesaya brevipennis
An extremely slender assassin bug with stick-like legs that hunts in spider webs. It plucks web strands to lure spiders ...
Tooth Cave Ground Beetle
Rhadine persephone
A tiny eyeless ground beetle found only in a few limestone caves near Austin, Texas. It is a specialized predator of oth...
Trechine Cave Ground Beetle
Aphaenops cerberus
A fully cave-adapted ground beetle from the Pyrenees with no eyes, no pigmentation, and extremely elongated spider-like ...
Tropical Bat Fly
Cyclopodia horsfieldi
A bizarre wingless bat fly with extremely long spider-like legs and a flattened body. It is a specialist parasite of fru...
Tropical Rough-headed Termite
Heterotermes tenuis
A Neotropical subterranean termite and significant sugarcane pest in Brazil. Colonies are diffuse with interconnected su...
Tropical Silverfish
Nicoletia phytophila
A soil-dwelling silverfish found in tropical regions and occasionally in caves. It has a slender white body with very lo...
Turkish Cave Dipluran
Plusiocampa aff. typhla
A cave-adapted dipluran from limestone caves in Turkey. It is part of a species complex found across the eastern Mediter...
Underground Army Ant
Labidus coecus
A mostly subterranean army ant that occasionally surfaces in massive raiding columns across the Americas. Workers are pa...
Velebit Cave Beetle
Hadesia vasiceki
A blind, reddish-brown cave beetle from deep caves in the Dinaric Alps. It has a narrow elongated body adapted for movin...
Venetian Cave Springtail
Deuteraphorura venetiana
A blind white springtail recently described from caves in northeastern Italy. It has no eyes and a completely reduced ju...
Washburn's Rock Crawler
Grylloblatta washingtonensis
A pale, eyeless ice crawler found in the Cascade Range. It forages at night on snow surfaces in near-freezing temperatur...
Western Drywood Termite
Incisitermes minor
A common drywood termite of the western United States that infests structural timbers and furniture. Unlike subterranean...
Weta
Deinacrida heteracantha
Giant insects endemic to New Zealand, some of the heaviest in the world. Wetapunga can weigh up to 70 grams. Living foss...