Six species of troglobitic (obligatory cavernicole) beetles inhabit the caves of Mammoth Cave National Park. in Edmonson, Hart. and Barren counties. Kentucky-Carabidae: Pseudanophthalmus menetriesi (Motsch.). P. pubescens (Horn), P. inexpectatus Barr. and Neaphaenops t. tellkampfi (Erichs.) Catopidae: Ptomaphagus (Adelops) hirtus (Tellk.) Pselaphidae: Batrisodes (Babnormodes) henroti Park. P. striatus (Motsch.) is a synonym of P. menetriesi. New distributional records are P. pubescens from Mammoth Cave and P. inexpectatus from Great Onyx Cave. T he most extensive cavern systems of the world lie within the boundaries of Mammoth Cave National Park, in Edmonson, Barren, and Hart counties. Kentucky. About 28 miles of passages have been surveyed in Mammoth Cave itself, and nearly 35 miles have been surveyed in the gigantic Flint Ridge system in the eastern part of the Park (including Floyd Collins' Crystal Cave, Colossal Cave, and Great Salts Cave). Hundreds of other smaller caves are known within the Mammoth Cave plateau and adjacent Pennyroyal plateau. All of them are excavated in the mid-Mississippian limestones of Chester and Meraimiac age, specifically the Renault-Paint Creek, Ste. Genevieve. and St. Louis limestones. Although Mammoth Cave was discovered prior to September 1798, when it was mentioned in a land grant. it was not widely known until the War of 1812, when it was mined extensively for nitrous earth. Constantin Rafinesque (1832) visited the cave several times between 1818 and 1826 and made preliminary geological and zoological observations, butt widespread interest in the vast extent of the cave and its rich troglobitic (= obligatory cavernicole) fauna began in 1837 when the famous guide. Stephen Bishop, crossed Bottomless Pit and discovered Echo River and the regions beyond. The discovery and description of the northern cavefish. Amblyopsis spelaea (Dekay. 1842), attracted zoological attention. Theodor Tellkampf (1844) collected and described the first troglobitic invertebrates, including Adelops Ihirtus. a wingless catopid beetle with greatly reduced eyes. Erichson (1844), from Tellkampf's collections, described Aniophlthalnius Tellkampfii, an eyeless trechine carabid beetle. Motschulsky (1862), Leconte (1863), and Hubbard (1880a) described five more species of Anophthalmus from Mammoth Cave, and Horn described A. pubescens (1868) froim Cave City Cave, in Barren County, and A. audax (1883) from Ronalds Cave, Hart Cotunty. Packard (1876. 1888) and Hubbard (1880b) discuLssed the distribution of the beetles in the 1 This investigation was supported by a grant (G-18765) from the National Science Foundationi.
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