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Scientific Name:
Batrisodes texanus

Area(s) Where Listed As Endangered:
Texas

The Coffin Cave mold beetle is a cave insect only found in two caves in Williamson County, Texas. It is a small beetle, only measuring 0.10 to 0.11 inches. It has long legs and short wings, and since it is a cave dweller and lives in total darkness, it has no eyes.

This beetle is a “troglobite,” meaning it is capable of living its entire life in a cave or underground environment. Its habitat requirements include limestone caves, sinkholes, and subterranean voids where the temperature and humidity is always constant, and it can not survive without the moisture and nutrients that come through the openings on the surface. The temperature and humidity of these caves must always be constant. The diet and reproductive habits of this creature is unknown.

The main threat to the Coffin Cave mold beetle is habitat loss due to urban development and pollution. Many caves have been paved over or filled in, and other caves have been altered, resulting in unstable temperatures and humidity levels that threaten the survival of the species. This species was listed as endangered in 1988, and a recovery plan was developed in 1994.