Tooth Cave Ground Beetle (Rhadine persephone)

Texas Status: Endangered
U.S. Status: Endangered, Listed 9/16/1988
Description: The Tooth Cave ground beetle is a tiny, reddish-brown beetle about 1/4 of an inch (7-8 millimeters) long. Because it lives in caves, it has very small eyes.
Life History: This tiny beetle spends its entire life underground. It runs rapidly on the cave floor searching for prey (food). The Tooth Cave ground beetle is often found in areas of deep, loose soil (silt) where it digs holes to feed on cave cricket eggs buried in the silt. It also feeds on cave cricket eggs and other tiny insects. They are believed to reproduce year round.
Habitat: Tooth Cave ground beetles live under rocks or on the damp floor or walls of caves and sinkholes.
Distribution: About 27 caves in the Edwards Plateau, Travis and Williamson counties, host populations of the Tooth Cave ground beetle.
Other: These beetles are endangered because the caves where they live have been paved over and filled in by the expansion of cities. Polluted water and trash entering caves also destroys habitat. Fire ants are a serious threat, since they enter caves and feed on cave-dwelling animals. You can help by keeping trash and other pollutants out of caves.