Abstract
Observations of cave dwelling organisms in both tropical and temperate caves often reveal morphological modifications, which may reflect various stages of adaptation to cave life. From April 1994 to June 1995 a number of adult Paratemnopteryx stonei were collected from 7 caves in tropical North Queensland to investigate the degree of geographical variation in such troglomorphies between cave populations. Results of morphometric analyses showed the occurrence of a morphological discontinuity between cave populations from the different geographic regions. The body dimensions particularly important in discriminating between each cave population were tegmen length (both sexes), and secondly, tegmen width and tarsus length for males and females respectively. Morphological differences between populations are discussed in relation to stages of adaptation to cave live.
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1827-806X.25.1.1
Recommended Citation
Slaney, David Paul and Philip Weinstein.
1996.
Geographical variation in the tropical cave cockroach Paratemnopteryx stonei Roth (Blattellidae) in North Queensland, Australia.
International Journal of Speleology,
25: 1-14.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/ijs/vol25/iss1/1
