Simandoa conserfariam

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Simandoa cave roach
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S. conserfariam
Binomial name
Simandoa conserfariam
(Roth, 2004)

Simandoa conserfariam, [1] also known as the Simandoa cave roach, [2] is a species of ovoviviparous, blaberid African cockroach that is considered extinct-in-the-wild (EW) due to human encroachment, industrial damage and pollution in their native range caused by bauxite and iron ore mining. However, biological surveys were conducted by Conservation International and specimens were collected in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with the species having been available to own and breed in captivity ever since. Generally kept as a pet by insect hobbyists, it is not considered completely extinct. [2] The only known habitat of S. conserfariam was a single cave in the Simandou region of Guinea, West Africa, where it lived on bat guano accumulating on the cave floor. [1] The species' lone cave of habitation was reportedly destroyed, not long after its discovery, by bauxite mining operations. [2] [3] Individuals can be recognized by their unique coloring across their head and body regions, featuring yellow striping and bands. [1] [4]

Uniquely, amongst other troglobites (obligate cave-dwellers or subterranean species), the Simandoa cave roach does not possess reduced eye or wing size. [5]

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Simandoa is a genus of cockroach that is presumably extinct in the wild, as its only currently identified species is Simandoa conserfariam.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Roth, Louis M.; Naskrecki, Piotr (2004). "A new genus and species of cave cockroach (Blaberidae: Oxyhaloinae) from Guinea, West Africa". Journal of Orthoptera Research . 13 (1): 57–61. doi:10.1665/1082-6467(2004)013[0057:ANGASO]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   1082-6467.
  2. 1 2 3 Clausen, Peter. "Extinct in the Wild Roach". Bugs in Cyberspace. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  3. Fitzner, Zach (11 July 2018). "Lost extinctions: When animals die off before science finds them". Earth.com. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  4. Bisby F.A.; Roskov Y.R.; Orrell T.M.; Nicolson D.; Paglinawan L.E.; Bailly N.; Kirk P.M.; Bourgoin T.; Baillargeon G.; Ouvrard D. (red.) (30 August 2017). "Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist". Species 2000: Reading, UK.
  5. YouTube, AllAboutNature (16 November 2024). "Only Found In Captivity: 20 Species That Have Gone Extinct In The Wild".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)