How Common are Sibling Species in Cave-Inhabiting Invertebrates?

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Abstract
A study was made to document genetic variability in 2 geographically separated populations of a blind Kentucky cave milliped. The milliped chosen, the blind and white Scoterpes copei (Packard) (Chordeumida, Trichopetalidae), is one of many species of cave-dwelling invertebrates distributed through much of south central Kentucky. Specimens of millipeds (22) were taken from each of 2 populations of S. copei. One sample was from the population in Whites Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park and the 2nd from State Trooper Cave, about 43 km southwest in Bowling Green, Kentucky [USA]. The Barren River is a barrier to dispersal and gene flow between these 2 populations of cave-restricted millipeds. Genetic variability in these populations can be estimated from electrophoretic studies. In the Whites Cave population 10% of the loci examined were polymorphic and an average individual was heterozygous at 0.8% (calculated from allelic frequencies) of its loci. The State Trooper population had corresponding values of 20% polymorphism and 5.6% individual heterozygosity. At 6 loci different alleles had become fixed in the 2 populations, and at 2 other loci the same allele had become fixed in each population. In addition, the populations possessed completely different alleles at 2 polymorphic loci. It seems that random drift has caused these 2 populations to diverge at most loci, and that they are sibling species.

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