The potential distribution of Zorotypus hubbardi caudell (Zoraptera: Zorotypidae) in North America, as predicted by ecological niche modeling

Owing to their minute sizes, frail wings, and low abundances in entomological collections, zorapterans have been assumed to be highly endemic and poor dispersers. Wide distributions of some species are thought to be induced by human activity. Herein, we use the Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction (GARP) to model the potential distribution of Zorotypus hubbardi Caudell, one of 32 living species of the order Zoraptera. According to the model, the potential distribution of Z. hubbardi covers the southeastern U.S., with western limits in eastern Texas, eastern Oklahoma, and southeastern Kansas, and northern limits in southeastern Iowa in the West and southernmost New York in the East; the model's predictions exclude Z. hubbardi from the Appalachian Mountains. The northern and western boundaries of the potential distribution show that the ecological conditions for the natural occurrence of the species are present, and that the presence of colonies would not be solely dependent on coexistence with humans. New feral records from the areas shown in the potential distribution would establish the certainty of the model.