Conservation profile of the largest Palearctic silverfish and Europe's largest cave-adapted terrestrial insect: Squamatinia algharbica (Zygentoma, Nicoletiidae)

Biological prospection of caves in the Algarve karst massif (Portugal) increased the knowledge on the distribution of <i>S. algharbica</i>. We provide new distributional data that enlarge the area of occurrence and the first phylogeny for this species. Based on new molecular data, the genus <i>Squamatinia</i> appears with an isolated position within the Nicoletiidae family, highlighting <i>Squamatinia algharbica</i> as a biological relict with particularly high conservationist value. We assess the conservation status, evaluating the anthropogenic threats to its habitat and present the IUCN Red List profile, based on this new information.