Skip to main content

Cave Arachnida

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Zoogeography of Arachnida

Part of the book series: Monographiae Biologicae ((MOBI,volume 94))

Abstract

Almost all orders of Arachnida are represented in caves, except for Solifugae. In some orders (Pseudoscorpiones) there are many troglobitic blind species. Such species are found also among spiders, scorpions, opilions, and others. Further species are prospected in different groups and regions of the World, and the ways in which Arachnida have invaded the caves are discussed here (especially the new discoveries in tropical caves, the subterranean fauna of Hawaii, Galapagos, and unusual caverns such as Movile and Ayalon).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 229.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 299.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Beier M (1970) Reliktformen in der Pseudoscorpioniden-Fauna Europas. Mem Soc Entomol Ital 48:317–323

    Google Scholar 

  • Beier M (1982) Zoological results of the British speleological expedition to Papua New Guinea 1975. 9. Pseudoscorpionidea. Acta Zool Bulg 19:43–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernardi LFO, Silva FAB, Zacarias MS, Klompen H and R.L. Ferreira (2013) Phylogenetic and biogeographic analysis of the genus Caribeacarus (Acari: Opilioacarida), with description of a new South American species. Invertebr Syst 27(3):294–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Beron P (1985) On the cave fauna of the Greek Islands of Santorin and Iraklia, with preliminary description of a new Pseudoscorpion. Grottes bulgares, Sofia 3:64–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Beron P (2007) Terrestrial cave animals in Bulgaria. In: Fet V, Popov A (eds) Biogeography and ecology of Bulgaria. Monographiae Biologicae 82. Springer, pp 493–526

    Google Scholar 

  • Beron P (2015a) Comparative Study of the Cave Faunas of South-East Asia and New Guinea. Historia naturalis bulgarica 21:169–210

    Google Scholar 

  • Beron P (2015b) Cave fauna of Bulgaria. East – West Publishing House & National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, 434 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Beron P (2016) Faune cavernicole de la Grèce. East-West Publishing House & National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, 229 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Beron P, Mitov P (1996) Cave Opilionida in Bulgaria. Historia naturalis bulgarica 6:17–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Benjamin SP (2004) Nesticella marapu sp. n., a blind nesticid (Araneae: Nesticidae) from Sumba, Indonesia. Revue suisse de Zoologie 111:303–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blick T, Christian E (2002) Tasterläufer (Arachnida, Palpigradi): eine biospeläologische Herausforderung. Mitteilungen Verb. dt. Höhlen- u. Karstforschung 48(3):72–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Briggs TS (1969) A new holarctic family of Laniatorid Phalangids. Pan-Pac Entomol 45(1):35–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Briggs TS (1971) Relict harvestmen from the Pacific Northwest. Pan-Pac Entomol 47(3):165–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Briggs TS (1974) Troglobitic harvestmen recently discovered in North American lava tubes (Travuniidae, Erebomastridae, Triaenonychidae: Opiliones). J Arachnol 1(3):205–214, 15 figs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brignoli PM (1979) Considérations zoogéographiques sur les Araignées cavernicoles de Grèce. Biologia Gallo-Hellenica 8:223–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Brignoli PM (1982) Ragni cavernicoli italiani. Lavori della Societa Italiana di Biogeografia, NS 7:56–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Cokendolpher JC (1990) The Systematic Status of Arachnida, Exclusive of Acari, in North America North of Mexico. In: Kosztarab M, Schaefer CW (eds) Systematics of the North American insects and arachnids: status and needs. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station Information Series), Blacksburg, pp 5–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Cruz-López JA, Proud DN, Pérez-González A (2016) When troglomorphism dupes taxonomists: morphology and molecules reveal the first pyramidopid harvestman (Arachnida, Opiliones, Pyramidopidae) from the New World. Zool J Linn Soc 177(3):602–620

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Armas F (1973) Escorpiones del Archipielago Cubano.I.Nuevo genero y nuevas especies de Buthidae (Araneida: Scorpionidae). Poeyana 114:1–28

    Google Scholar 

  • de Armas LF, Alayón Garcia G (1984) Sinopsis de los arácnidos cavernícolas de Cuba (excepto ácaros). Poeyana 276:25 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Deeleman-Reinhold C (1993) A remarkable troglobitic tetrablemmid spider from a cave in Thailand (Arachnida: Araneae: Tetrablemmidae). Nat Hist Bull Siam Soc 41(2):99–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Deltshev CH (2008) Faunistic diversity and zoogeography of cave-dwelling spiders on the Balkan Peninsula. In: Makarov SE, Dimitriević RN (eds) Advances in arachnology and development biology. Papers dedicated to Prof. Dr. Božidar Ćurčić. SASDA, Belgrade; UNESCO MAB Committee, Serbia. Monographs, 12, pp 327–348

    Google Scholar 

  • Deltshev CH (2011) The faunistic diversity of cave-dwelling spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of Greece. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 40:23–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dusbábek F (1998) Acari Parasiti. In: Juberthie CH, Decu V (eds.) Encyclopaedia biospeologica, 2, pp 920–928

    Google Scholar 

  • Fet V, Soleglad ME (2003) Contributions to scorpion systematics. I. On recent chages in high-level taxonomy. Euscorpius 31:1–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Fet V, Soleglad ME, Zonstein SL (2011) The genus Akrav levy, 2007 (Scorpiones: Akravidae) revisited. Euscorpius 134:52 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardini G (1982) Pseudoscorpioni cavernicoli italiani. Lavori della Societa Italiana di Biogeografia, NS 7:15–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Georgescu M (1994) Schizomida. In: Juberthie Ch. & V. Decu (Eds), Encyclopaedia Biospeologica I. Moulis–Bucarest, pp 237–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Gertsch WJ (1973) A report on cave spiders from Mexico and Central America. Assoc Mex Cave Stud Bull 5:141–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Gertsch W (1973) The cavernicolous fauna of Hawaiian lava tubes, 3. Araneae (spiders). Pacific Insects 15(1):163–180

    Google Scholar 

  • Giribet G, de Bivort BL, Hitchcock A, Swart P (2013) On Speleosiro argasiformis–a troglobitic Cyphophthalmi (Arachnida: Opiliones: Pettalidae) from Table Mountain, South Africa. J Arachnol 41:416–419

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray MRCavernicolous spiders from the Nullarbor Plain and south-west Australia. J Australian Entomol Soc 12:207–221

    Google Scholar 

  • Gromov AV (1998) A new family, genus and species of scorpions (Arachnida, Scorpiones) from southern Central Asia. Zool Zhournal 77:1003–1008 (in Russian, Engl. Sum.); English transl.: 1998. Rus J Zool 2:409–413

    Google Scholar 

  • Guéorguiev V (1973) Sur la formation de la faune troglobie terrestres dans la péninsule Balkanique durant le Tertiaire. Comptes rendus de l’Académie bulgare des Sciences 26(9):1231–1234

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey M (1991) The cavernicolous pseudoscorpions (Chelicerata: Pseudoscorpionida) of cape range, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 15:487–502

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey MS (1992) The phylogeny and classification of the Pseudoscorpionida (Chelicerata: Arachnida). Invertebr Taxon 6:1373–1435

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey MS (1993) The systematics of the Hyidae (Pseudoscorpionida: Neobisioidea). Invertebr Taxon 7:1–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey M (2002) The neglected cousins: what do we know about the smaller arachnid orders? J Arachnol 30:357–372

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey MS (2003) Catalogue of the smaller arachnid orders of the World: Amblypygi, Uropygi, Schizomida, Palpigradi, Ricinulei and Solifugae. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 385 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey MS, Leng MC (2008) The first troglomorphic pseudoscorpion of the family Olpiidae (Pseudoscorpiones), with remarks on the composition of the family. Rec West Aust Mus 24:387–394

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harvey M, Du Preez G (2014) A new troglobitic ideoroncid pseudoscorpion (Pseudoscorpiones: Ideoroncidae) from southern Africa. J Arachnol 42:105–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heurtault J (1994) Pseudoscorpiones. In: Juberthie C, Decou V (eds) Encyclopaedia Biospeologica. I. Société de Biospéologie, Moulis and Bucarest, pp 185–196

    Google Scholar 

  • Howarth FG (1980) The zoogeography of specialized cave animals: a bioclimatic model. Evolution 34(2):394–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt GS (1972) Note on Australian cave harvestmen Proceedings of 8th bienn. Conf. Austr. Speleol. Fed., Sandy Bay, Tasmania, 76–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt GS, Hickman JL (1993) A revision of the genus Lomanella Pocock and its implications for family level classification in the Travunioidea (Arachnida: Opiliones: Triaenonychidae). Rec Aust Mus 45:81–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Jäger P (2005) New large-sized cave-dwelling Heteropoda species from Asia, with notes on their relationships (Araneae: Sparassidae: Heteropodinae). Revue suisse de Zoologie 112(1):87–114

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juberthie C (1970) Sur Suzukielus sauteri (Roewer 1916) opilion cyphophthalme du Japon. Rev Écol Biol Sol 7:563–569

    Google Scholar 

  • Juberthie C (1979) Un cyphophthalme nouveau d’une grotte de Nouvelle-Caledonie: Troglosiro aelleni n.gen., n.sp. (Opilion, Sironidae). Rev Suisse Zool 86:221–231

    Google Scholar 

  • Juberthie C (1994) Ricinulei. In: Juberthie C, Decu V (eds) Encyclopaedia Biospeologica I, pp 231–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Juvara-Balş I, Baltac M (1977) Deux nouvelles espèces d’Opilioacarus (Acarina: Opilioacarida) de Cuba. Résultats Expéd. Cubano-Roumaines à Cuba 2:169–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Karaman I (2005) Trojanella serbica gen. n., sp. n., a remarkable new troglobitic travunioid (Opiliones, Laniatores, Travunioidea). Rev Suisse Zool, Genève 112(2):439–455

    Google Scholar 

  • Karaman I (2009) The taxonomical status and diversity of Balkan sironids (Opiliones, Cyphopthalmi) with descriptions of twelve new species. Zool J Linnean Soc 156(2):260–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kratochvíl J (1958) Die Höhlenweberknechte Bulgariens (Cyphophthalmi und Laniatores). Acta Academiae Scientiarum Čechoslovenicae Basis Brunensis) Brno 30(9):371–396

    Google Scholar 

  • Kury AB (2013) Order Opiliones Sundevall, 1833. In: Zhang Z-Q (ed) Animal biodiversity: an outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness (Addenda 2013). Zootaxa 3703(1):27–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Kury AB, Mendes AC (2007) Taxonomic status of the European genera of Travuniidae (Arachnida, Opiliones, Laniatores). Munis Entomol Zool, Ankara 2(1):1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence RF (1935) A cavernicolous false scorpion from Table Mountain, Cape Town. Ann Mag Nat Hist 10(15):549–555

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leclerc P (1989) Considérations paléogéographiques à propos de la découverte en Thaïlande d’Opilioacariens nouveaux (Acari -Notostigmata). C.R. de la. Société de Biogéographie 65(4):162–174

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy G (2007) The first troglobite scorpion from Israel and a new chactoid family (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Zool Middle East 40:91–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR (1981) Scorpions cavernicoles de l’Equateur: Tityus demangei n.sp. et Ananteris ashmolei n.sp. (Buthidae); Troglotayosicus vachoni n.gen., n. sp. (Chactidae), scorpion troglobie. Bull Mus Nat Hist Nat de Paris 4e série 3, sect.A, (2):635–662

    Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR (1994) Diversity and endemism in tropical versus temperate scorpion communities. Biogeographica 70(3):155–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR (1995) Chaerilus sabinae, nouvelle espece de Scorpion anophthalme des grottes de Matamba en Inde [ex errore, actually Sulawesi] (Scorpiones, Chaerilidae). Revue suisse de Zoologie 102(3):847–850

    Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço W (1998) Panbiogéographie, les distributions disjointes et le concept de famille relictuelle chez les scorpions. Biogeographica 74(3):133–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR (2007) First record of the family Pseudochactidae Gromov (Chelicerata, Scorpiones) from Laos and new biogeographic evidence of a Pangaean palaeodistribution. C R Biol 330:770–777

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR, Pham D-S (2010) A remarkable new cave scorpion of the family Pseudochactidae Gromov (Chelicerata, Scorpiones) from Vietnam. ZooKeys 71:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR, Pham D-S (2012) A second species of Vietbocap Lourenço & Pham, 2010 (Scorpiones: Pseudochactidae) from Vietnam. C R Biol 335(1):80–85

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR, Francke OF (1985) Revision des connaissances sur les Scorpions cavernicoles (Troglobies) (Arachnida, Scorpions). Mémoires de Biospéléologie 12:3–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahnert V (2001) Cave-dwelling pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) from Brazil. Rev Suisse Zool 108(1):95–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mąkol J, Gabryś G (2005) Caecothrombium deharvengi sp. nov. (Acari: Actinotrichida: Eutrombidiidae) from Vietnam, with a proposal of Caecothrombiidae subfam. nov. Zoologischer Anzeiger 243:227–237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcellino I (1982) Opilioni cavernicoli italiani. Lavori della Societa Italiana di Biogeografia, NS 7:33–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Martens J (1982) Opiliones aus dem Nepal-Himalaya. V. Gyantinae (Arachnida: Phalangiidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 62(4/6):313–348

    Google Scholar 

  • Miranda GS, Aharon S, Gavish-Regev E, Giupponi APL., G. Wizen (2016) A new species of Charinus Simon, 1892 (Arachnida: Amblypygi: Charinidae) from Israel and new records of C. ioanniticus (Kritscher 1959). Eur J Taxon 234:1 – 17

    Google Scholar 

  • Muñoz-Cuevas A (1976) Phalangozea bordoni, nuevo género y especie de Opiliones cavernicolas de Venezuela, de la familia Phalangodidae (Arachnida: Opilionida). Boletin de la Sociedad Venezolana de Espeleología 6(12) [“1975”], pp 87–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Peck SB, Kukalova-Peck J (1986) Preliminary summary of the subterranean fauna of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Part I.Introduction and non-insect invertebrates. Proc 9th Intern Congr Speleol Barcelona 2:164–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Peck SB (1990) Eyeless arthropods of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador: composition and origin of the cryptozoic fauna of a young, tropical, oceanic archipelago. Biotropica 22:366–381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto-da-Rocha R, Andrade R (2012) A new species of Cryptocellus (Arachnida: Ricinulei) from Eastern Amazonia. Fortschr Zool 29(5):474–478

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto-da-Rocha R, Giribet G (2007) Taxonomy. In: Pinto-da-Rocha R, Machado G, Giribet G (eds) Harvestmen: the biology of opiliones. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, pp 88–246

    Google Scholar 

  • Prendini L, Francke OF, Vignoli V (2009) Troglomorphism, trichobothriotaxy and typhlochactid phylogeny (Scorpiones: Chactoidea): more evidence that troglobitism is not an evolutionary dead-end. Cladistics 25:1–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prendini L, Francke OF, Vignoli V (2010) Troglomorphism, trichobothriotaxy and typhlochactid phylogeny (Scorpiones, Chactoidea): more evidence that troglobitism is not an evolutionary dead-end. Cladistics 26:117–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rambla M (1993) Maiorerus randoi n. gen., n. sp., the first laniatorid from a Canary Island cave (Opiliones, Phalangodidae). Mémoires de Biospéologie, Moulis 20:177–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Rambla M (1969) Cave harvestmen from Jamaica (Opiliones: Phalangodidae). Psyche 76(4):390–406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rambla M (1978) Opiliones cavernicolas de Venezuela (Arachnida, Opiliones Laniatores). Speleon, Barcelona 24:5–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Rambla M, Juberthie C (1994) Opiliones. In: Juberthie C, Decou V (eds) Encyclopaedia Biospelogica 1:215–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Reddell J (1981) A review of the cavernicole fauna of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Texas Mem Mus Univ Texas at Austin Bull 27: 1–327

    Google Scholar 

  • Ribera C, Juberthie Ch (1994) Araneae. In: Juberthie Ch. & V. Decu Encyclopaedia Biospeologica I: 197–214

    Google Scholar 

  • Roewer C-F (1953) Cavernicole Arachniden aus Sardinien. Notes Biospeologiques 8:39–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Santibanez Lopez C, Francke OF, Prendini L (2014) Shining a light into the world's deepest caves: phylogenetic systematics of the troglobiotic scorpion genus Alacran Francke, 1982 (Typhlochactidae: Alacraninae). Invertebrate Systematics 28:643–664

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma P, Giribet G (2005) A new Troglosiro species (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi, Pettalidae) from New Caledonia. Zootaxa 1053:47–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Shear WA (1993) The genus Troglosiro and the new family Troglosironidae (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi). J Arachnol 21(2):81–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimojana M (1977) Preliminary Report on the cave spider fauna of the Ryukyu Archipelago. Acta Arachnologica 27, Special number, pp 337–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimojana M, Nishihira M (2000) A new cave-dwelling eyeless spider of the genus Coelotes (Araneae: Amaurobiidae) from Okinawa Island, the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, with notes on possible parthenogenesis. Acta Arachnologica 49(1):29–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon E (1879) Les Arachnides de France. Tome 7. Contenant les ordres des Chernetes, Scorpiones et Opiliones. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Paris, pp. 1–332, pl. 17–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Sousa MFVR, Fereira RL (2013) Two new species of the enigmatic Leptokoenenia (Eukoeneniidae: Palpigradi) from Brazil: first record of the genus outside intertidal environments. PLOS One 8(11):e77840

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor CK (2011) Revision of the genus Megalopsalis (Arachnida: Opiliones: Phalangioidea) in Australia and New Zealand and implications for phalangioid classification. Zootaxa 2773:1–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Trajano E (1987) Fauna cavernicola brasileira: composição e caracterização preliminar. Revista brazileira de Zoologia 3(8):533–561

    Google Scholar 

  • Trajano E, Bichuette ME (2010) Diversity of Brazilian subterranean invertebrates, with a list of troglomorphic taxa. Subterranean Biol 7:1–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Vachon M, Lourenço W (1985) Scorpions cavernicoles du Sarawak (Bornéo), Chaerilus chapmani n.sp. (Chaerilidae) et Lychas hosei (Pocock, 1890)(Buthidae). Mémoires Biospéléologiques 12:9–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandel A (1958) La répartition des cavernicoles et la Paléogéographie. Deuxième Congrès International de Spéléologie 2(3):31–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasquez M, Klompen H (2009) New species of new world Opilioacaridae (Acari : Parasitiformes) with the description of a new genus from the Caribbean region. Zootaxa 2061: 23–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Vignoli V, Prendini L (2009) Systematic revision of the troglomorphic North American scorpion family Typhlochactidae (Scorpiones, Chactoidea). Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 326:1–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Volschenk ES, Prendini L (2008) Aops oncodactylus, gen. et sp. nov., the first troglobitic urodacid (Urodacidae: Scorpiones), with a reassessment of cavernicolous, troglobitic and troglomorphic scorpions. Invertebr Syst 22:235–257

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weygoldt P (1994) Amblypygi. In: Juberthie CH, Decu V (eds) Encyclopaedia Biospeologica, tome I, pp 241–247

    Google Scholar 

  • Wunderlich J (1993) The Macaronesian Cave-dwelling Spider fauna (Arachnida: Araneae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 33(2):681–686

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaragoza JA (1986) Distribucion de los Pseudoscorpiones cavernicolas de la peninsula Iberica e islas Baleares (Arachnida). Actas X Congreso International de Aracnologia, Jaca 1:405–411

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Beron, P. (2018). Cave Arachnida. In: Zoogeography of Arachnida. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 94. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74418-6_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics