Caves are perhaps the most distinct and well defined of insect habitats. The general climate in a cave is remarkably unvaried and without distinction of day and night. The differences between summer and winter conditions are also greatly moderated. Violent winds and storms are unknown, though there are steady air currents. The humidity condition changes but very little. Communications with the outside world are on the whole minimum. The river flowing or water seeping in from the outside insures regular quantities of nutritive material. The bats that feed outside but sleep in the cave likewise provide massive deposits of organic matter by way of fecal droppings and dead bodies. In addition to bats, a variety of other animals penetrate caves for sleeping or for over wintering: like many butterflies, flies and other insects and even man, bears, hyaena, etc. The cave environment is thus recognized largely by negative characters viz. absence of light, lack of rhythm of day and night and of seasons, scarcity of available food, limitation of living space, restriction of freedom of movements, absence of contrast, absence of marked changes in temperature and humidity. This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... Alternate meanings: Cave (disambiguation) The outside world viewed from a cave A cave is a natural underground void. ... Orders See taxonomy Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species — more than all other animal groups combined [1]. Insects may be found in nearly all environments on the planet, although only a... A habitat (from the Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular organism usually lives or grows. ... Humidity is the concentration of water vapor in the air. ... For the flying mammal see bat. ... Feces (also spelled faeces in British English, or fæces) are semi-solid waste products from the digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation. ...

A number of insects are permanent habitual inhabitants of caves, characterized by marked specializations for the extreme conditions. These are the true cavernicole species. Most caverniculous insect species are severely restricted wholly to certain caves or occur in generally similar caves of the same region. Some cave insects like grasshoppers and Collembola are, however, rather widely distributed and may be found in caves in different areas. It must be remarked that most of these true cave dwellers have no closely related groups on the open ground. The caves appear to have become the last refugium for many ancient types, which are not found anymore free in the open above ground in the region. The cave fauna thus represents, at least in part, relicts. Cave insects when suddenly exposed often succumb very rapidly. Orders Subclass Apterygota Symphypleona - globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura - extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets... Families Acrididae Charilaidae Dericorythidae Eumastacidae Euschmidtiidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pamphagidae Pneumoridae Pyrgacrididae Pyrgomorphidae Romaleidae Tanaoceridae Tetrigidae Thericleidae Tridactylidae Tristiridae The Caelifera are a family of herbivorous insects of the order Orthoptera, commonly called grasshoppers in English. ... Families Suborder Arthropleona   Superfamily Entomobryoidea    Entomobryidae - slender springtails    Isotomidae - smooth springtails    Oncopoduridae    Paronellidae    Tomoceridae   Superfamily Poduroidea    Brachystomellidae    Hypogastruridae - elongate-bodied springtails    Neanuridae    Odontellidae    Onychiuridae - blind springtails    Poduridae - water springtails Suborder Symphypleona    Dicyrtomidae    Katiannidae    Sminthuridae - globular springtails    Sminthurididae    Bourletiellidae    Arrhopalitidae Springtails (Order Collembola) form the largest of the three orders of... Fauna is a collective term for animal life of any particular region or time. ...

The ultimate source of food for all cave animals lies naturally outside the cave. Rivers carry in cadavers and other organic debris. Fungi which develop on this detritus provide food for many cave dwellers. Other sources include bat guana, mentioned above. Lepidoptera that enter caves for sleeping are preyed upon by cave grasshoppers. The caverniculous Collembola feed on colloidal matter on the water. The Collembola and cave beetles are devoured by spiders and myriapods. All these activities go on in total darkness. With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual, and contrasts with soul, personality and behavior. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota The Fungi (singular: fungus) are a large group of organisms ranked as a kingdom within the Domain Eukaryota. ... Detritus may refer to: In geology, detritus is the name for loose fragments of rock that have been worn away by erosion. ... Superfamilies Butterflies Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Moths Acanthopteroctetoidea Alucitoidea Axioidea Bombycoidea Calliduloidea Choreutoidea Cossoidea Drepanoidea Epermenioidea Eriocranioidea Galacticoidea Gelechioidea Geometroidea Gracillarioidea Hedyloidea Hepialoidea Heterobathmioidea Hyblaeoidea Immoidea Incurvarioidea Lasiocampoidea Lophocoronoidea Micropterigoidea Mimallonoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Neopseustoidea Nepticuloidea Noctuoidea Palaephatoidea Pterophoroidea Pyraloidea Schreckensteinioidea Sesioidea Simaethistoidea Thyridoidea Tineoidea Tischerioidea Tortricoidea Urodoidea Whalleyanoidea Yponomeutoidea Zygaenoidea The order Lepidoptera... Families Suborder Arthropleona   Superfamily Entomobryoidea    Entomobryidae - slender springtails    Isotomidae - smooth springtails    Oncopoduridae    Paronellidae    Tomoceridae   Superfamily Poduroidea    Brachystomellidae    Hypogastruridae - elongate-bodied springtails    Neanuridae    Odontellidae    Onychiuridae - blind springtails    Poduridae - water springtails Suborder Symphypleona    Dicyrtomidae    Katiannidae    Sminthuridae - globular springtails    Sminthurididae    Bourletiellidae    Arrhopalitidae Springtails (Order Collembola) form the largest of the three orders of... A colloid or colloidal dispersion, is a form of matter intermediate between a true solution and a mixture (suspension). ... Families Suborder Mesothelae     Liphistiidae (primitive burrowing spiders) Suborder Mygalomorphae     Atypidae (atypical tarantula)     Antrodiaetidae (folding trapdoor spider)     Mecicobothriidae (dwarf tarantulas)     Hexathelidae (venomous funnel-web tarantula)     Dipluridae (funnel-web tarantula)     Cyrtaucheniidae (wafer trapdoor spider)     Ctenizidae (trapdoor spider)     Theraphosidae (tarantula) Suborder Araneomorphae     Hypochilidae (lampshade spider)     Filistatidae (crevice weaver)     Sicariidae (recluse spider)     Scytodidae (spitting...

True caverniculous species are found not only among insects but also in diverse other groups like Planarians, oligochaeta, Polychaeta, leeches, Mollusca, fish, many Crustacea, like Isopoda, Amphipoda, Syncardida, Decapoda and Copepoda, predatory Chilopoda, mites, Opilionids, Chermetids, spiders, etc. Insects are of course very abundant and range from Campodea and numerous Collembola to Carabidae, Silphidae, Curculionidae, some Orthoptera, Blattids, Trichoptera and Diptera. Orders Arhynchobdellida Haplotaxida Rhynchobdellida The Oligochaeta or few-bristled worms (singular Oligochaete, IPA /ˈɒlɪgoʊˌkit/) are well-segmented Annelids, most with a spacious coelom that is used as a hydroskeleton. ... Orders Amphinomida Capitellida Chaetopterida Cirratulida Cossurida Ctenodrillidae Eunicida Flabelligerida Magelonida Myzostomida Nerillida Opheliida Orbiniida Orweniida Phyllodocida Pisionidae Polygordiida Protodrilida Psammodrilidae Sabellida Spionida Spintheridae Sternaspida Terebellida The Polychaeta or Polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine, with a pair of fleshy protrusions on each body segment called parapodia that... Orders Arhynchobdellida Rhynchobdellida *There is some dispute as to whether Hirudinea should be a class itself, or a subclass of the Clitellata. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia † Helcionelloida The molluscs (British spelling) or mollusks (American spelling) are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar animals well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... Classes Remipedia Cephalocarida Branchiopoda Ostracoda Maxillopoda Malacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum. ... Suborders Anthuridea Asellota Calabozoida Epicaridea Flabellifera Microcerberidea Oniscidea Phreatoicidea Valvifera Isopods are one of the most diverse orders of crustaceans, with many species living in all environments, and are common in shallow marine waters. ... Sub-orders Gammaridea Caprellidea Hyperiidea Ingolfiellidea Amphipoda (amphipods) include about 4600 different species of small, shrimp-like crustaceans. ... Orders Calanoida Cyclopoida Gelyelloida Harpacticoida Misophrioida Monstrilloida Mormonilloida Platycopioida Poecilostomatoida Siphonostomatoida Copepods are small, aquatic animals living in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat, a form of plankton, specifically zooplankton, some copepods are parasitic. ... For the arcade game called Centipede see Centipede (video game). ... Families Tetranychidae - Spider mites Eriophyidae - Gall mites Sarcoptidae - Sarcoptic Mange mites The mites and ticks, order Acarina or Acari, belong to the Arachnida and are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups, although some way behind the insects. ... Families Suborder Mesothelae     Liphistiidae (primitive burrowing spiders) Suborder Mygalomorphae     Atypidae (atypical tarantula)     Antrodiaetidae (folding trapdoor spider)     Mecicobothriidae (dwarf tarantulas)     Hexathelidae (venomous funnel-web tarantula)     Dipluridae (funnel-web tarantula)     Cyrtaucheniidae (wafer trapdoor spider)     Ctenizidae (trapdoor spider)     Theraphosidae (tarantula) Suborder Araneomorphae     Hypochilidae (lampshade spider)     Filistatidae (crevice weaver)     Sicariidae (recluse spider)     Scytodidae (spitting... Families Suborder Arthropleona   Superfamily Entomobryoidea    Entomobryidae - slender springtails    Isotomidae - smooth springtails    Oncopoduridae    Paronellidae    Tomoceridae   Superfamily Poduroidea    Brachystomellidae    Hypogastruridae - elongate-bodied springtails    Neanuridae    Odontellidae    Onychiuridae - blind springtails    Poduridae - water springtails Suborder Symphypleona    Dicyrtomidae    Katiannidae    Sminthuridae - globular springtails    Sminthurididae    Bourletiellidae    Arrhopalitidae Springtails (Order Collembola) form the largest of the three orders of... Genera (see article, hundreds) in 14 Subfamilies The ground beetles are a large family (Carabidae) of common and widespread beetles. ... Subfamilies Nicrophorinae Silphinae (15 genera) Carrion beetles (Family Silphidae) are a minor group of beetles, consisting of about 300 species. ... Subgroups See Subgroups of Curculionidae. ... Suborders and families Suborder Ensifera - crickets Superfamily Gryllacroidea Gryllacrididae - camel crikets Rhaphidophoridae - cave crickets Schizodactylidae - dune crickets Stenopelmatidae - king crickets Superfamily Grylloidea Gryllidae - true crickets Gryllotalpidae - mole cricket Mogoplistidae Myrmecophilidae Superfamily Tettigonioidea Anostostomatidae - king crickets Bradyporidae - armoured crickets Haglidae Phaneropteridae Tettigoniidae - katydids, koringkrieks Suborder Caelifera - grasshoppers, locusts Superfamily Acridoidea Acrididae... Suborders Annulipalpia Spicipalpia Integripalpia some of this info is updated check external links for updates. ... Suborders Nematocera (includes Eudiptera) Brachycera Diptera (di - two, ptera - wings), or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. ...

Adaptation to the cave envrionment

In individual caves not all the numerous cavernicol insects, the most conspicuous and perhaps also universally met with peculiarity is the reduction in body pigmentation. This is particularly marked in Coleoptera. The reduction or total loss body pigmentation are without doubt correlated with the absence of sunlight. This is demonstrated by the fact that all these unpigmented cave beetles readily develop the characteristic pigment when they are exposed to sunlight. A second peculiarity is the more or less pronounced reduction of eyes in all caverniculous species. Nearly all cave insects are characterized by an abnormal elongation of appendages, especially the antennae, as compensation for loss of eyes. There is also increase and elongation of sensory setae, as for example, in the beetle Scotoplanetes arenstorffianus from Herzegowina. In contrast none of the free living related carabids has such sensory setae on the elytra. In biology, pigment is any material resulting in color in plant or animal cells which is the result of selective absorption. ... For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). ... A limb (from the Old English lim) is a jointed appendage of the human or animal branch of a tree; a representative, branch or member of a group or organization. ... Antennae (singular antenna), are the paired appendages connecting to the first (and in crustaceans also to the second) segment of the head of the members of all subphyla of the arthropods except Chelicerata. ... A seta is a stiff hair, bristle, or bristle-like process or part of an organism. ...

True cave insects are generally all characterized by wing reduction. Among the cave beetles the hind wings are reduced or the lost.

The general appearance and attitude of body of cave insects often differ conspicuously from those of free-living relatives. This is particularly observed in Silphidae, through nearly every other cave insect also exhibits this peculiarity. All these are evidence not of selection, as commonly assumed but of direct functional adaptation and correlation to the immediate environment. Subfamilies Nicrophorinae Silphinae (15 genera) Carrion beetles (Family Silphidae) are a minor group of beetles, consisting of about 300 species. ...

The cave dwellers fall under the following category:

1. . True cave insects-troglobionts. These are species which occur exclusively in caves and never in the open.
2. . Troglophile species are insects which can and sometimes occur outside the cave, but prefer the cave habitat.
3. . Trogloxene insects are incapable of living long or permanently in caves, but do occasionally penetrate the caves and manage to survive the extreme environment.

Among the troglobionts insects the most important include Coleoptera, Stenopelmatidae and some Diptera (many of which are perhaps only troglophiles). Nearlly all other insects found in caves are perhaps only trogloxene. The troglobiont grasshoppers of Europe belong to Dolichopoda and Troglophilus. These species are completetly apterous, but are provided with well developed and pigmented compound eyes. The legs and antennae are markedly elongate as in Dolichopoda. Numerous Carabidae are true caverniculous forms. Many species of Trechus, the Scaritine genus Spelaeodotes, some blind Pterostichini of the subgenus Rambousekiella, Speluncarius and Troglorites, some Pselaphidae like the subgenus Troglamaurops, Machaerites spelaeus, some species of Bythinus and a series of the silphid subfamily Bathyscinae. For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). ... Species Stenopelmatus coahuilensis Stenopelmatus fuscus Stenopelmatus intermedius Stenopelmatus longispina Stenopelmatus mescaleroensis Stenopelmatus navajo Stenopelmatus nigrocapitatus Stenopelmatus pictus plus numerous unnamed species (>30) The Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatus) is a genus of large, flightless insects native to western United States, along the Pacific Coast, and south into Mexico. ... Suborders Nematocera (includes Eudiptera) Brachycera Diptera (di - two, ptera - wings), or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. ... Families Acrididae Charilaidae Dericorythidae Eumastacidae Euschmidtiidae Lathiceridae Lentulidae Lithidiidae Ommexechidae Pamphagidae Pneumoridae Pyrgacrididae Pyrgomorphidae Romaleidae Tanaoceridae Tetrigidae Thericleidae Tridactylidae Tristiridae The Caelifera are a family of herbivorous insects of the order Orthoptera, commonly called grasshoppers in English. ... Genera (see article, hundreds) in 14 Subfamilies The ground beetles are a large family (Carabidae) of common and widespread beetles. ...

On the other hand the conspicuously microphthalmous staphylinids Glyptomerus cavicola, Atheta absoloni, Colydiidae Anommatus titanus, Curculionidae Troglorrhynchus and Absoloniella, some blind carabids, Staphylinids and Bathysciinae found commonly in caves in Europe, are really only troglophiles. All true troglobionts are apterous, yellowish-brown or pale reddish-brown, with eyes mostly atrophied or absent. Two European aquatic beetles Dytiscus balsetensis and Hydroporus aveniovensis are pale yellowish-brown and with eyes greatly atrophied and unpigmented. Some important cave insects from Europe include the following; Paraoalyscia wollastoni, Bathysciola fauveli, Trechus (Trichaphaenops) sollandi, Royerella villaridi, Trechus (Trichaphaenops) angulipennis, Trechus (Duvalius) pilosellus stobieckii, etc.

The cave insects found in Atlas Mountains include blind Trechus jurijurae, Aphaenops iblis, Nebria nudicollis with very long antennae and legs, the staphylinids Paraleptusa cavatica and Apterophaenops longiceps, the Curculionid Troglorrhynchus mairei. The carabid Laemostenus fezzensis is troglophile. Neaphaenops tellkampfi occurs in caves in Kentucky (America). The American Stenopelmatid Hadenoecus subterraneus is recorded from Kentucky caves. The remarkable Carabid Comstockia subterranea is a true cave species found in Texas. The exclusively cave dwelling silphid Adelops hirtus occur in Kentucky caves and has very minute, unpigmented atrophied eyes. Map showing the location of the Atlas Mountains (colored red) across North Africa The Atlas Mountains (Arabic: ‎) are a mountain range in northwest Africa extending about 2,400 km (1,500 miles) through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and including The Rock of Gibraltar. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ...

References

Chapman, R.N. 1931. Animal Ecology. London and New York

Graham, S.A. 1933. The influence of civilization on insect fauna of forests. Ann. ent. Soc. Amer., 26: 497-503

Hubbard, H.G. 1898. Insect life in Florida caves. Proc. ent. soc. washington, 4:394 Mani, M.S., 1968 General Entomology, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. New Delhi, chp. XIII, pp 308-312