Note: Each new batch of abstracts will be dated and posted at the top. I would like to include new species names and their general localities from taxonomic papers, even though such data usually are not given in the abstract itself. This information is valuable to biologists who study zoogeography, biodiversity, and evolution. I will be careful not to publish precise locations of caves, as such information could be abused by some.             —Elliott

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February 22, 1999

Pansini*, M., and G.L. Pesce§. 1998. Higginsia ciccaresei sp. nov. (Porifera: Demospongiae) from a marine cave on the Apulian coast (Mediterranean Sea).  J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 78:1083-1091.

ABSTRACT: A new species of sponge: Higginsia ciccaresei sp. nov. (Demospongieae: Desmoxyidae) is described from a marine cave of the Ionian Apulian coast (Mediteranean Sea). It lives in complete darkness, 250 m from the cave entrance, in a basin of anchialine waters of low salinity and relatively cool temperature. The spicule formation process seems to be affected by some of the peculiar characteristics of theambient water, resulting in spicules of unusual shape and irregular surface. This is the second record of the genus Higginsia-- which has a world-wide distribution -- from the Mediterranean Sea. The hypothesis that H. ciccaresei could be considered as a tethyan relic which survived in the peculiar habitat of an anchialine cave is also suggested.

KEY WORDS: Anchialine, Porifera, sponge, cave.

*Istituto di Zoologia, Università di Genova, via Balbi 5, I-16126 Genova, Italy.

§Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Università di L'Aquila, via Vetoio -- Coppito, I-67010 L'Aquila, Italy.

Posted November 14, 1997

Pohlman J.W., T.M. Iliffe, and L.A. Cifuentes. 1997. A stable isotope study of organic cycling and the ecology of an anchialine cave ecosystem. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 155:17-27.

ABSTRACT: Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data, complemented with other geochemical parameters, were used to identify the sources of organic matter that support the food web of an anchialine cave ecosystem in the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Anchialine caves, common along tropical karstic and volcanic coastlines, are completely or partially inundated by highly stratified layers of fresh and marine waters. Stable isotope data from the cave fauna, the particulate organic matter (POM) from the cenote pool and from the cave, the forest soil and the cave sediments indicated that at least 3 sources of nutritive organics could support the anchialine food web. These sources were: (1) soil from the overlying forest; (2) freshwater algae from adjoining open water pools; and (3) chemoautotrophic nitrifying bacteria living in the cave. Production of nitrate and a decrease in O₂ along the halocline provided geochemical evidence of nitrification. Stable nitrogen isotope data defined 2 to 2.5 trophic levels in the food web. Furthermore, it was found that troglobitic (cave-limited) species residing in the water column are capable of preferentially feeding on specific organic reservoirs. This study presents the first extensive description of the ecological and biogeochemical relationships of the anchialine cave ecosystem.

KEY WORDS: Anchialine · Organic cycling · Nitrification · Niche partitioning · Yucatan Peninsula · Cave

Published in MEPS Volume 155 (1997) on August 28

http://www.int-res.com/int-res/meps/155/m155p017.abs.html

Dr. Thomas M. Iliffe Dept. of Marine Biology Texas A&M University at Galveston Galveston, TX 77553-1675 Phone: (409)740-4454 Fax: (409) 740-5001 E-mail: iliffet@tamug.tamu.edu          http://pacific.tamug.tamu.edu/~marb/faculty/iliffe/iliffe.html

Posted June 18, 1997

Sutton, Michael. Route 1, Box 110A, Annapolis, MO 63620.
Cave Wildlife in Missouri's Big Spring Country —An Overview.

The watersheds of the Current and Eleven Point Rivers in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks form one of the most intensely karstic regions in the state. In a program which originated in 1990 with concern over the effects of mineral exploration, the Cave Research Foundation has been systematically mapping caves and performing macrofaunal surveys, mainly within the Eleven Point watershed on the Mark Twain National Forest. The caves range up to 1½ miles in length and vary from small remnant channels to large base-level stream caves. About 160 caves have been examined. The habitat is very food limited, since water input takes place through a filtering mantle of residuum. Stream fauna consists of low densities of troglobitic isopods (Caecidotea antricola) and one of two closely related species of Stygobromus amphipods. Added to this mix may be troglobitic fish (Typhlichthys subterraneus) and crayfish (Cambarus hubrichti) and troglophilic snails. The amphibian fauna is relatively diverse. Cave, long-tailed and grotto salamanders are all common, frequently within the same cave; resource distribution between the three species is an unsolved problem. An unexpected factor is the use of stream caves by beaver, an important source of nutrients in some caves. Gray bats colonize about a dozen caves, including some newly recorded sites. The larger colonies are significant sources of nutrients, but there is no obvious correlation between the presence of colonial bats and cave fish or grotto salamanders. Terrestrial invertebrates include common, widespread species such as the fungus beetle Ptomaphagus cavernicola, and the flightless fly Spelobia tenebrarum as well as a diverse mixture of springtails, mites, rove beetles, etc. Several previously unrecorded species occur. This attempt to look comprehensively at all caves in a relatively large area is helping to build a broad overview of the regional cave fauna.

Samuelson, Rod. McPherson College, McPherson, Kansas. County, Kansas.
Heterotrophic Dominance Observed among the Microorganisms of the Schermerhorn Park Cave in Cherokee County, Kansas.

Although the Schermerhorn Park Cave, in Cherokee County, is considered the most biologically diverse cave in Kansas, the microfauna of the cave does not diverge significantly from the nearby soil, and the cave's inhabitants rely primarily on the surface for their supply of organic nutrients. Analysis of water samples through bacteria density plate counts, metabolic and morphologic tests on isolated bacteria, and a quantitative water analysis provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment gave a preliminary survey of the underground bacteriology of the cave. The bacteriological tests revealed an abundance of heterotrophic bacteria in samples collected from the stream origin and an isolated pool. The water analysis showed levels of essential nutrients and toxins for iron oxidizing bacteria that diverge significantly from optimum conditions. Therefore, it seems that the Schermerhorn Park Cave is dominated by heterotrophic organisms, that the cave's microenvironment closely resembles the soil, and that large regions containing an abundance of chemolithoautotrophs do not exist.

Hendrickson, D.A. and J.K. Krejca. Texas Natural History Collections/R4000, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712-1100 USA.
Notes on Biogeography, Ecology and Behavior of Mexican Blind Catfish, Genus Prietella (Ictaluridae).

The Mexican blindcat Prietella phreatophila Carranza 1954, is an obligate troglobitic catfish, formerly thought endemic to springs adjacent to, or within about a 50 km radius of, the town of Muzquiz, in central Coahuila. Specimens have been rare, and generally little is known of the biology of the genus. Several characters, however, place the genus as the sister group to Noturus, indicating a probably ancient divergence from the common ancestor perhaps related to cave invasion. Recent discoveries of congeneric populations far to the northwest (very near the Texas border) and southeast (in southernmost Tamaulipas) extend the range across more than 600 km, transecting many major surficial drainages and major mountain ranges. Preliminary morphological observations indicate that the northern population differs little from P. phreatophila, but the single specimen from the southernmost locality was recently described as Prietella lundbergi Walsh and Gilbert 1995.

Northup, Diana E. , Kathylyn M. Beck, Lawrence M. Mallory. University of New Mexico; Biomes, Inc.
Human Impact on the Microbial Communities of Lechuguilla Cave: Is Protection Possible During Active Exploration?

In an effort to assess the impact of humans (explorers and scientists) on the microbial communities of Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, the authors undertook a study of selected human indicator species of bacteria. We compared low impact (alcoves, off-trail sites) with high human impact areas (camps, trade routes, rocks that humans slither over, urine dumps, drinking water sources). Enrichment culture procedures targeted high-temperature Bacillus sp., Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus sampled from these sites. High-temperature Bacillus are bacteria that one would expect to find on the surface in high-temperature desert soils, but would not expect in the soils of the cave which remain at a stable 20° C. Results of these comparisons show that high human impact areas have significantly more of the human indicator species than do low impact areas. Some recovery is seen in areas with S. aureus and E. coli if the areas are given a rest from human visitation, giving time for the human-associated bacteria to die off. Guidelines are given for reducing human impact on the microbial communities.

Webb, D.W., S.J. Taylor, and J.K. Krejca. Center for Biodiversity, Illinois Natural History Survey, 607 East Peabpdy Drive, Champaign, IL 61820.
Illinois Biospeleology.

The results of a two year biological inventory of Illinois caves are being compiled. Specific identifications of aquatic and terrestrial troglophiles and troglobites are overlaid with microhabitat and water quality data. Special attention is given to the state endemic troglobitic amphipod, Gammarus acherondytes, that is up for consideration as a federally listed species. Threats to Illinois cave fauna are addressed along with management considerations for public and privately owned caves.

Elliott, William R. Texas Memorial Museum, The University of Texas at Austin, 12102 Grimsley Drive, Austin, Texas 78759-3120.
The Ecology of Texas Cave Crickets.

The rhaphidophorid genus Ceuthophilus has numerous described and undescribed species in Texas caves. Three species are sympatric in caves along the Balcones Fault Zone in Central Texas. Ceuthophilus (C.) secretus Scudder and C. (C.) new species "B" both roost on ceilings and forage outside, while C. (Geotettix) cunicularis Hubbell is a floor-dweller that rarely ventures outside. I will discuss population estimates and age structures of these three species in twelve caves, and exit counts at seven caves that I have made as part of baseline cave ecology studies since 1992. Crickets will emerge most evenings when the air is >6° C. The "cricket hop" usually starts within 15 to 45 minutes after sunset, and crickets scavenge for carrion at distances up to 30 m from the entrance.

Crickets will occasionally feed on rich fruits, such as Texas Persimmon, or fungi. Adult crickets are more sensitive to light and cold than are nymphs, and on chilly evenings only the nymphs will venture outside. There is a large, annual crop of young crickets. Intense competition occurs at bait stations with the red imported fire ant Solenopsis (Solenopsis) invicta Buren. Fire ants invade Texas caves during the spring and summer, where they forage for water and attack cave crickets and other native fauna. These invaders threaten native soil and cave communities, which include endangered species. Several species of Rhadine beetles specialize in sniffing out and digging up cave cricket eggs laid in the cave. I will also compare Texas cave cricket communities to others in North America.

Culver, David C. Department of Biology, American University, Washington, DC 20016.
Biodiversity in Caves in the Continental United States.

Caves and associated subsurface habitats harbor over 1300 described species and several times that number of undescribed species that are obligate cave dwellers. In North America, groups with terrestrial troglobites or aquatic stygobites include flatworms, oligochaetes, snails, amphipods, isopods, crayfish, shrimps, harvestmen, spiders, pseudoscorpions, mites, millipedes, centipedes, springtails, bristletails, crickets, flies, beetles, fish, and salamanders. The large number of species is result of multiple invasions and isolation of populations in caves in different places. There are six regions of the continental United States with at least 25 troglobites and stygobites: (1) Appalachians (including the eastern margin of the Allegheny Plateau) in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama; (2) Interior Low Plateaus (including the western margin of the Cumberland Plateau) in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana; (3) Ozark Plateaus in Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Oklahoma; (4) Lime Sink region in Florida (part of the Floridan Aquifer); (5) Edwards Plateau and Balcones Escarpment in Texas; and (6) Mother Lode region in California. Diversity ranges from 25 species in the Lime Sink region to over 200 in the Appalachians. In spite of high regional diversity in these six regions, diversity in a single cave rarely reaches 20 troglobites and stygobites. This is largely because of very limited opportunities for dispersal (cave animals must stay underground) and because of food scarcity in caves. There are four sites with 20 or more stygobites and troglobites: (1) Mammoth Cave system in central Kentucky; (2) Parker Cave in central Kentucky; (3) Shelta Cave in northern Alabama; (4) San Marcos Springs artesian well and springs in south-central Texas. Two of these sites, Shelta Cave and San Marcos artesian well and springs, provide access to permanent groundwater. Permanent groundwater (phreatic water) in karst may often harbor high diversity communities but it hasn’t been extensively studied. At two of the sites, San Marcos Springs artesian wells and Parker Cave, there is chemoautotrophic production, that is, energy production where chemical bonds rather than sunlight is the energy source. This results in higher than normal productivity.

Fong, Daniel W. Department of Biology, American University, Washington, D.C. 20016
Why Are There So Many Troglobites?

I present an extension of the MacArthur-Wilson equilibrium model of island biogeography from ecological time to evolutionary time to explain the pattern of diversity of troglobites. The model views caves as insular habitats that continuously trap species migrating from epigean habitats. The number of troglobitic species in a cave is a balance between the colonization rate, or the number of new troglobites appearing in the cave per unit time, and the extinction rate, or the number of troglobites disappearing from the cave per unit time. The equilibrium number of species is a function of the total number of potential colonizers, or size of the source pool, and the maximum colonization and extinction rates. This equilibrium is achieved when the colonization rate equals the extinction rate at a point that defines a species turnover rate. The colonization rate is a combination of the rate of migration of epigean species into a cave and the rate of speciation of new troglobites from these migrants. The colonization rate thus decreases with increasing numbers of troglobites already present in a cave. Extinction of troglobites in a cave is assumed to be stochastic, thus the extinction rate increases with increasing numbers of troglobites present in a cave. The probability of extinction is assumed to be inversely related to population size, which is proportional to the amount of available resources. Therefore, the function relating extinction rate to number of troglobites present has a steeper positive slope in a resource poor cave than in a resource rich cave. Presumed resource bases of underground biodiversity hot spots around the world seem to match the assumptions of the model. One prediction of the model is a lower species turnover rate in resource rich high diversity caves compared with resource poor low diversity caves, manifested as deeper roots in phylogenetic trees comparing the troglobitic species and their surface relatives.

Garman, K. Michael, 1243 Little John Ln., Dunedin, Florida 34698.
Crystal Beach Spring Ecosystem.

The Crystal Beach Spring is a freshwater spring located in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 1,000 feet offshore from the community of Crystal Beach, Florida. The system is subject to tidal influences as the discharge may reach 10 cubic feet per second at low tide and saltwater from the Gulf may siphon into the system at high tide. The cave system’s fauna include five troglobitic crustaceans (two crayfish, Procambarus sp. and Troglocambarus sp., two amphipods, Crangonyx hobbsi and Crangonyx grandimanus, and an isopod, Caecidotea sp.), two species of mussels, a hydrobiid snail, a hydroid, Eudendrium cf carneum, and several types of bacteria. The crustaceans are found throughout the explored freshwater areas of the cave, including areas inundated by saltwater at high tide. However, the hydroid is only found within the part of the cave that is inundated by saltwater on a regular basis (a penetration of 1900 feet and less). This may indicate that the hydroid depends on plankton brought into the cave system by the saltwater for a food source. The mussels are only found downstream of the Dragon’s Lair Tunnel. The Dragon’s Lair contains a distinct halocline/thermocline with freshwater flowing toward the cave entrance on top of stagnant saltwater. Orange bacteria colonies are found in the saltwater and a white bacterial "cloud" sits on top of the interface. Bacteria identifications are currently in progress, but it appears that the bacteria in the Dragon’s Lair generate nutrients on which the mussels are dependent for a food source.

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Posted May 31, 1997

Blaszak, Czeslaw, James C. Cokendolpher, and Victor J. Polyak. 1995. Paleozercon cavernicolus, n.gen., n.sp., fossil mite from a cave in the southwestern U.S.A. (Acari, Gamasida: Zerconidae), with a key to Nearctic genera of Zerconidae. International Journal of Acarology 21(4):253-259.

ABSTRACT-A new genus and species of zerconid mite, Paleozercon cavernicolus, is described from a cave in southeastern New Mexico, U.S.A. The mites were preserved (probably during the late Pleistocene) after being entrapped in mineralized waters and coated by calcium carbonate on the surface of an active stalagmite. This is the first record of a fossil zerconid as well as the first record of the family from a cave in the New World. A taxonomic key (based primarily on females) to the genera of Zerconidae from the Nearctic Region is provided. [Ed. Note: The type locality is Hidden Cave, Lincoln National Forest, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico.)

CB: Department of Animal Morphology, A. Mickiewicz University, Szamarzewskiego 91A, 60-569 Poznan, Poland (e-mail: Blaszak%plpuam11@plearn.edu.pl)
JCC: Department of Biology, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas 76308, U.S.A. (e-mail: jccoke@aol.com)
VJP: Department of Geosciences, Box 41053, Texas Tech University, Lubbock Texas 79409-1053, U.S.A. (e-mail: aqvjp@ttuvml.ttu.edu).

Muchmore, William B. 1996. A new species of Neoallochernes from Antigua (Pseudoscorpionida: Chernetidae). Carribean Journal of Science (University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez) 32(4):387-389.

ABSTRACT.-The newly described species, Neoallochernes minor, was collected from bat guano in a cave on Antigua. Its nearest relatives are on Cuba, where two species of the genus are known.

RESUMEN.-Se describe la especie nueva Neoallochernes minor a partir de ejemplares colectados en guano en una cueva de Antigua. Las especies más cercanas habitan en Cuba, donde hay dos especies del género.

[Excerpts: ]
The species of the genus Neoallochernes Hoff have been treated recently—N. garcianus (Banks) and N. cubanus Muchmore from Cuba, and N. stercoreus (Turk) from Texas (Muchmore, 1992). At the same time, the new species Neoallochernes(?) incertus (Muchmore) was described from New Mexico. It was also noted that undescribed species of the genus, from Mexico and Central America, are under study. This note describes a new species from the eastern Caribbean area uncovered in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. (USNM).

WBM: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627 USA

ABSTRACT—Chitrellina chiricahuae, new genus and new species, is described, based upon a single female from Spinks Cave, Cochise Co., Arizona. In general appearance, it is much like a Chitrella species, but it is easily separated from representatives of that genus by the possession of a long galea on the chelicera and by the distribution of trichobothsia on the palpal chela.

…Type Data-Holotype female (WM7911.01001) from Spinks (or Sphinx) Cave…collected from undersie of piece of limestone on floor, 31 July 1993, by Robert B. Pape; mounted on slide, deposited in Florida State Collection of Arthropods, Gainesville, Florida.

Muchmore, William B., 1996. A third species of the genus Mexichthonius (Pseudoscorpionida, Chthomidae), from a cave in Texas. The Journal of Arachnology 24:155-157.

[Research Note with no abstract; excerpts:]

The genus Mexichthonius was established with the description of Mexichthonius unicus Muchmore 1975; the holotype (a female) and only known specimen of this species was taken from under a rock at Ich-Ek, Campeche, Mexico. A second representative of the genus, also a female, was found in rotted wood near Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, and was described as Mexichthonius pacal Muchmore 1978. No other material pertaining to the genus was known until recently, when a single specimen, this time a male, was collected in a cave in Travis County, Texas, USA…

Type.—Male holotype (WM7936.0 1001) from Five Pocket Cave, Travis County, Texas, 9 November 1993 (Keeley and Horvath); mounted on slide, in Florida State Collection of Arthropods, Gainesville, Florida…no eyes…

Muchmore, William B. 1996. The genus Tyrannochthonius in the eastern United States (Pseudoscorpionida: Chthoniidae). Part II. More recently discovered species. Insecta Mundi 10(1-4):153-167.

Abstract: Twenty-five new species of Tyrannochthonius, mostly cavernicolous, are described from Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Their relations are discussed, and a key is given for all species of the genus known from the United States east of the Mississippi River.

This is the second and final part of a study of the genus Tyrannochthonius as it occurs in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Part I (Muchmore and Chamberlin, 1995) provided an emended diagnosis of the genus and supplementary information about T. floridensis Malcolm and Muchmore (1985), and described 10 new species from caves in Alabama. The species described in Part I are: T. aladdinensis, T. aralu, T. archeri, T. avernicolus, T. jonesi, T. nergal, T. osiris, T. parvus, T. pluto, and T. tenuis, all authored by J. C. Chamberlin. In this part, 25 additional species are described, from both epigean and hypogean situations, in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and a key to all species of Tyrannochthonius in the eastern United States is provided. Throughout the text, "Part F refers to the paper by Muchmore and Chamberlin (1995)…

[Ed note: New species, eyeless unless otherwise noted, type locality listed first—

Tyrannochthonius alabamenis, forest litter 8 km NW of Princeton, Jackson Co., Alabama (4 distinct eyes)

Tyrannochthonius attenuatus, Matthews Cave, Madison Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius barri, Guffey Cave, Marshall Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius binoculatus, Two Way Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama (has 2 eyes)

Tyrannochthonius chamberlini, Kilgore Cave (probaly Little Weaver Cave), Calhoun Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius charon, Driftwood Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius diabolus, Indian Rock Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius erebicus, Crossings Cave, and Paint Rock Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius felix, House of Happiness Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius fiskei, Caroline Cove Cave, Franklin Co., Tennessee

Tyrannochthonius gnomus, Gamble Cave, Marshall Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius halopotamus, Salt River Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius hypogeus, log-stump litter, Bruce Hollow, Mammoth Cave National Park, Edmonson Co., Kentucky (eyeless and probably cave adapted)

Tyrannochthonius infernalis, Jess Elliot Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius innominatus, No Name Key, Monroe Co., Florida (litter dweller, has lost the 2 anterior eyes)

Tyrannochthonius orpheus, Burwell Cave, Madison Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius pecki, Barclay Cave, Sinks Cave, Big Spring Cave, Madison Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius pholeter, Byrd Spring Cave, Madison Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius satan, Honeycomb Cave, Marshall Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius sheltae, Shelta Cave, Madison Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius skeletonis, Out Cave entrance to Gross-Skeleton Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius steevesi, Pratt Cave, Pickett Co., Tennessee

Tyrannochthonius stygius, Reece Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius tartarus, Kellers Cave, Marshall Co., Alabama

Tyrannochthonius torodei, Fern Cave, Jackson Co., Alabama]

Tyrannochthonius alabamensis, rather than T. floridensis, appears to represent the ancestral epigean form from which the cave adapted species have developed. It, together with the cavernicolous species, lacks both the small seta on the anteromedial process of coxa I (found regularly in T. floridensis) and the preocular, dwarf setae on the carapace (found regularly in Caribbean species of the genus and often in T. floridensis).

As Chamberlin and Malcolm (1960) pointed out clearly, cavernicolous species are usually much larger and have more attenuated palps than epigean species of the same genus. This observation is generally borne out in the present study, though the differences between cave and litter dwelling forms is not always so great as they imply by their figure 1… As an example, T. parvus is only about the same size and proportions as T. alabamensis, while T. pecki is a real giant, with much more slender palps in comparison to T. alabamensis.

The development of numerous species of Tyrannochthonius in caves in the southeastern United States is similar to the radiations of the genera Chthonius C.L. Koch and Neobisium Chamberlin in cave of southern Europe and of Kleptochthonius Chamberlin in southeastern United States (see Beier 1963, Barr and Holsinger 1985, Harvey 1991). After troglophilic species have colonized caves, they have been isolated somehow from surface populations and have adapted to the subterranean environment, independently and uniquely in each cave or cave group. In a rich karst area such as the eastern Mississippian Plateau in northern Alabama, this has resulted in a multitude of species, each in its own small territory. (For an up-to-date discussion of adaptation and evolutionary biology of cave animals, see Culver et al. 1995).

Tyrannochthonius is the predominant genus of troglobitic pseudoscorpions in caves of northern Alabama, where at least 30 species are known to occur. A few other pseudoscorpion genera are represented here, also, but with relatively few known species, namely: Lissocreagris Curcic with 6 species, Apochthonius Chamberlin and Aphrastochthonius Chamberlin, each with 2 species, and Hesperochernes Chamberlin with a single species.

It is interesting to compare the distributions of the genera Tyrannochthonius and Kleptochthonius in the southeastern United States. Troglobitic species of Tyrannochthonius and Kleptochthonius (subgenus Chamberlinochthonius Vachon) appear to be mutually exclusive. The former is concentrated in northeastern Alabama, with 2 species just over the border in southern Tennessee and 2 distant outliers in northern Tennessee and central Kentucky; no epigean form is known north of Alabama. On the other hand, Kleptochthonius has not been found in any cave in Alabama (Peck 1989a; personal records), though it is the most common cavernicolous genus in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia, and epigean species occur in Alabama as well as the surrounding states (Hoff 1958; Harvey 1991). The nearest known cavernicolous Kleptochthonius are in Dry Cave, Franklin County, Tennessee (Muchmore 1966) and in Johnson Crook Cave, Dade County, Georgia, and Mt. Cove Farm Cave, Walker County, Georgia (unpublished records); the former location is about 25 km NNE of Caroline Cove Cave, type locality of T. fiskei, the northernmost representative of the main body of Tyrannochthonius. Apparently, each has a competitive advantage over the other in its own territory, although each occasionally lives together with (in the same cave as) representatives of other genera…

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Posted April 24, 1997

Christiansen, Kenneth, and Bellinger, Peter. 1996. Cave Pseudosinella and Oncopodura new to science. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 58(1):38-53.

Nine new species and two new subspecies of the genus Pseudosinella are described from caves in Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia. Three new species of the genus Oncopodura are described from caves in Oregon, Texas and Virginia. The Virginia species is the first cave species of the latter genus to be found east of western Illinois.

KC: Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112, USA
PB: Biology Dept., California State University Northridge, CA 91330, USA

Christiansen, Kenneth, and Bellinger, Peter. 1996. Cave Arrhopalites new to science. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 58(3):168-180

Ten new species of the genus Arrhopalites are described from caves in Oklahoma, Virginia, and Texas. A system for labeling the circumanal setae is presented, following the scheme of Lawrence (1979).

Cokendolpher, James C., and Polyak, Victor J. 1996. Biology of the caves at Sinkhole Flat, Eddy County, New Mexico. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 58(3):181-192.

An annotated faunal list is provided to the animals observed or collected in gypsum caves of Sinkhole Flat. Records from the literature of animals from these caves also are listed. More than 70 species are recognized and many are new to science or could not be identified because the taxonomy of that particular group is in need of taxonomic revision.

JCC: Department of Biology, Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls Texas 76308, USA
VJP: Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409-1053, USA

Koemel, Walton C. 1996. Extremely low frequency radio emissions in bat caves. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 58(1): 35-37.

Bats produce very low frequency (VLF) radio pulses and display magnetic qualities. Extremely low frequency (ELF) radio emissions were observed inside bat caves. Ground return currents from 60 Hz AC power systems run through the ceiling of some bat caves.

WCK: Route 2, Box 173, Lamesa, Texas 79331

Kunz, T.H., J.O. Whitaker, Jr, and M.D. Wadanoli. 1995. Dietary energetics of the insectivorous Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensisi during pregnancy and lactation. Oecologia. 101:407-415.

Received: 2 December 1993 / Accepted: 28 October 1994

Abstract— Stomach content analysis of 20 pregnant (mean body mass=13.4 g) and 18 lactating (mean body mass= 11.5 g) female Tadarida brasiliensis revealed that the diet, expressed as percent volume, consists largely of lepidopterans, coleopterans, hymenopterans, and dipterans, in decreasing order of importance. We found no significant difference in the diet of pregnant and lactating females when expressed as percent volume. However, when expressed as percent frequency, proportionately more pregnant females fed on lepidopterans, coleopterans, and dipterans than did lactating bats, and proportionately more lactating females fed on hymenopterans. We found no significant differences in the percentages of water, lean dry mass, fat, and energy density in the stomach contents of pregnant and lactating females. Water in stomach contents averaged 62.7% and fat and lean dry mass averaged 22.2% and 15.2%, respectively (expressed as percentage of wet mass); energy density averaged 31.2 kJ g-1 dry mass. This relatively high energy density of stomach contents, as compared to whole insects, can be attributed to the consumption of insects high in fat (especially flying ants) and the abdomens only of moths and beetles (other body parts being discarded). Estimates of nightly food intake increased markedly from mid- to late pregnancy, stabilized or decreased during late pregnancy, and increased again during early to mid-lactation. Average nightly feeding rate doubled from pregnancy to lactation and increased threefold during the first half of lactation. By adjusting our gravimetric estimates of nightly feeding rate upwards by 40% (based on estimates of field metabolic rate), we estimate that the average nightly energy intake of female T. brasiliensis ranges from 57 kJ day-1 in early lactation to 104 kJ day-1 in mid-lactation. These estimates represent nightly feeding rates averaging 39% and 73% of a female's body mass in the period from early to mid-lactation, respectively.

THK (requests), MDW: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
JOW: Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809, USA

Key words: Bats Energetics Diet composition Feeding rates Tadarida brasiliensis

Kunz, T.H., O.T. Oftedal, S.K. Robson, M.B. Kretzmann, C. Kirk. 1995. Changes in milk composition during lactation in three species of insectivorous bats. Journal of Comparitive Physiology B. 164:543-551.

Accepted: 18 July 1994

Abstract. Changes in milk composition are described for three species of free-ranging insectivorous bats (Myotis lucifugus, M. velifer, and Tadarida brasiliensis) from early to mid (peak) lactation. Dry matter and energy concentrations in milk increased from early to mid-lactation. In M. lucifugus and T. brasiliensis, but not M. velifer, these increases were due largely to a rise in fat concentration, since protein and carbohydrate remained relatively constant. Energy content of milk (kJ g-1) for each species from early through mid-lactation was related to dry matter (DM) as follows: M. lucifugus (y=O.31 DMA).32, "2=0.68), M. velifer (y = 0.48 DM-5.08, "2=0.99), and T brasiliensis (y=0.37 DM-1.51, "2=0.61). Comparison of the effect of sampling method on milk composition of T. brasiliensis indicated that fat, dry matter, and energy concentrations increased significantly from predawn to prenoon samples. Relatively high fat and low water levels in T brasiliensis milk may reflect the limited access that lactating females have to free water, as well as need to minimize mass of stored milk during long foraging trips. Conversely, lower fat concentrations and higher water levels in milk in M. lucifugus and M. velifer may relate to the propensity for colonies of these two species to roost and forage near bodies of water. In addition, differences in milk fat concentrations observed among the three species may correlate to daily suckling schedules. Females of T brasiliensis, for example, roost apart from and suckle their young on a regular daily schedule, whereas both species of Myotis roost with their pups and appear to suckle them on demand.

THK: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
OTO: Department of Zoological Research, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA
MBK: Department of Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA

Key words: Milk composition - Lactation - Bats - Free-ranging bats - Microchiroptera

Abbreviations: bm, body mass; DM, dry matter; Ta, air temperature Correspondence to: Thomas H. Kunz

Kunz, Thomas H., and Simon K. Robson. 1995. Postnatal growth and development in the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana): birth size, growth rates, and age estimation. Journal of Mammalogy. 76(3):769-783.

Based on mark-recapture data, we quantified changes in body mass, length of forearm, and lengths of the total, proximal, and distal epiphyseal gaps of individual Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana) from birth to peak lactation. We used these data to develop empirical growth curves, derive growth rates, establish age-predictive equations, and compare growth parameters based on three nonlinear growth models. Length of forearm and body mass of neonates averaged I 8.5 mm ± 0.7 (SD) and 3.2 g ± 0.3, respectively. Mean body mass of pups increased linearly for the first 3 weeks, by which time they had achieved ca. 80% of the mean postpartum mass of adult females. Thereafter, body mass remained relatively stable until a small decrease in body mass was observed at the beginning of the 6th week when young first began to fly. The growth trajectory of the forearm also was linear for the first 3 weeks, but, thereafter, increased more slowly until average adult dimensions were reached in the 6th week. Length of total epiphyseal gap increased to its maximum size during the first 2 weeks and subsequently decreased in a linear fashion. Secondary centers of ossification appeared in the metacarpal and first phalanx of the fourth digit at ca. 14 days, thus, making it possible to quantify age-related changes in the proximal and distal epiphyseal gaps. The equation for estimating age based on length of the forearm is valid when this dimension is <=39 mm, whereas the equation for estimating age based on length of the total epiphyseal gap is valid when length of the forearm is >39 mm. Together, these two equations make it possible to estimate the age of pups from 1 to 42 days of age in T brasiliensis. Of the three nonlinear growth models (logistic, Gompertz, and von Bertalanffy), the logistic equation provides the best fit to the empirical curves for length of forearm and body mass.

Key words: age estimation, logistic growth model, neonatal size, postnatal growth, Tadarida brasiliensis

Lewis, Julian J., and Thomas E. Bowman. 1996. The subterranean asellids of Texas (Crustacea: Isopoda: Asellidae). Proceedings of The Biological Society of Washington. 109(3):482-500.

9 October 1996

Abstract.—Seven species of subterranean asellids are recognized from Texas. Four are species of Lirceolus, including Caecidotea bisetus now reassigned to Lirceolus, and Lirceolus hardeni, n. sp., described from caves and springs in east-central Texas. Previously known only from the type-locality, a new collection site for Lirceolus pilus is also reported. Three species of subterranean Caecidotea are known from the state. Caecidotea reddelli is redescribed and reported from both caves and collection sites that sample phreatic habitats such as wells and seeps. Caecidotea bilineata, n. sp., is a phreatobite occurring in noncave groundwater habitats in northeastern Texas. A troglobitic Caecidotea sp. from Border Cave, Culberson County remains undescribed due to insufficient material.

JJL: 217 W. Carter Avenue, Clarksville, IN 47129, U.S.A.
TEB: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560, U.S.A. (deceased)

Prasad, K.N. 1996. Pleistocene cave fauna from peninsular India. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 58(1):30-34.

More than one hundred caves are carved out in Precambrian limestones in various parts of Peninsular India. The Kurnool Caves, a grouping of caves near Betamcherla, Andhra Pradesh are significant because they contain teeth and artifacts of early man. Systematic excavations revealed a rich fossil assemblage that has a bearing on past climate, environment, ecology, and migratory patterns of some of the mammalian groups. The existence of thick cave sediments and ideally situated rock shelters, which are three to four meters above ground level, suggest that detailed excavation is likely to yield fossil remains of early man.

KNP:No. 8, Venkatraman Street, Srinivasa Avenue, Raja Annamalaipuram, Madras-600 028, India

Reddell James R , and Veni, George. 1996. Biology of the Chiquibul Cave System, Belize and Guatemala. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 58(2):131-138.

The Chiquibul Cave System is the longest and largest known network of caves in Central America. Most biological collections and observations in the system were conducted in 1986 in the Cebada Cave segment. Other collections were made in 1984 and 1988. At least 70 invertebrate species are known from the system. Many species await study, and of these, two aquatic and five terrestrial species are apparent troglobites. A zonation survey in the entrance of Cebada Cave showed typical forest litter species in all areas. The fauna of the deep zones of the system included only troglophiles and troglobites. Troglobites were rare and present only in the area farthest from the entrance.

JRR: Texas Memorial Museum, 2400 Trinity, Austin, Texas 78705, U.S.A.
GV: George Veni & Associates, 11304 Candle Park, San Antonio, Texas 78249-4421, U.S.A.

Studier, Eugene H. , and Thomas H. Kunz. 1995. Accretion of nitrogen and minerals in suckling bats, Myotis velifer and Tadarida brasiliensis. Journal of Mammalogy. 76(1):32-42.

Levels of nitrogen, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron were determined for suckling young of known-age, lactating Myotis velifer and Tadarida brasiliensis, and milk from T. brasiliensis nursing known-age young. From birth to weaning, relationships of both nutrient concentrations and nutrient accretion to age are similar for both species but differ for each nutrient and generally reach adult concentration by weaning. While total mass of body sodium and potassium reach adult levels in both Species well before weaning, levels of other elements do not. Although comparable data are limited, element concentrations in suckling bats are similar to those for other suckling small mammals and nestling birds. Growth requirements for measured nutrients in these bats are lower than published values for rodents. Most mineral nutrients that were measured in milk for T. brasiliensis varied with stage of lactation and were comparable in concentration with milk of other mammals. Using daily accretion of nutrients and their concentrations in milk, we calculated the minimal mass of milk needed to meet growth requirements in suckling T. brasiliensis. Among measured nutrients, calcium is the limiting nutritional factor that determines mass of milk needed by suckling young during postnatal growth.

EHS: Department of Biology, University of Michigan-Flint, Flint, Ml 48502
THK: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215

Key words: bat, Chiroptera, nitrogen accretion, mineral accretion, nutrition, milk composition, postnatal growth, Myotis velifer, Tadarida brasiliensis

Walsh, Stephen J., and Carter R. Gilbert. 1995. New species of troglobitic catfish of the genus Prietella (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae) from northeastern México. Copeia, 1(4):850-861.

Prietella lundbergi, a new species of cave ictalurid and only the second of the genus 10 be discovered, is described from a single specimen collected in a subterranean thermal spring, Tamaulipas state, México Morphologically, the new species shares with three previously known troglobitic ictalurids (Prietella phreatophila, Satan eurystomus, Trogloglanis pattersoni) many convergent, paedomorphic characters associated with subterranean life. Prietella lundbergi differs from its nearest relative, P. phreatophila, in retention of the endopterygoid; reduction of the swimbladder; hypural osteology; numbers of principal caudalfin rays, branchiostegals and gill rakers; and in some body measurements. Morphological comparisons support monophyly of the genus Prietella and its recognition as the sister group of Noturus. The new species is found in the El Abra mountains of the Sierra Madre Oriental range, far outside the Rio Grande basin and Edwards Aquifer where all other ictalurid troglobites occur. Historical interdrainage connections along the northeast Gulf Coastal Plain of México may have favored a broad distribution of the epigean ancestor of the two extant Prietella species.

Se describe una nueva especie de bagre ciego ictalurido, Prietella lundbergi, en base a un solo ejemplar capturado en un fuente subterráneo con aguas calidas en el estado Tamaulipas, México. Antes del este descubrimiento nuevo, el género Prietella se habia conocido por una sola especie, P. phreatophila. Esta especie nueva posee varios carácteres morfológicos convergentes y paedomórficos en común con las otras tres especies de ictaluridos conocidos con hábitos troglobios (Prietella phreatophila, Satan eurystomus y Trogloglanis pattersoni). Prietella lundbergi se distingue de P. phreatophila por la retención de los huesos endopterigoides; la reducción de la vejiga gaseosa; la osteología del base de la aleta caudal; el número de radiales de la aleta caudal; los números de los radios branquiostegios y branquispinas del primer arco branquial; y tambien por varias medidas morfométricas. Una comparación morphológico presenta evidencia que Prietella forman un grupo "sister" monofilético del género Noturus. La localidad tipica de la especie nueva es una cueva situada en las montañas El Abra de La Sierra Madre Oriental. Esta localidad está ubicado bastante lejos de la cuenca del Río Grande y Edwards Aquifer de donde se encuentran los otros tres ictaluridos adaptados a la vida en las aguas subterráneas. Se proponen que la interconexión histórica entre los varios dranajes en el parte noreste del costo plano del Golfo de México ha permitodo el ancestro de las dos especies de Prietella a tener una distribución posteriormente muy amplia.

SJW: United States Department of the Interior, National Biological Service, 7920 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, Florida 32653; CRG, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611.

Whitaker, Jr., John O. , Christopher Neefus, and Thomas H. Kunz. 1996. Dietary variation in the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana). Journal of Mammalogy. 77(3):716-724.

In a field experiment designed to evaluate dietary variation in Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana) we found that lactating females fed largely on coleopterans and lygaeid bugs during evening feeding bouts and mostly on moths during morning feeding bouts. These results suggest that interpretations of food habits in this and other Species may be biased unless samples from both nightly feeding bouts are included in the analyses. Diets of different individuals during the same feeding bout were strikingly similar, suggesting that lactating females either fed in the same general habitats or that they encountered and preferentially fed on similar prey items among those available. Bats captured upon return from evening feeding bouts produced significantly more fecal pellets than those captured following second feeding bouts. This difference suggests that either more food is eaten in the first feeding bout or, alternatively, highly chitinous insects such as coleopterans and lygaeids contribute more to fecal matter than relatively soft-bodied moths. We found no significant relationship between hardness of prey and number of pellets produced. Individual bats produced an average of 2-3.6 insects/pellet, but no consistent relationship was found between the number of insects eaten and the number of fecal pellets produced. Our analysis indicates that at least five pellets are needed to establish the number of insect taxa (families) consumed by a bat. Results from this study suggests that future research on food habits of insectivorous bats should examine fecal pellets or stomach contents from evening and morning feeding bouts to fully characterize the diet of a given species.

JOW: Department of Life Sciences, Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN 47809

CN: Office of Biometrics, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824

THK: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215

Key words: Bats, Chiroptera, dietary variation, fecal analysis, food habits, Molossidae, Tadarida brasiliensis

Widmaier, E. P., E. R. Gornstein, J. L. Hennessey, J. M. Bloss, J. A. Greenberg, and T. H. Kunz. 1996. High plasma cholesterol, but low triglycerides and plaque-free arteries, in Mexican free-tailed bats. Am. J. Physiol. 271 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 40): R11O1-R1106.

Female mammals typically become hyperphagic from mid- to late pregnancy and during lactation. Mexican free4ailed bats, Taoarida brasiliensis mexicana, double their nightly food intake from late pregnancy to peak lactation and consume an insect diet that is exceptionally high in fat. During late pregnancy and throughout lactation, fasting plasma levels of cholesterol in this insectivorous bat are high (215 ± S mg/dl) and are nearly 10-fold higher than in three species of Old World frugivorous bats. Fasting triglycerides were unexpectedly low in T. brasiliensis (25 ± 2 mg/dl), despite evidence of high fat intake during nightly feeding bouts (postprandial cholesterol and triglycerides, 268 ± 18 and 122 ± 20 mg/dl, respectively). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were extraordinarily high (124 ± 5 mg/dl) and unaffected by feeding. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were correspondingly low (86 ± 7 mg/dl) This unusual plasma lipid profile was not associated with coronary or aortic atherosclerosis, nor was there evidence of hyperglycemia or hyperinsulinemia. A high-fat diet and high levels of cholesterol in T. brasiliensis are not correlated with cardiovascular disease or (possibly) insulin resistance. Among several possible factors that might account for these observations, nightly bouts of powered flight (commuting and foraging for food) may contribute to elevated HDL cholesterol, which may protect this species from developing atherosclerosis.

EPW et al.: Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215
atherosclerosis; Chiroptera; insulin; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Abstracts from the Karst Waters Institute Conference in Nashville, February 13-16, 1997. The "Extended abstracts and field trip guide" for the conference are available as:

KWI Special Publication 3

Conservation and Protection of the Biota of Karst

Nashville, Tennessee

Edited by Ira D. Sasowsky, Daniel W. Fong, and Elizabeth L. White

Softbound, 125 pages. ISBN 0-9640258-2-5

US$22 (postage included) from:

KWI Publications Sales

Attn: E.L.Whit

542 Glenn Rd.

State College, PA 16803 USA

Conservation and Protection of the Biota of Karst i

Letter of Welcome iii

Program iv

Extended Abstracts of Lecture and Poster Presentations 1

Population Genetic Studies of Plants Endemic to Karst, With an Emphasis on the Limestone Glades of Tennessee

Carol J. Baskauf 2

Molecular Phylogenetics and Historical Biogeography of the Family Amblyopsidae

Dean E. Bergstrom, Douglas B. Noltie, and Timothy P. Holtsford 4

Ozark Cavefish in Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas:

A Five Year Perspective

J. Zack Brown, Gianetta L. Boyd, and James E. Johnson 5

Reproduction and Population Structure of the Marine Cave Isopod Bahalana geracei (Family Cirolanidae) from San Salvador Island, Bahamas

Jerry H. Carpenter 8

Sampling in Springs and Other Ecotones

Dan L. Danielopol, Cecile Claret, Pierre Marmorier, and Peter Pospisil 8

Bryophytes in Australian Karstlands

Alison Downing 14

The Importance of Ecotones in Karstlands

Janine Gibert 17

Protection of Karst Lands by the Nature Conservancy

Christine N. Hall 20

A Biological Assessment of Five Invertebrate Stygobionts from Southwestern Ohio.

Horton H. Hobbs III 22

Cave Resource Preserve Designs in Virginia

David A. Hubbard, Jr. and Larry Smith 26

Protection of Arid Karstiands on the Cape Range Peninsula, Western Australia.

W.F. Humphreys 28

Protecting the Habitat: State Laws and Endangered Cave Species

George N. Huppert and Betty J. Wheeler 32

Vegetation Diversity on Carbonate Island Karst - The Record from San Salvador Island, Bahamas

Marna K. Lehnert, John E. Mylroie, and David L. Arnold 33

The Biological Inventory of Caves of the Blue River Bioreserve

Julian J. Lewis, F. Allen Pursell and Henry Huffman 37

Protecting Caves, Karst, and Bats in the Tongass National Forest, Southeast Alaska

Stephen W. Lewis and James F. Baichtal 42

Sampling in Wells for Describing Ecological Patterns at a Microscale in Karst Aquifers

Florian Malard and Kevin Simon 46

Microbial Communities in Sulphur River, Parker Cave: A Molecular Phylogenetic Study

Diana Northup, Esther Angert, Anna-Louise Reysenbach, Andrew Peek,

and Norman Pace 55

Surface and Subsurface Karst Features and Environments

Arthur N. Palmer 56

Origin and Diversity of the North American Cave Fauna

Stewart B. Peck 60

Population Studies of An Undescribed Species of Crangonyx in Dillion Cave, Orange County,

Indiana, USA (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae)

Megan Porter and H. H. Hobbs III 67

Biodiversity in the Mammoth Cave Region

Thomas L Poulson 69

How To Protect Biodiversity in Caves: A Case Study With Entrance Communities in

Mammoth Cave National Park

Thomas L. Poulson, Kathleen H. Lavoie and Kurt L. Helf 75

The Conservation Status of Hypogean Fishes

Graham S. Proudlove 77

The Protection of the Diversity of Vascular Plants in the Karst Poljes of the Dinaric Mountains

Sulejman Redzic 82

Biotic Diversity of the Dinaric Karst, Particularly in Slovenia: History of its Richness, Destruction, and Protection

Boris Sket 84

The Anchihaline Habitats, A Dispersed "Center" of Biotic Diversity

Boris Sket 98

Oilbirds in Caves

Don Thomas 105

Captive Breeding of Cave Populations of the Tennessee Cave Salamander

R.L. Pete Wyatt 106

The Biodiversity and Water Chemistry of an Anchialine Cave in the Bahamas

Jill Yager and Robert B. Spokane 108

The Mammoth Cave Area Tour

Thomas L. Poulson 113

Author Index 118