As always, I would encourage any suggestions or comments the membership may have about the form and content of future newsletters. I would also invite the submission of any news, announcements, abstracts, book reviews, or articles for the next issue.

Best Wishes,

Megan Porter

The Cave Conservancy Foundation is planning to award its fifth annual Graduate Fellowship in Karst Studies in 2001. Any study of caves and karst in any field, including but not limited to archeology, biology, engineering, geography, geology, and social sciences will be considered. The research can involve any cave and karst areas, including those outside the United States. Applicants must be full-time graduate students at a U.S. college or university. There will be a $15,000 award for Ph.D. students and a $5000 award for M.S. and M.A. students. Applicants must include a letter of intent, a curriculum vita, a thesis proposal, graduate transcripts, and two letters of recommendation, one being from the thesis advisor. Mail applications before June 1, 2001 to Cave Conservancy Foundation, Attn: Graduate Fellowship Program, 13131 Overhill Lake Lane, Glen Allen, VA 23059. The award will be announced by July 15, 2001. For more information contact Dr. David C. Culver, at Department of Biology, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016-8007 , via e-mail at dculver@american.edu or at http://members.aol.com/caveconser.

Each academic year, the Cave Research Foundation (CRF) sponsors a Karst Fellowship competition, which is supported by the CRF Endowment Fund. The Foundation may award as much as $10,000 distributed among one or more Karst Research Fellowships and as one or more Grants for graduate research in karst-related fields of study. The truly exceptional proposal may receive a Karst Research Fellowship (limit $3,500.00); meritorious proposals that do not receive a Karst Research Fellowship may receive a Karst Research

Grant, typically in amounts less than $2,000.00, awarded to qualified students in the natural or social sciences. Work at either the Masters or Ph.D. level is eligible for the awards. In 1999, eight projects were awarded Karst Research Grants for a total of $7000. These projects include archaeological, biological, geological, and hydrological studies of caves and karst.

The application procedure is as follows. As an application for a Karst Research Fellowship you must submit the following materials: four (4) copies of a proposal describing the study to be supported, one (1) copy each of two (2) letters of reference (one must be from your project supervisor/advisor), and one (1) copy of transcripts of undergraduate and graduate work. The application material must be received by me (at the address listed below) no later than April 16, 2001. [NOTE: This is a change in due date] The body of the proposal should be no more than fifteen (15) pages in length and should discuss the problem to be addressed, background, significance of the research, methods to be used, schedule for research, and a budget. Proposals and letters of reference can also be submitted electronically (via email text or as attachments); this is actually the

preferred method if possible. For details on formats that are acceptable, contact me (information below). In preparing the proposal it is important to remember several things. Proposals will be screened by several karst scientists. These scientists may include geologists, biologists, hydrologists, archaeologists, and other karst scientists. Also, we are more likely to fund research that has broad significance to karst studies.

The Foundation attaches two conditions to these awards. First, the awardee will prepare a summary or progress report of the research for publication in the CRF Annual Report. If the project is short duration (2 years or less), a single final report is required. Longer projects should provide yearly progress reports. Second, the Cave Research Foundation is acknowledged as a supporter of the research in any publications deriving

from the research. For further information, clarifications,

etc. please contact Rick Toomey at: Illinois State Museum – RCC, 1011 E Ash St, Springfield, IL 62703; voicemail: 217-524-7980; toomey@museum.state.il.us

Tom Illife

I am pleased to announce the addition of a message board titled "Cave Talk" and free Internet posting of cave research projects on my website: Cavebiology.com. Cave Talk is open for discussions pertaining to cave biology, cave diving, cave conservation, and any other related topics. Please post your thoughts, convictions, and questions. I hope that Cave Talk will be utilized not only by cavers, cave divers, and cave biologists, like ourselves, but also by other interested parties. The main web site, Cavebiology.com, is often reviewed by children, high school and college students. I hope that Cave Talk will substantially promote cave biology and cave conservation to the next generation of explorers. The message board is searchable by topic, which will enhance its use as an educational and reference tool. You may visit Cave Talk by going to Cavebiology.com and then clicking on "come in" to the web site. Once inside click on the Cave Talk button on the top tool bar. In addition, Cavebiology.com is the first web site of its kind to present information about ongoing cave research projects. Such information should foster collaboration and cooperation to further speleological investigations of all types. The first project to be posted on the site involves investigations of marine caves in southeastern Italy. To reach this section of the website, please go to Cavebiology.com. Once you are in the main page click the research button at top. A listing of described projects can be found on the Research page. If you would like to have your research featured on Cavebiology.com, please send a brief description along with digital photos or illustrations, plus references to: Iliffe@cavebiology.com. This information can be submitted in the form of a word processing document together with jpg and/or gif images which we will convert to HTML web page format.

Dear researcher,

Our institute has dedicated a webpage to biospeleologists all over the world in the new site address:

http://members.xoom.it/bioscience/isbios/wbs.htm (Please, bookmark it)! In this page will appear some important information, which we ask you to send us by e-mail: name, surname, title, institute, address, curriculum, field of interest, publications, e-mail address, hyperlink. Besides, we ask you to send us papers in regard to biospeleology which will be published in the new biospeleological journal "Cave Biology" published by ISBioS. For further information contact Prof. Giuseppe L. Pesce, Editor in Chief of EJB, (giuseppe.pesce@aquila.infn.it - University of L'Aquila), or Dott. Michele M. Camassa, Editor Manager, (isbios@libero.it - ISBioS), or you can refer to the webpage and click on ‘Suggetion for Contributors’.

The Cave Critter Card Series is a set of nine laminated cards each with a photograph, description, and line illustration of a common cave critter, 17 critters in all. Our intent was to produce an item for the general caver, not only as an educational tool, but also as a land management tool. This is another way of getting the information to land owner/managers that the karst environment is diverse and important biologically. It is one thing to say there are isopods living in your stream but now they can give them a picture and say this is what it looks like. The cards are laminated and should be cave proof, but not bomb-proof. The cards can be purchased from selected speleo-vendors. Our suggested retail price was $5 per set of cards. Support the NSS Cave Biology Section and buy a set of Cave Critter Cards for that non-biologist caving friend of yours.

ENVIRON – New Electronic Journal

We are launching a new peer-reviewed, electronic journal called ENVIRON. This journal is aimed to publish scholarly papers of interdisciplinary nature. One of the areas we are interested is the interaction between humans and the subterranean environment from a historical, economic, and/or political perspective. The journal articles will be accessed for free and there will be no charges to the authors. For more information, please

visit our web page at: http://www.macalester.edu/~envirost/

The second annual Karst Waters Institute Award Dinner  was held at the Claymont Court, West Virginia, on March 4, 2000.  Dr. Yager was the guest of honor and presented a talk (with slides) during the dinner entitled "Submerged Caves:  Ecology and Conservation".

Dr. Yager has been exploring and studying submerged caves for over 20 years.  She began cave diving in the Bahamas where she discovered a new class of crustacean which she named the Remipedia.  She studied remipedes for her doctoral dissertation under Professor John Holsinger at Old Dominion University.  Her research deals with the ecology of submerged caves, studying the physical environment and community of animals that live there.  Her research has taken her to the beautiful and highly endangered caves in Quintana Roo, Mexico, and sites throughout the Carribean.  Dr. Yager has appeared in several educational television programs.  In August she and cave biologist Abel Perez were filmed in Cuba for a new National Geographic television program called "Sea Secrets".  Dr. Yager is an associate professor in the Environmental and Biological Sciences Department of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. 

William R. Elliott

The March 2000 issue of the Missouri Conservationist was our theme issue on caves, karst, and cave life. You may now see the entire issue, complete with photos, at http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/conmag/2000/03/index.htm (There were a couple of minor errors-- for instance, the photo of the "hawk moth" is really Scoliopteryx libatrix, the scalloped owlet or herald moth. "Dye tracking" should be "dye tracing".) [Also, see the "Cave Restoration" article at http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/conmag/2000/10/index.htm]

Sponsored by: Karst Waters Institute

March 18-20, 2001, Laboratoire Souterrain, France http://www.karstwaters.org/moulis.htm

8-15 July 2001, Sao Paulo, Brazil

http://www.ib.usp.br/15isb/ie/main.htm

24-27 August 2001, Beijing, China

Contact:  Mr. WANG wei, Miss. WANG Yanjun, GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF CHINA, NO. 26   Baiwanzhuang, Beijing 100037, P. R. China

Phone: 86-10-68311539 or 86-10-68311133 Ext.2248 Fax: 86-10-68311324,

E-mail: CAGSDIC@public.bta.net.cn

06-10 May 2002, Gainesvillle, Florida, USA

Megan Porter

In July 2000 karst scientists from over 20 countries met in Cluj, Romania for ‘Karst Studies and Problems: 2000 and Beyond’, a conference sponsored by the Friends of Karst, Theoretical and Applied Karstology (XVII^th edition), and the International Geological Correlation Program (World Correlation on Karst Geology, IGCP 448). Sixteen karst scientists represented North America with nine presentations in the geology section and one in the biospeleology section. Some of the noteworthy biospeleology presentations included the phylo-geography of Romanian cave beetles (Coleoptera: Cholevidae), an overview of hypogean fishes, and several talks on the Movile Cave system covering descriptions of methanotrophs, ecosystem energetics, and coleopteran groups.

Four North Americans (Chris Belson, Dave Culver, Dan Fong, and Horton Hobbs) gave presentations at the 14^th annual International Symposium of Biospeleology in Makarska, Croatia, September 19-26. Sponsored by the Societe International de Biospeologie, this biannual international meeting was attended by over 80 biospeleologists from 18 countries. Literally held in the shadow of the Dinaric karst, the meeting featured plenary lectures, contributed papers, and a field trip to the nearby Biokovo karst area. Plenary speakers and their topics were:

• Diversity and distributions patterns of hypogean fauna in the Dinaric region—Boris Sket, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Why study groundwater crustaceans—Claude Boutin, Universite Paul Sabatier, France
• Behavioural and morphological changes caused by light conditions in deep sea and cave habitats—Jakob Parzefall, University of Hamburg, Germany
• Cavernicole vertebrates of the Dinaric karst—Nikola Tvrtkovic, Croatian Natural History Museum, Croatia
• What has molecular biology taught us about biospeleology—David Culver, American University, U.S.
• Hotspots of biodiversity, rarity and endemism: setting priorities for the conservation of caves and karstic areas—Fabio Stoch, Museum of Natural History, Italy

Among the contributed papers, two were especially exciting. Peter Trontelj and Boris Sket of University of Ljubljana gave a talk on RAPD genetic variation in leeches in the genus Dina that suggested that in karst areas, considerable differentiation on a local scale takes place among aquatic populations before invasion into caves. This may explain why branch lengths of subterranean species and populations are so long. Leonardo Latella and colleagues from Natural History Museum in Verona and University of Rome described a rich, largely troglophilic, apparently chemoautotrophic fauna from a sulfurous cave in central Italy.

The field trip to Biokovo was spectacular. Towering over 5000 feet above Markarska and the Adriatic Sea, it is pockmarked with 300 foot sinkholes and other spectacular karst features. Nearly all the caves are vertical pits, several of which are well over 1000 feet deep. The Americans also had the chance to visit Šipun Spilje, an anchialine cave near Dubrovnik with our Slovenian colleagues. The high light was seeing a pool with three species of stygobitic amphipod species in it—Niphargus salonitanus, Hadzia fragilis, and Salentinella balcanica. The terrestrial fauna was also impressive. We also visited Vjetrenica Cave in Bosnia, as a result of the good efforts of our Slovenian colleagues. Vjetrenica Cave has 58 known stygobites and troglobites, making it the second most diverse cave in the world. Unfortunately, the cave was partially flooded, making the aquatic habitats inaccessible. The trip through war-ravaged Bosnia to the cave was something none of us will ever forget. Special thanks go to the symposium organizers—Eduard Kletecki, Drasko Holcer, and Martina Sasic for organizing a wonderful meeting, and to Boris Sket and Rudi Verovnik of University of Ljubljana for taking us on the field trips.

isopods using RAPD markers. Crustaceana 72(7):625-634.

Botosaneanu, L., T. M. Iliffe and D.A. Hendrickson. 1998. On a collection of stygobitic cirolanids (Isopoda:

Cirolanidae) from northern Mexico, with description of a new species. Bulletin de L'Institute Royal des Sciences

Naturelles de Belgique, Biologie 68:123-134.

Botosaneau, L. and T. M. Iliffe. 1999. On four new stygobitic cirolanids (Isopoda: Cirolanidae) and several already described species from Mexico and the Bahamas. Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Biologie 69:93-123.

Culver, D. C., L. L. Master, M. C. Christman, and H. H. Hobbs. 2000. Obligate cave fauna of the 48 contiguous United States. Conservation Biology 14(2):386-401.

Danielopol,D.L., Pospisil,P. and Rouch,R. 2000. Biodiversity in groundwater: A large scale view. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15(6):223-224

Elliott, W.R. and R.L. Clawson. 1999. Temperature data logging in Missouri bat caves. Proceedings of the 1999 National Cave and Karst Management Symposium, Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Espinasa, L. 2000. A new species of the genus Cubacubana (Insecta: Zygentoma: Nicoletiidae) from a Mexican cave. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 113(1):218-223.

Fosshagen, A. and T.M. Iliffe. 1998. A new genus of the Ridgewayiidae (Copepoda, Calanoida) from an anchialine cave in the Bahamas. Journal of Marine Systems 15:373-380.

Gunn, J., Hardwick, P. and Wood, P.J. 2000. The invertebrate community of the Peak-Speedwell cave system, Derbyshire, England - pressures and considerations for conservation management. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Vol. 10, 353-369. ***Avaialble from: Prof. J. Gunn, Limestone Research Group, Geographical Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK, Email:j.gunn@hud.ac.uk.

Gutu, M. and T.M. Iliffe. 1998. Description of a new hirsutiid (n.g., n.sp.) and reassignment of this family from Order Mictacea to the new Order, Bochusacea (Crustacea, Peracarida). Travaux du Muséum d'Histoire naturelle Grigore Antipa 40:93-120.

Huys, R. and T.M. Iliffe. 1998. Novocriniidae, a new family of harpacticoid copepods from anchihaline caves in Belize. Zoologica Scripta 27(1):1-15.

Jaume, D., G.A. Boxshall and T.M. Iliffe. 1998. Two new genera of misophrioid copepods (Crustacea) from an anchialine cave in the Bahamas. Journal of Natural History 32:661-681.

Jaume, D., A. Fosshagen and T.M. Iliffe. 1999. New cave-dwelling pseudocyclopiids (Copepoda, Calanoida, Pseudocyclopiidae) from the Balearic, Canary, and Philippine archipelagos. Sarsia 84:391-417.

Koenemann, S., and J.R. Holsinger. 2000. Revision of the subterranean amphipod genus Spelaeogammarus (Bogidiellidae) from Brazil, including descriptions of three new species and considerations of their phylogeny and biogeography. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 113(1):104-123.

Kornicker, L.S. and T.M. Iliffe. 1998. Myodocopid Ostracoda (Halocypridina, Cladocopina) from anchialine caves in the Bahamas, Canary Islands, and Mexico. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 599:1-93.

Kornicker, L.S. and T.M. Iliffe. 2000. Myodocopid Ostracoda from Exuma Sound, Bahamas, and from Marine Caves and Blue Holes in the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Mexico. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 606:1-98.

Moseley, M. 1998. Invertebrate Fauna of Nova Scotia Caves. Curatorial Report Number 86. Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. 37 pp + 3p appendix. *** Available from the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History (1-902-424-7353) for $8.00

Muchmore, W.B. 2000. New species and records of Kleptochthonius from Indiana (Pseudoscorpionida, Chthoniidae). The Journal of Arachnology 28:293-299.

Nevo, E. 1999. Mosaic evolution of subterranean mammals: Regression, progression and global convergence. Oxford University Press. xxvi+413 pages.

Reeves, W. 1999. Cave-dwelling Nesticidae (Araneae) in the southeastern United States: new distribtuion records and notes on their bionomics. Insecta Mundi 13(1-2):93-94.

Rocha, C.E.F., T.M. Iliffe, J.W. Reid and E. Suárez-Morales. 1998. A new species of Halicyclops (Copepoda, Cyclopoida, Cyclopidae) from cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, with an identification key for the species

of the genus from the Caribbean region and adjacent areas. Sarsia 83(5):387-399.

Romero⁺, A. 1998. Threatened fishes of the world: Amblyopsis rosae (Eigenmann, 1842) (Amblyopsidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 52(4):434.

Romero⁺, A. 1998. Threatened fishes of the world: Typhlichthys subterraneus (Girard, 1860) (Amblyopsidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 53:74.

Romero⁺, A. 1998. Threatened fishes of the world: Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni Cooper and Kuehne, 1974 (Amblyopsidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 53:293-294.

Romero⁺, A. 1999. The blind cave fish that never was. National Speleological Society News 57(6):180-181.

Romero⁺, A. 1999. Useless abilities. New Scientist 162(2190):54-55.

Romero⁺, A. 2000. The Speleologist Who Wrote Too Much. National Speleological Society News 58(1):45.

Romero⁺, A. 2000. Myth and reality of the alleged blind cave fish from Pennsylvania. Journal of Spelean History 33(4):67-75.

Romero⁺, A. and L. Bennis. 1998. Threatened Fishes of The World: Amblyopsis spelaea De Kay, 1842 (Amblyopsidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 51:420.

Romero⁺, A. and A. Romero. 1999. Cope, Caves, and Skeletons in the Closet. National Speleological Society News 57(11):341-343.

Romero⁺, A., and K. Benz. 2000. The Unsung Heroes of Speleology. National Speleological Society News 58(4):106, 126.

Romero⁺, A. and J. Creswell. 2000. In search of the elusive "eyeless" cave fish of Trinidad, W.I. National Speleological Society News 58(10):282-283. 

Romero⁺, A., and A. McLeran. 2000. Threatened fishes of the world: Stygichthys typhlops Brittan and Bolhke, 1965 (Characidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 57:270.

Sharratt, N. J., M.D. Picker, and M. J. Samways. 2000. The invertebrate fauna of the sandstone caves of the Cape Peninsula (South Africa): patterns of endemism and conservation priorities. Biodiversity and Conservation 9(1):107-143. *** Corresponding author: Norma J. Sharratt, Zoology Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa.

Sket, B. 1999. The nature of biodiversity in hypogean waters and how it is endangered. Biodiversity and Conservation 8(10):1319-1338.

Villalobos, J.L., F. Alvarez and T.M. Iliffe. 1999. New species of troglobitic shrimps from Mexico, with the description of Troglomexicanus, new genus (Decapoda: Palaemonidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 19(1):111-122.

Wessel, A. and H. Hoch. 1999. Remane's statistic species criterion applied to Hawaiian cave planthoppers (Hemiptera:Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae). Reichenbachia 33(3):27-35.

Yeo, D. C. J. and P. K. L. Ng. 1999. Erebusa calobates, new genus, new species, a troglobitic crab (Brachyura : Potamidae) from Laos. Journal of Crustacean Biology 19(4):908-916.

Yoshiyuki Y. and W. R. Jeffery*. 2000. Central Role for the Lens in Cave Fish Eye Degeneration. Science 289(5479): 631-633.

Zacharda, M. 2000. New species of the genus Troglocheles (Acari: Prostigmata: Rhagidiidae) from Oetztal Alps, Tyrol, with a key to adult species of the genus. Journal of Natural History 34:463-478.

Anchialine Caves and Cave Fauna of the World Tom Illiffe, http://www.cavebiology.com

This site includes species and cave descriptions, along with information on taxonomy, biogeography, ecology, evolution, and conservation. Initially, the page will focus on anchialine systems in the Bahamas and Yucatan, but other geographic regions will be added as time permits. We have a link page with choice of banner, button or logo at: http://www.tamug.tamu.edu/cavebiology/link2me.html

ARACHNODATA, The Arachnological Information and Coordination Agency Matt E. Braunwalder

http://www.arachnodata.ch - ARACHNODATA is the only worldwide information and coordination agency for scorpions and other arachnids. The study of cave scorpions and arachnids is also a featured goal of ARACHNODATA. My intention is to invite speleologists around the world to contact ARACHNODATA if they have scorpions, spiders, and other arachnids in their collections which need to be determined by arachnological experts.

Biospeologica Bibliographia Bernard Lebreton, http://members.aol.com/blebre0760/bibliobios.htm

A bibliography of biospeleology literature from 1998 to 2000, with text in both French and English.

Biospeleology of the Piemonte region of Northern Italy Enrico Lana, http://digilander.iol.it/enrlana

This site has some great pictures of cave critters, with bibliographies for each taxonomic group featured. However, the site is in Italian.

Italian Threatened Groundwater Taxa http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/1167/fauna/endang.html

A list of Italian groundwater taxa and the status of each species according to the IUCN (1999) is provided, as well as an excellent background on conservation in groundwater systems and the most endangered karst areas in Italy.

Karst Geomicrobiology Annette S. Engel - http://www.geo.utexas.edu/ChemHydro/Annette/karstgeo.htm

Focusing on sulfur systems, this site provides information on active sulfidic caves, as well as presenting preliminary results from current research being conducted in Lower Kane Cave, Wyoming.

News Release, 21 December 2000, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated nine species of invertebrates known only from caves in the northern part of Bexar County, Texas, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. A species is listed as endangered when at risk of extinction throughout all or a significant portion its range. "Though not as majestic as the bald eagle or as appealing as the black-footed ferret, these species are unique and fascinating creatures that also serve as good indicators of the overall health of the ecological systems on which humans ultimately depend," said Nancy Kaufman, regional director of the Service's Southwest Region. "When species like these nine invertebrates begin to disappear from the planet, it is a sign that the natural world around us is under a great deal of stress."

Invertebrates are animals without internal skeletons or backbones such as butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers and spiders. The nine species listed as endangered today include three beetles, five spiders, and one harvestman, a relative of the common household daddy-longlegs. Although small, ranging from less than 2 millimeters to 9 millimeters long, and generally overlooked because they spend their entire lives underground, these invertebrates are biologically and ecologically unique. They resemble creatures out of Tim Burton's animation, with eyes that are either very small or entirely absent, and bodies that are long and thin, with no coloration (appearing white but actually being transparent).

In 1992, several local groups (Alamo Group of the Sierra Club, Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Coalition, Helotes Creek Association, Texas Cave Management Association, and Texas Speleological Association) petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add the nine species of karst invertebrates to the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife. The nine species are the Helotes mould beetle (Batrisodes venyivi), the Robber Baron Cave harvestman (Texella cokendolpheri), the Robber Baron Cave spider (Cicurina baronia), Madla's cave spider (Cicurina madla), the vesper cave spider (Cincurina vespera), the Government Canyon cave spider (Neoleptoneta microps), as well as another cave spider (Cicurina venii) and two cave beetles (Rhadine exilis and Rhadine infernalis) that do not have common names. Three of the species are currently only known from one cave and three others are only known from two to five caves. These species are currently being threatened by the high rates of development around San Antonio and the rest of Bexar County. Development can degrade the cave environment through increased vandalism, contamination from sewer or septic tank leaks, storm water run-off, pesticides or chemical spills. Development can also destroy the cave outright through digging or filling. These species are also threatened by the invasion of non-native fire ants which can prey upon them as well as compete with them for their limited sources of food.

A number of the caves where these species are found are located on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Government Canyon State Natural Area and the U.S. Army's Camp Bullis, both of which have expressed an interest in conserving the species on their lands. There are also a number of private landowners who have expressed an interest in conserving the invertebrates on their property. Protection measures for these species will be very similar to those used for a group of cave invertebrates already listed as endangered in nearby Travis and Williamson Counties, Texas, and include such measures as gating cave entrances, protecting the karst area around the cave from contaminant run-off, maintaining a healthy cover of native vegetation on the surface above the cave, and controlling non-native fire ants.

The invertebrates are highly adapted to their underground home, an environment which has a very stable temperature; very high, constant humidity; and little food. The lack of food and stability of their environment leads to an ecosystem with very few species. This makes the cave environment a priceless area for ecological research. Unfortunately, it also means that a sudden change in the environment or loss of a species could quickly wipe-out the entire ecosystem. Ecologically, cave invertebrates can be described as more similar to large mammals like elephants than to their invertebrate cousins which live on the surface. Like elephants, they have few offspring and live relatively long lives (for invertebrates), a characteristic ecologists call "K-selected." Sadly, this also means that their populations are more sensitive to losing even fairly small numbers of individuals, and that it takes a long time for their population sizes to recover from any catastrophe.

Because plants cannot grow in the blackness of caves, the cave ecosystem is entirely dependent on input from the outside. Food in a cave can come either through animals that cave biologists call "trogloxenes" which roost in the cave but forage for food on the outside, like bats, mice, or cave crickets, or through organic material like leaves being washed into the cave entrance or filtered in through the ground above the cave. The nine listed invertebrates are probably predaceous and eat the eggs, larvae, or adults of other cave invertebrates. Cave invertebrates typically also have very low metabolisms, an adaptation to the sparse amounts of food found in their environment. Some biologists have hypothesized that the stereotypical characteristics of cave-dwelling species, such as the lack of pigment (white color) and reduced or absent eyes (blind), have evolved as a measure to conserve energy and channel their limited resources to more useful features like antennae and chemical and touch receptors, which are typically highly developed in cave species. In fact, because they are adapted to an environment with little food, pollution by the addition of large amounts of nutrients to the cave can actually be harmful to the species, because it allows invertebrates that are not cave adapted, such as cockroaches and a variety of flies to survive in the cave and even out-compete the cave species. The healthy cave ecosystem lies in a delicate balance between too little food and too much.

Caves in central Texas form in areas geologists call "karst", areas that lay over limestone rock. Karst terrain typically appears bumpy with knobs and dead-end pits and is sculpted by having the limestone rock dissolved like salt in hot water rather than being eroded by wind or rivers. Karst areas are characterized by sinkholes, "sinking streams" (streams which disappear underground) and springs, as well as by caves. Caves are the gateways biologists use to study karst because they are large enough for biologists to get into and they have entrances at the surface. Although, these species are known only from caves, they may also use passages that are too small for people or that have no known entrance at the surface. In fact, many biologists more accurately refer to these species as "karst invertebrates". Because of this, areas with sinkholes, other karst features, or limestone rock should be treated with care.

The Service's decision to list the nine invertebrates is expected to be published in the Federal Register the last week of December. Copies of the final rule are available from the Fish and Wildlife Service Field Office, 10711 Burnet Rd, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78758 or by calling 512-490-0057. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 525 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

Pacific Islands Ecoregion External Affairs Office 300 Ala Moana Blvd.

Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, Hawaii 96850

Released: January 14, 2000 PIE-00-08

Barbara Maxfield

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today [January 14, 2000] listed two small, blind Hawaiian cave animals - the Kauai cave wolf spider and Kauai cave amphipod - as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The two species exist in a predator-prey relationship in the inky blackness of moist lava tubes and adjacent crevices in the Koloa lava flows in southeastern Kauai. Species are designated as endangered under the Endangered Species Act when they are in danger of becoming extinct through all or a significant portion of their range. The two species are found in only a handful of caves on the island. The Kauai cave wolf spider is a small sightless hunting spider adapted to life in the lava tubes. Instead of building webs, it chases and grabs its prey. Unlike most wolf spiders, the Kauai cave wolf spider produces only 15 to 30 eggs per clutch. Newly hatched spiderlings are unusually large and are carried on the back of the female for only a few days. Only three populations of the Kauai cave wolf spider are known to exist. The Kauai cave amphipod is a small, pale landhopper that resembles a shrimp. Like the cave wolf spider, the Kauai cave amphipod has no eyes. It feeds on the decaying roots of surface vegetation that reach into the cave system, as well as rotting sticks, branches, and other plant materials. This amphipod, which is believed to be the primary prey of the Kauai cave wolf spider, is known from only five populations. "Both of these Kauai cave species are fascinating examples of adaptation to their habitat," said Anne Badgley, the Service's regional director for the Pacific Region. "Both were discovered in 1971 in subterranean areas not originally expected to provide habitat for any cave animals. By working withothers, including private landowners, we hope to ensure their continued survival." The two animals are threatened by the deterioration of their cave habitat caused by clearing, grading, filling, paving, and other activities associated with development and agriculture. They also are susceptible to the use of chemical and biological pest controls, which often are employed to control nonnative insects such as ants and cockroaches. Under the Endangered Species Act, a recovery plan identifying steps to be taken to overcome these threats will be developed and implemented. Recovery strategies for these cave species will include working with landowners to protect remaining cave habitats by sealing cave entrances and planting native and other perennial vegetation on surface areas above the caves to restore a root system to the cave ecosystem. Restrictions on pesticide use around the caves and on the release of certain biocontrol agents may be required. The Kauai cave wolf spider and amphipod are found only on private lands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been working with the Kukui'ula Development Corporation since 1995 to help restore and protect two caves on the company's property that provide habitat for the Kauai cave wolf spider and the Kauai cave amphipod. The company has agreed to set aside the land area above these two caves as either a limited use park or reserve to further protect these species. The Service hopes to undertake similar partnerships with other private landowners. A proposal to list these species as endangered was published in the Federal Register on December 5, 1997. The final rule was published in today's [January 14, 2000] Federal Register.

Cat Lazaroff, NSS #46608.

William R. Elliott

Conservation Department biologists Bill Elliott, Ken Lister, Melissa Shiver and Rhonda Rimer collected a species new to science on August 16, 1999. Their work was part of a study, funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. They found an eyeless crayfish in a muddy steam passage in one of the caves at Caney Mountain Conservation Area in Ozark County. Lister collected one adult male and one adult female for identification by an expert taxonomist and Elliott extensively photographed the specimens. Tissue from the female was deep frozen for DNA work by a geneticist, and both specimens were preserved for study. Elliott was thrilled when he studied his photos of the male's gonopods (mating appendages) and realized that this was a species of the genus Orconectes, instead of one of the two known cave crayfishes in Missouri. Five species of blind Orconectes inhabit caves from Indiana to Alabama, but this is the first blind Orconectes from west of the Mississippi River. Finding a new species of cave crayfish is a rare event (the last one in Missouri was in 1952). Some cave species are older than the caves they live in, which may be millions of years old. Some species of cave crayfish have an extremely slow growth rate, low reproductive rate and long life span, so it is important to carefully study and conserve cave crayfish populations. To protect the new species, access will be restricted to scientific studies. Fortunately, the cave is inside a protected "Natural Area" and is far from any development or known pollution sources. Photos of many cave species may be seen on Elliott's Biospeleology website at (http://www.utexas.edu/depts/tnhc/.www/biospeleology).