Field Guide to Cave Life Great Basin National Park … Guide to Cave...Field Guide to Cave Life Ecology - There is no sunlight in caves beyond the twilight zone, and thus plants that

Field Guide to Cave Life

Ecology - There is no sunlight in caves beyond thetwilight zone, and thus plants that capture energyfrom sunlight are not found in caves. Therefore, theecology of Great Basin caves is based on nutrientsentering the cave via water and organisms venturinginto the cave and depositing guano, eggs, debris, ortheir carcasses. These nutrients are in turn used bythe organisms that are limited to the caveenvironment.

Common Terms

Troglobite - a species that spends its entire life cyclein caves. Often troglobites have adapted to the caveenvironment by morphological changes such as theloss of eyes and pigment and lengthening ofappendages, as is seen in the cave dipluran.

Troglophile - an organism that can complete its lifecycle in a cave but may also survive in a similarhabitat ouside of the cave, such as in the soil orunder rocks. Some moderate changes in body formmay be apparent, including reduced eyes and otherenhanced sensory structures.

Trogloxene - an organism that uses cavesfrequently but does not complete its life cycle withinone, for example a bat or cave cricket.

Accidental - a surface organism that has venturedinto the cave. Pack rats and humans are examples.

Great Basin National ParkBaker, Nevada

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A Guide to Cave Lifein Great Basin National Park

by Gretchen M. Baker, 2007

This guide is an overview of some of the more interesting cavecreatures in Great Basin National Park. To date, more than 100taxa have been found. A current study of several caves willhelp us to understand the distribution and ecology of some ofthese underground dwellers.

Over 40 caves in Great Basin National Park have been located,and of those about half have had biological inventories con -ducted. The public can enter Lehman Caves with a parkranger-led tour, and eight caves are open periodically bypermit for cavers with sufficient experience and a good caveconservation ethic.

Special thanks to Steve Taylor, Jean Krejca, Mike Slay, Meg Horner, BenRoberts, and Christy Slay for their assistance with this guide.

Common Name: Great Basin Cave Millipede

Scientific Name: Idagona lehmanensis ShearFamily: ConotylidaeOrder: ChordeumatidaClass: Diplopoda

Range: Only known from two sites in Great BasinNational Park: Water Trough and Model caves.

Level of Cave Adaptation: Troglobite.

Distinguishing Features: This millipede was firstcollected in 2006 and described as a new species in2007. The pale coloration, size, and and nearlycylindrical body distinguish this species from othersfound in park caves.

Abundance: Uncommon.

Size: About 10-20 mm long.

Biology: Millipedes feed on detritus, fungi andbacteria. They have two legs for each segment ofmost of their bodies.

Ecology: Scavengers/detritivores.

Habitat: Often found in muddy areas or neardecaying materials.


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Great BasinCave MillipedeIdagona lehmanensis

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Common Name: Campodeid Dipluran

Scientific Name: UndescribedFamily: CampodeidaeClass: DipluraSubphylum: Hexapoda

Range: Unknown; Diplurans were collected fromModel, Little Muddy, and Root caves in 2006.


Distinguishing Features: This al l -white creaturehas two long antennae and two long tails.



Biology: Diplurans are primitive, insect-likeinvertebrates that do not have eyes or wings.

Ecology: Probably a detritivore.

Habitat: Found on mud, rocks, tree roots.


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Campodeid DipluranN

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Common Name: Model Cave Harvestman

Scientific Name: Cyptobunus ungulatus ungulatusBriggsFamily: TriaenonychidaeOrder: OpilionesClass: Arachnida

Range: Presently only found in Great BasinNational Park. First found in Model Cave anddescribed in 1971; since then it has been found inseveral other caves.


Distinguishing Features: Pale tan as immature,more orange as an adult. Slow moving.



Biology: Instead of having two body segments liketrue spiders, Harvestmen are close relatives with justone body segment. Some people call them DaddyLonglegs. They eat a wide variety of food.

Ecology: Predator.

Habitat: Generally found on moist surfaces.


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Model Cave HarvestmanCyptobunus ungulatus


Common Name: Cave Basin Cave Pseudoscorpion

Scientific Name: Microcreagris grandis MuchmoreFamily: NeobisiidaeOrder: PseudoscorpionesClass: Arachnida

Range: Only known from Great Basin National Park;first collected in Lehman Caves in the late 1930s. Sincethen, these pseudoscorpions have been found inseveral other park caves.


Distinguishing Features: Pseudoscorpions look likescorpions but do not have a tail. This is the largestpseudoscorpion known from the park.

Abundance: Fairly common.


Biology: Males are darker in color and more commonthan females. As pseudoscorpions grow, they shedtheir exoskeleton in a process called molting.

Ecology: Predator. Feeds on a variety of smallarthropods including flies and springtails.

Habitat: Usually found under rocks, but sometimescrawling on cave walls and formations.


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PseudoscorpionMicrocreagris grandis

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Male

Female


Common Name: Lehman Caves Millipede

Scientific Name: UndescribedFamily: PolydesmidaeOrder: PolydesmidaClass: Diplopoda

Range: Known only from a few caves in GreatBasin National Park, including Lehman Caves.


Distinguishing Features: Small white millipede,collected in 2003 and 2006 and presently beingdescribed as a new species.



Biology: Millipedes feed on fungi and bacteria.They have two legs for each segment of most oftheir bodies.

Ecology: Detrivore.

Habitat: Often found in moist areas on soil orbedrock.


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Lehman CavesMillipede

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Common Name: Springtails

Scientific Name: UndeterminedFamilies: Entomobryidae, Arrhopalitidae, Poduridae,OnychiuridaeOrder: CollembolaClass: Insecta

Range: Widespread; at least one species found invirtually all caves in the park; Lehman Caves has atleast three species.

Level of Cave Adaptation: Troglobite; troglophile.

Distinguishing Features: Tiny, look like crawlingdandruff.

Abundance: Common.


Biology: Springtails are so named because they have atail that they can use to spring forward. They subsiston fungi and bacteria, along with lint and othermaterial people may bring into the cave.

Ecology: Springtails are low on the food chain,feeding on bacteria and fungi, and are the mostcommon animals found in the caves.

Habitat: Often found on or near moist surfaces.


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White Springtails

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Common Name: Centipede

Scientific Name: UndeterminedFamily: Geophilidae?Order: GeophilomorphaClass: Chilopoda

Range: Unknown; This centipede was collectedfrom Ice, Crevasse, and System’s Key caves in 2003.

Level of Cave Adaptation: Troglophile or soilinhabitant.

Distinguishing Features: This is the onlycentipede found regularly in caves in the park.



Biology: Centipedes feed on other invertebrates.They have one leg for each segment of most oftheir bodies. Centipedes of this order arecommonly soil inhabitants.

Ecology: Predator.

Habitat: Often found on soil in moist areas andnear potential food sources.


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Centipede

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Common Name: Inyo Cave Cricket

Scientific Name: Ceuthophilus inyoFamily: RhaphidophoridaeOrder: OrthopteraClass: Insecta

Range: Widespread. Cave crickets have been seen inseveral park caves including Lehman Caves.

Level of Cave Adaptation: Trogloxene.

Distinguishing Features: Light tan in color withdarker stripes across thorax and abdomen. Verylong antennae.



Biology: Cave crickets usually leave the cave to eatat night and then return to roost in the daytime.

Ecology: Cave crickets are an important source ofnutrients to other cave creatures, since they bringfood into the cave by depositing eggs, guano, andeventually their carcasses.

Habitat: Generally found on dry cave walls.


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Cave Cricket

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Common Name: Townsend’s Big-Eared Bat

Scientific Name: Corynorhinus townsendiiFamily: VespertilionidaeOrder: ChiropteraClass: Mammalia

Range: Widespread. This bat is one of the mostcommon in the area and in Great Basin NationalPark. Several other species of bats are present inthe park.

Level of Cave Adaptation: Trogloxene.

Distinguishing Features: Large ears and tube-likenose.

Abundance: Fairly common.


Biology: Townsend’s big-eared bats emergeduring summer evenings to eat hundreds of mothsand other insects. They form colonies of up to 200bats. During the winter they hibernate in caves.

Ecology: Bat guano is an important food sourcefood for cave -adapted species.

Habitat: Found in caves with adequate entrancesfor exit and entry.


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Townsend’s Big-Eared BatCorynorhinus townsendii


Common Name: Darkling Beetle

Scientific Name: UndeterminedFamily: TenebrionidaeOrder: ColeopteraClass: Insecta

Range: Widespread. Found in Lehman Caves andseveral other park caves, as well as in surfacehabitats.

Level of Cave Adaptation: Accidental ortroglophile.

Distinguishing Features: Black.



Biology: Darkling beetles are not cave adapted, soprobably enter caves by accident. They feed on plantmaterial or organic debris.

Ecology: Darkling beetles seem to do well in somecaves, which perhaps function as marginal habitat.

Habitat: Generally found in dry areas near caveentrances.


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Darkling Beetle


Documents

Field Guide to Cave Life Great Basin National Park … Guide to Cave...Field Guide to Cave Life Ecology - There is no sunlight in caves beyond the twilight zone, and thus plants that