Eodrilus mexicanus of the megadrile oligochaete family Acanthodrilidae is described along with some data as to development, regeneration and abnormality. Relationships with its American congeners, often inadequately characterized, are discussed and the present state of Eodrilus systematics is criticised. E. mexicanus seems likely to be of unusual interest as the second species of...
The new subspecies, Niphargus jovanovici burgundus n.subsp., is described from a well at Dijon, France. The principal diagnostic characters are given and a comparison with other known subspecies of N. jovanovici is made. Two groups of subspecies in N. jovanovici are distinguished and some critical remarks on probable affinities of N. jovanovici with other species of Niphargus are...
The family of the Antroleucosomidae is known from the Mediterranean region. In this paper the author describes the new genus Dacosoma with the species D. motasi of caves of the southern Carpathians together with two new species of Bulgarosoma, B. Ocellatum n. sp. of the caves of Mount Banat and B. meridionalis of the cave on Rhodope mountains. A new and complete description is...
The temperature and relative humidity preferences and tolerances of two Texas species of cave-adapted millipedes, Cambala speobia (Chamberlin) and Speodesmus bicornourus Causey, were studied. Both species showed gross preferences when tested in gradient chambers for temperatures and relative humidities approximating those of their cave environments. But C. speobia, the less...
During a recent exploration of caves in western Ciscaucasia there was collected, among others, a new species representing a new genus of Trechini (Coleoptera, Caraboidea), the description of which is given here; it has been named Birsteiniotrechus ciscaucasiens n.gen., n.sp., in memory of Prof. J.A. Birstein, famous Soviet biospeleologist, the founder and promotor of the...
The spatial distribution of 113 individuals from the species Meta menardi Latr. (Argiopidae) divided in 10 different populations living in 8 Belgian caves has been studied. A grouping test and the calculation of R according to Clark et Evans (1954), based on the measurement of the distance to the nearest neighbour, have been used. Results show that the individuals are distributed...
The present research follows two other earlier papers on the Bulgarian cave fauna (1962 and 1967). The three papers regroup the data on 431 Bulgarian karst caves, more or less studied from a biospeleological point of view. In this paper one will find a list of 147 new caves and pits with 293 animal species, of which 154 have not been mentioned in the earlier papers. A reference...
A new genus Protoleptoneta (P. bulgarica n. g., n. sp.) is described, which was collected in caves of the Western Balkan mountains - Bulgaria. The new genus unites features of the genera Leptoneta and Paraleptoneta but there are many differences, which divide it from these genera. It differs from Leptoneta as follows: the tarsus of male palp does not possess the characteristic...
This paper is the first in a three part series concerned with the evolution of North American isopods of the genus Asellus. It contains the descriptions of four new species of isopods and a list of pertinent new range data of presently known species.
This paper reports the description of a new species of the genus Proasellus Dudich. Proasellus racovitzai n.sp. is widely depigmented. The eyes are reduced. It lives in the underground stream of the Goueil-di-Her cave system (Haute-Garonne, France). The species is an old, endemic form of the phyletic line of the modern epigean species P. meridianus (Racovitza). Chromosome number...
Systematic experiments on the cave-fishes Anoptichthys jordani and Caecobarbus geertsi show that the vertical orientation of swimming behaviour can be significantly modified by feeding the fishes during a period of 8 days before the experiments, either with food dropping to the bottom (Tubifex) or with food floating on the surface of the water (dried Daphnia). The observations...
This paper is a report on Lepidoptera collected in 1960 and 1970 in some caves of the Lakatnik region in the Stara Planina Mts. (Bulgaria). The following species were found: Digitivalva granitella (Tr.), D. pulicariae (Klim.), Thiphosa sabaudiata Dup. and Autophila limbata Stgr. Two species, D. pulicariae (Klim.) and A. limbata Stgr. are new for the cave-fauna and fauna of Bulgaria.
The central nervous system of the beetle Hexaurus merkli J. Frivaldzsky corresponds to the formulae 2+2 / 0. The relative proportion of the corpora pedunculata reaches 5.5% and that of the olfactive lobes 6.8% of the total mass of the upper-exophagus ganglion. The under-exophagus ganglion corresponds to 29.5% of the total mass of the head-ganglion. It is furthermore demonstrated...
Twelve species of Japygids are cites from France. Six are known with certitude from caves. None of them shows any morphological modification which can be ascribed to cavernicolous life. All of them are found outside caves except Metaj. doderoi Silv. which is known from a unique female from Castel Mouly cave. To take into account the selection which seems to occur among the...
The amount of food available to the subterranean mysid, Lepidomysis longipes (Pillai & Mariamma, 1964) in its habitat has been calculated and analysed. Lepidomysis appears to feed mainly on decaying vegetable matter. Lepidomysis shows many modifications in its external morphology. Consequently, the mode of feeding has undergone some marked changes from that of its epigean...
Description of a new, unpigmented and eyeless species of the genus Proasellus Dudich, from an underground stream in the province of Malaga (Southern Spain). It belongs to the phyletic line which gave rise to the modem epigean water-slater Proasellus rneridianus (Racovitza).
Description of the females of two new species of the family Stenasellidae (anophthalmous and unpigmented Asellota from underground waters). They were found in a little cave of San-Luis Potosi state (Mexico).
The representatives of the genus Stenasellus (sensu lato) in Africa have been previously known from Cote d’lvoire, bassin of the Congo and Somali. The new species of this genus was collected from the well in the town Sicascau (Mali). This species differs from all others in the structure of the carpopodites of pereopods II-IV which are enlarged and armed with multiple curved...
Differences between tropical and temperate cave communities are an important topic in the actual biospeleological thinking. Among the most striking differences is the paucity of terrestrial troglobites in tropical caves. This fact may depend on the higher energy input into tropical caves which lessens the selection pressures for energy-economizing troglobite adaptations...
The hypogean mysid, Lepidomysis longipes has a breeding period extending from December to April with the peak period in March. A secondary breeding period appears in August and September. The females have low fecundity and carry a maximum of nine eggs. Development is delayed due to lack of nourishment in the environment. The mysids breed only once a year.
The study of the biogeography of the eight species of Isopoda Trichoniscidae from Sardegna brings to consider the faunistic relationships happened in the past between the island and the Pyrenees. Two of the species are eutroglophilous and rather widespread; the other six are troglobic and endemic to Sardinia. Five of the latter show strong affinity to Pyrenees forms. A detailed...
This paper is the second in the three part series dealing with the evolution of the North American isopods of the genus Asellus. The generic status of Asellus is discussed with emphasis placed on the newly proposed genera of Henry and Magniez (1968). Use is made of comparative anatomical and where feasible statistical methods during this investigation. The first, shorter portion...
Lirceus usdagalun new species, the first known troglobitic species of the genus, is described from three caves in Lee County, Virginia. The potential taxonomic value of the endopod tip of the male second pleopod, heretofore dismissed as a diagnostic character in this genus, is pointed out. Some general ecological data for the new species are presented, and cave records for other...