This special issue of Banisteria consists of a lead article on the history
of biospeleology in Virginia, followed by a review of the 168 obligate
cave-dwelling invertebrate species that inhabit the Commonwealth.
The Invertebrate Cave Fauna of Virginia
John R. Holsinger
Department of Biological Sciences
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia 23529
David C. Culver
Department of Environmental Science
American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
David A. Hubbard, Jr.
Virginia Speleological Survey
40 Woodlake Drive
Charlottesville, Virginia 22901
William D. Orndorff
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Division of Natural Heritage Karst Program
8 Radford Street, Suite 102
Christiansburg, Virginia 24073
Christopher S. Hobson
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Division of Natural Heritage
600 East Main Street, 24th Floor
Richmond, Virginia 23219
ABSTRACT
The obligate cave-dwelling invertebrate fauna of Virginia is reviewed, with the taxonomic status and distribution of each species and subspecies summarized. There are a total of 121 terrestrial (troglobiotic) and 47 aquatic (stygobiotic) species and subspecies, to which can be added 17 stygobiotic species known from Coastal Plain and Piedmont non-cave groundwater habitats, and published elsewhere (Culver et al., 2012a). Richest terrestrial groups are Coleoptera, Collembola, and Diplopoda. The richest aquatic group is Amphipoda. A number of undescribed species are known and the facultative cave-dwelling species are yet to be summarized.
Key words: Appalachians, biogeography, biospeleology, caves, springs, stygobionts, subterranean, troglobionts.
Contributed Papers:
A Brief History of Biospeleology in Virginia – John R. Holsinger (Full Article)
The Invertebrate Cave Fauna of Virginia – John R. Holsinger, David C. Culver, David A. Hubbard, Jr., William D. Orndorff, and Christopher S. Hobson (Full Article)