Spilaio Megali Grava

Higher Geography
Region: Ionioi Nisoi,
Sub-Region: Kerkyra,
Municipality: Kerkyra,
Closest Settlement: Loutses
Cave Synonyms
Loutses cave, Bodolekos cave, Höhle am Nordabhang des Pantokratorgebirges, Grotta superiore di Bodolekos, Ano Peristerograva, Peristerograva
Cave type
Natural
Description / Comments

Peristerograva is located 1.4 km south-east of the village of Loutses at 480m a.s.l. There is only one large and descending chamber (100m long, 40m deep and 60m high).

Fauna
  • Acalles papei A. Solari & F. Solari, 1905, Schütte et al. 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Curculionidae
  • Acanthopetalum albidicolle (Verhoeff, 1900), Strasser 1970, Moritz & Fischer 1974, Strasser 1974, Stagl & Stoev 2005, Stoev et al. 2008, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Diplopoda / Order: Callipodida / Family: Schizopetalidae
  • Armadillidium frontetriangulum Verhoeff, 1901, Strouhal 1966
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Armadillidiidae
  • Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804), Strouhal 1966
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Armadillidiidae
  • Armadillidium werneri Strouhal, 1927, Strouhal 1966
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Armadillidiidae
  • Campodea aristotelis Silvestri, 1912, Condé 1976, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Entognatha / Order: Diplura / Family: Campodeidae
  • Chthonius ischnocheles (Hermann, 1804), Mahnert 1973, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Chthoniidae
  • Dolichopoda steriotisi Boudou-Saltet, 1972, Boudou-Saltet 1972a, Mahnert 1973, Willemse 1984, Boudou-Saltet 1985, Bacceti 1992, Di Russo et al. 2014, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Orthoptera / Family: Rhaphidophoridae
  • Domene behnei Zerche, 2008, Zerche 2008, Assing 2018
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Staphylinidae
  • Dysderocrates gasparoi Deeleman-Reinhold, 1988, Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman 1988, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Dysderidae
  • Echinodera brisouti (Reitter, 1885), Schütte et al. 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Curculionidae
  • Ephippiochthonius corcyraeus (Mahnert, 1976), Mahnert 1976b, Gardini 1988, Schawaller 1990, Harvey 1991, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Chthoniidae
  • Eupolybothrus caesar (Verhoeff, 1899), Dobroruka 1965, Zapparoli 1984, Zapparoli 2002, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Chilopoda / Order: Lithobiomorpha / Family: Lithobiidae
  • Graeconiscus paxi Strouhal, 1961, Strouhal 1961, Strouhal 1966, Mahnert 1973, Schmalfuss 1979, Alexiou & Sfenthourakis 2013, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Trichoniscidae
  • Himatiopetalum ictericum (L. Koch, 1867), Strasser 1970, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Diplopoda / Order: Callipodida / Family: Schizopetalidae
  • Histiostoma ionicum Mahunka, 1977, Mahunka 1977
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Sarcoptiformes / Family: Histiostomatidae
  • Histopona hauseri (Brignoli, 1972), Brignoli 1972, Mahnert 1973, Brignoli 1976, Brignoli 1977, Brignoli 1979b, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Gasparo 2005a, Beron 2016, Ballarin et al. 2020
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Agelenidae
  • Hypsugo savii (Bonaparte, 1837), Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Lithobius erythrocephalus C.L. Koch, 1847, Dobroruka 1965, Zapparoli 2002
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Chilopoda / Order: Lithobiomorpha / Family: Lithobiidae
  • Mediterranea juliae (A. Riedel, 1990), Riedel 1990, Riedel 1992, Riedel 1996, Beron 2016, Karakasi et al. 2024
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Oxychilidae
  • Metellina merianae (Scopoli, 1763), Brignoli 1972, Brignoli 1977, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Tetragnathidae
  • Myotis nattereri (Kuhl, 1817), Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Neobisium phaeacum Mahnert, 1973, Mahnert 1973, Mahnert 1975, Gardini 1985, Schawaller 1985, Gardini 1988, Harvey 1991, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Neobisiidae
  • Palliduphantes istrianus (Kulczynski, 1914), Brignoli 1972, Brignoli 1979b, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Linyphiidae
  • Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl, 1819), Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Porcellio achilleionensis Verhoeff, 1901, Strouhal 1966
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Porcellionidae
  • Porcellionides pruinosus (Brandt, 1833), Strouhal 1966
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Porcellionidae
  • Prionoglaris sp., Georgiev & Ivanova 2018
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Psocoptera / Family: Prionoglarididae
  • Psyllipsocus ramburii Selys-Longchamps, 1872, Georgiev & Ivanova 2018
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Psocoptera / Family: Psyllipsocidae
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774), Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Roncus corcyraeus Beier, 1963, Mahnert 1973, Mahnert 1975, Mahnert 1978, Schawaller 1981, Gardini 1985, Gardini 1988, Harvey 1991, Mahnert & Gardini 2014, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Neobisiidae
  • Segestria senoculata (Linnaeus, 1758), Brignoli 1977, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Segestriidae
  • Silhouettella loricatula (Roewer, 1942), Brignoli 1974a
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Oonopidae
  • Stygopholcus photophilus Senglet, 1971, Huber et al. 2021
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Pholcidae
  • Torneuma deplanatum (Hampe, 1864), Schütte et al. 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Curculionidae
  • Trogulus megaligrava Schönhofer, 2013, Schönhofer 2013, Schönhofer et al. 2013
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Opiliones / Family: Trogulidae
  • Vitrea gittenbergeri (Pinter & A. Riedel, 1983), Pinter & Riedel 1983, Riedel 1990, Riedel 1992, Riedel 1996, Beron 2016, Karakasi et al. 2024, Mylonas et al. 2025
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Pristilomatidae
Cave references
  • Merdenesianos, K. 1969. The cave “Megali Grava” of Loutsoi, Kerkyra (CRNr 3554) Bull HSS 10:102–104. Bull. Soc. Speleol. Grèce 10:102–104.
  • Nikolopoulos, I., Martzoukos, G. 1957. Four potholes of Kerkyra. To Vouno Greek Mountaineering Club. 6:170–172.
Species references
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  • Bacceti, B. 1992. Notulae orthopterologicae. 50. Su alcuni ortotteroidei del Mediterraneo orientale. Fragm. Entomol., 23 (2): 247-270.
  • Ballarin F., Salmaso R. & Latella L. 2020. The arachnological collections of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale of Verona (Italy): an overview. Arachnologische Mitteilungen, 60:23-26
  • Beron, P. 2016. Faune cavernicole de la Grèce. Maison d'édition Est-West., Sofia. pp. 229.
  • Bosmans, R. & Chatzaki, M. 2005. A catalogue of the spiders of Greece. A critical review of all spider species cited from Greece with their localities. Newsletter Belg. Arachn. Soc., 20 (2): 1-124.
  • Boudou-Saltet, P. 1972. Les Dolichopodes (Orth. Rhaph.) de Grèce VII. Nouvelles espèces du Péloponnèse. Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Toulouse, 108 (3-4): 420-425.
  • Boudou-Saltet, P. 1985. Etat actuel de nos connaissances sur les orthoptères cavernicoles de Grèce. Biol. gallo-hellen., 10: 259-263.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1972. Su alcuni ragni cavernicoli di Corfu. Rev. suisse Zool., 79 (2): 861-869.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1974. Ragni di Grecia VII. Recolte in grotte dell΄ Attica del Dr. P. Strinati.Specie nuove o interessanti dele isole Ionie a della Morea. Rev. suisse Zool., 81 (2): 493-499.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1976. Ragni di Grecia IX. Specie nuove o interessanti delle famiglie Leptonetidae, Dysderidae, Pholcidae ed Agelenidae (Araneae). Rev. suisse Zool., 83 (3): 539-578.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1977. Ragni di Grecia X. Nuovi dati sulla Grecia continentale ed insulare. Rev. suisse Zool., 84 (4): 937-954.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1979. Ragni di Grecia XI. Specie nuove o interessanti, cavernicole ed epigee. Rev. suisse Zool., 86 (1): 181-202.
  • Brignoli, P. M. 1979. Considérations zoogéographiques sur les Araignées cavernicoles de Grèce. Biol. gallo-hellen., 8: 223-236.
  • Condé, B. 1976. Quelques Microarthropodes conservés à Genève (Palpigrades, Protoures, Diploures Campodeides). Rev. suisse Zool., 83 (3): 747-755.
  • Deeleman-Reinhold, C. L. & Deeleman, P. R. 1988. Revision des Dysderinae (Araneae, Dysderidae), les especes mediterraneennes occidentales exceptees. Tijdschr. Ent., 131: 141-269.
  • Di Russo, C., Rampini, M. & Cobolli, M. 2014. The cave crickets of Greece: a contribution to the study of Southern Balkan Rhaphidophoridae diversity (Orthoptera), with the description of a new species of Troglophilus Krauss , 1879. Biodiversity Journal, 5 (3): 397-420.
  • Dobroruka, L. J. 1965. Ein Beitrag zur Landtierwelt von Korfu. Chilopoda. Sber. österr. Akad. Wiss. math.-naturw. Kl., 1 (174): 393-402.
  • Gardini, G. 1985. Su alcuni Pseudoscorpioni cavernicoli di Grecia (Pseudoscorpionida, Neobisidae). Boll. Mus. reg. Sci. nat. Torino, 3 (1): 53-64.
  • Gardini, G. 1988. Pseudoscorpioni cavernicoli greci, con descrizione di Chthonius (E.) gasparoi n. sp. della Macedonia (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpionida). Atti Mem. Comm. Grotte "E. Boegan", 27: 57-62.
  • Gasparo, F. 2005. Note sulle Histopona Thorell, 1869, del gruppo Myops di Grecia, con descrizione di una nuova specie cavernicola (Araneae, Agelenidae). Atti Memorie Commissione Grotte "E. Boegan", 40: 17-35.
  • Georgiakakis P, Kafkaletou Diez A, Salvarina I, Benda P, Billington G, Dietz C, Billington J, Cove D, Davison S, Cooke M, Papadatou E. 2023. The Bats of Greece: An Updated Review of Their Distribution, Ecology and Conservation. Animals. 2023; 13(15):2529. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13152529
  • Georgiev D, Ivanova V. 2018. Study on the Psocoptera fauna of Corfu (Kerkyra) Island, Greece. Parnassiana Archives, 6:55–62
  • Harvey, M.S. 1991. Catalogue of the Pseudoscorpionida.. Manchester University Press, 726 pp.
  • Huber B. A., Pavlek M., & Komnenov M. 2021. Revision of the spider genus Stygopholcus (Araneae, Pholcidae), endemic to the Balkan Peninsula. European Journal of Taxonomy, 752(1), 1–60. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.752.1391
  • Karakasi D, Paragamian K, Mylonas M, Vardinoyannis K 2024. What`s crawling in the dark? An annotated list of gastropods in Greek caves.. Subterranean Biology 48: 73-116. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.48.113383
  • Mahnert, V. & Gardini, G. 2014. Cave-inhabiting pseudoscorpion species of the genus Roncus (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae) from western Greece, including the Ionian Islands. Arachnol. Mitt., 48: 28-37.
  • Mahnert, V. 1973. Über griechische Pseudoskorpione II: Höhlenpseudoskorpione (Pseudoscorpiones, Neobisiidae) von Korfu. Rev. suisse Zool., 80 (1): 207-223.
  • Mahnert, V. 1975. Griechische Höhlenpseudoskorpione. Rev. suisse Zool., 82 (1): 169-184.
  • Mahnert, V. 1976. Zur Kenntnis der Gattungen Acanthocreagris und Roncocreagris (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones, Neobisiidae). Rev. suisse Zool., 83 (1): 193-214.
  • Mahnert, V. 1978. Weitere Pseudoskorpione (Arachnida Pseudoscorpiones) aus griechische Höhlen. Ann. Mus. Goulandris, 4: 273-298.
  • Mahunka, S. 1977. Drei neue Anoetiden-Arten (Acari) von den Ionischen Inseln Griechenlands. (Neue und interessante Milben aus dem Genfer Museum XXVI). Ann. Mus. Goulandris, 3: 121-129.
  • Moritz, M. & Fischer, S.C. 1974. Die Typen der Myriapoden-Sammlung des zoologischen Museums Berlin. I. Diplopoda. Teil 2: Craspedosomatida (Chordeumatidae, Anthroleucosomatidae, Anthogonidae, Entomobielziidae, Rothenbühleriidae, Brachychaeteumatidae, Haplobainosomatidae, Attemsiidae, Cra. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berlin 50(2): 323- 375
  • Mylonas M, Goudeli G, Triantis KA, Vardinoyannis K. 2025. Taxonomical revision of Lindbergia gittenbergeri Pintér et Riedel, 1983, with reassignment to Vitrea Fitzinger, 1833 (Gastropoda: Pristilomatidae). Folia Malacologica. 2025. doi:10.12657/folmal.033.021
  • Pinter, L. & Riedel, A. 1983. Über eine neue Lindbergia - Art vοn Kerkyra, Griechenland (Gastropoda: Zonitidae). Zool. Meded., Leiden, 57 (11): 101-103.
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  • Riedel, A. 1996. Die in West-Paläarktis unterirdisch lebenden Zonitidae sensu lato (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora). Fragm. faun., 39 (24): 363-390.
  • Schawaller, W. 1981. Eine neue troglobionte Roncus - Art und weitere Pseudoskorpione von den Nördlichen Sporaden (Ägäis) (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones). Stuttgart. Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A. (Biol.), 344: 1-9.
  • Schawaller, W. 1985. Liste griechischer Neobisiidae mit neuen Höhlenfunden in Epirus, auf Samos und Kreta (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones). Stuttgart. Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A. (Biol.), 386: 1-8.
  • Schawaller, W. 1990. Zwei neue höhlenbewohnende Chthonius-Arten (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) von den Griechischen Inseln Santorin und Chios. Ann. Mus. Goulandris, 8: 417-424.
  • Schmalfuss, H. 1979. Revidierte Check-List der Landisopoden (Oniscoidea) Griechenlands. Stuttgart. Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A. (Biol.), 331: 1-42.
  • Schönhofer, A. L. 2013. A taxonomic catalogue of the Dyspnoi Hansen and Sørensen, 1904 (Arachnida: Opiliones). Zootaxa, 3679: 1-68.
  • Schönhofer, A. L., Karaman, I. M. & Martens, J. 2013. Revision of the genus Trogulus Latreille: The morphologically divergent Trogulus torosus species-group of the Balkan Peninsula (Opiliones: Dyspnoi: Trogulidae). Zool. J. Linn. Soc., 167 (3): 360-388.
  • Schütte A, Stüben PE, Astrin JJ 2023. Molecular Weevil Identification Project: A thoroughly curated barcode release of 1300 Western Palearctic weevil species (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea).. Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e96438. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e96438
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Citation
Paragamian, K. 2026. Fauna of the cave Spilaio Megali Grava, Loutses, Kerkyra, Ionioi Nisoi. In Paragamian, K., M. Poulinakis, S. Paragamian and I. Nikoloudakis. Cave fauna of Greece database - Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research. Cave data updated 27.09.2018, Accessed 09.03.2026