Spilaio Katholikou

Higher Geography
Region: Kriti,
Sub-Region: Chania,
Municipality: Chania,
Closest Settlement: Chordaki
Cave Synonyms
Spilaio Agiou Ioanni tou Erimiti
Cave type
Natural
Description / Comments

Lang (1964) report on the occurrence of Lysiopetalum macedonicum (=Acanthopetalum carinatum) at Katholkio Cave is considered misidentification (Stoev et al. 2008, Felesaki et al. 2010).

Protection status
  • Archaeological Site - Ministerial Decision 21220/10-8-1967 (OGG 527/Β/24-8-1967)
  • Historical Monument - Ministerial Decision 10321/186/16-4-1982 (OGG 180/Β/21-4-1982)
  • K898 - Stavros Chordaki Dimou Akrotiriou [Wildlife Refuge]: OGG 813/Β/2001
Fauna
  • Acanthopetalum minotauri (Attems, 1902), Lang 1964, Strasser 1974, Strasser 1976, Felesaki et al. 2010, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Diplopoda / Order: Callipodida / Family: Schizopetalidae
  • Basilia mongolensis Theodor, 1966, Ševčík et al. 2013
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Diptera / Family: Nycteribiidae
  • Brachytarsina flavipennis Macquart, 1851, Ševčík et al. 2013
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Diptera / Family: Streblidae
  • Bryocamptus pygmaeus (G.O. Sars, 1863), Chappuis 1956, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Hexanauplia / Order: Harpacticoida / Family: Canthocamptidae
  • Chthonius herbarii Mahnert, 1979, Mahnert 1979, Schawaller 1990, Harvey 1991, Henderickx 1997, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Chthoniidae
  • Cretodesmus obliquus Strasser, 1974, Strasser 1974, Felesaki et al. 2010, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Diplopoda / Order: Polydesmida / Family: Polydesmidae
  • Cryptops anomalans Newport, 1844, Chamberlin 1956, Zapparoli 2002, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Chilopoda / Order: Scolopendromorpha / Family: Cryptopidae
  • Cryptops beroni Matic & Stavropoulos, 1988, Chamberlin 1956, Matic & Stavropoulos 1988, Zapparoli 1994, Stoev & Beron 2000, Zapparoli 2002, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Chilopoda / Order: Scolopendromorpha / Family: Cryptopidae
  • Dactylochelifer latreillei (Leach, 1817), Beier 1931a, Wolf 1937b, Wolf 1938
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Cheliferidae
  • Drassodes lapidosus (Walckenaer, 1802), Roewer 1951, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Gnaphosideae
  • Eucyclops serrulatus (Fischer, 1851), Lindberg 1956, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Hexanauplia / Order: Cyclopoida / Family: Cyclopidae
  • Euscorpius candiota Birula, 1903, Roewer 1943, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Scorpiones / Family: Euscorpiidae
  • Harpactea catholica (Brignoli, 1984), Brignoli 1984, Deeleman-Reinhold 1993, Gasparo 2003, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016, Ballarin et al. 2020
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Dysderidae
  • Holocnemus pluchei (Scopoli, 1763), Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016, Mammola et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Pholcidae
  • Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820), Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Sicariidae
  • Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817), Skiba 2007, Benda et al. 2009, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Miniopteridae
  • Muelleriella cretica Jeannel, 1929, Jeannel 1929, Wolf 1937b, Wolf 1938, Beron 2016, Fresneda et al. 2024
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Leiodidae
  • Myotis blythii (Tomes, 1857), Raulin 1869a, Raulin 1869b, Benda et al. 2009, Benda et al. 2019, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Myotis davidii Peters, 1869, Benda et al. 2009, Benda et al. 2019, Çoraman et al. 2020, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Myotis emarginatus (Geoffroy, 1806), Skiba 2007, Benda et al. 2009, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Nomisia ripariensis (O. P.-Cambridge, 1872), Roewer 1928, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Gnaphosideae
  • Pachyiulus varius (Fabricius, 1781), Lang 1964, Felesaki et al. 2010, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Diplopoda / Order: Julida / Family: Julidae
  • Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775), Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979a, Huber 2012, Beron 2016, Naumova et al. 2016, Mammola et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Pholcidae
  • Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl, 1819), Benda et al. 2009, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Platanosphaera ariadnae (Vandel, 1958), Vandel 1958, Schmalfuss 1972b, Schmalfuss 1979, Andreev 1986, Schmalfuss et al. 2004, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Armadillidiidae
  • Plecotus kolombatovici Dulic, 1980, Benda et al. 2019, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Plecotus macrobullaris Kuzjakin, 1965, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Plusiocampa hoffmanni Sendra & Paragamian, 2020, Sendra et al. 2020a
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Entognatha / Order: Diplura / Family: Campodeidae
  • Rhinolophus blasii Peters, 1866, Martens 1967, Hanak et al. 2001, Benda et al. 2006, Skiba 2007, Benda et al. 2009, Beron 2016, Benda et al. 2019, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774), Martens 1967, Hanak et al. 2001, Benda et al. 2009, Beron 2016, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Rhinolophus hipposideros (André, 1797), Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Roncus novus Beier, 1931, Beier 1931a, Wolf 1937b, Wolf 1938, Harvey 1991
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Neobisiidae
  • Speocyclops demetiensis (Scourfield, 1932), Lindberg 1955c, Lindberg 1956, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Hexanauplia / Order: Cyclopoida / Family: Cyclopidae
  • Sulcia cretica Fage, 1945, Fage 1945, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1968, Brignoli 1979a, Brignoli 1984, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016, Naumova et al. 2016, Mammola et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Leptonetidae
  • Tegenaria pagana C.L. Koch, 1840, Roewer 1959, Brignoli 1979b, Brignoli 1984, Gasparo 2003, Bosmans & Chatzaki 2005, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016, Mammola et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Agelenidae
  • Thermocyclops stephanidesi Kiefer, 1938, Lindberg 1956, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Hexanauplia / Order: Cyclopoida / Family: Cyclopidae
  • Troglophilus spinulosus Chopard, 1921, Chopard 1957, Boudou-Saltet 1973a, Willemse 1984, Kollaros et al. 1991, Di Russo et al. 2014, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Orthoptera / Family: Rhaphidophoridae
Cave references
  • Lindberg, K. 1955. Notes sur le grottes de l΄ île de Crète. Fragm. balc. Skopje 1(19):165-174.
  • Petrocheilou, A. 1963. The cave Gouverneto of Chania, Kriti (CRNr 37). Bull. Soc. Speleol. Grèce 7:19–24.
  • Petrocheilou, A. 1984. The Greek Caves. Ekdotiki Athinon 160pp.
  • Vasilopoulos, S. 1959. Speleological researches in the region of Chania. To Vouno Greek Mountaineering Club. 4:116–117.
Species references
  • Andreev, S. 1986. Contribution a l΄ étude des isopodes terrestres de la Grèce 3. Sur trois nouvelles donnes sur les Isopodes des Genres Cordioniscus, Alpioniscus et Trichoniscus et nouvelles donnes sur les Isopodes terr. (Oniscoidea). Biol. gallo-hellen., 11 (2): 153-164.
  • 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
  • Beier, M. 1931. Pseudoscorpionidea. In Roewer C.Fr. Zoologische Streifzüge in Attika, Morea und besonders auf der Insel Kreta. III. Publisher, Bremen. pp. 91-101.
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  • Benda, P., Georgiakakis, P., Dietz, C., Hanak, V., Galanaki, K., Markantonatou, V., Chudarkova, A., Hulva, P. & Horacek, I. 2009. Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Part 7. The bat fauna of Crete, Greece. Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae, 72 (3-4): 105-190.
  • Benda, P., Ševčík, M., Bego, F., Sachanowicz, K., Spitzenberger, F., Tájek, P., Tájková, P., Uhrin, M. 2019. Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. Part 15. The fauna of bats and bat ectoparasites of Albania with a catalogue of bats from the western Balkans in the collection of the National Museum, Prague. Acta Soc. Zool. Bohem. 83: 1–238
  • 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.
  • Bosmans, R., Van Keer, J., Russell-Smith, A., Kronestedt, T., Alderweireldt, M., Bosselaers, J. & De Koninck, H. 2013. Spiders of Crete (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from the Greek Island of Crete. Newsletter Belg. Arachn. Soc., 28 (1): 1-147.
  • Boudou-Saltet, P. 1973. Les Dolichopodes (Orth. Rhaph.) de Grèce VIII. Nouvelles espèces de Crète. Biol. gallo-hellen., 5 (1): 57-63.
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  • Hanak, V., Benda, P., Ruedi, M., Homcek, I. & Sofianidou, T. 2001. Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the Eastern Mediterranean. Part 2. New records and review of distribution of bats in Greece. Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae, 65: 279-346.
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  • Huber, Β.A. 2012. An annotated list of the pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae) deposited at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris.. Version 2, 25pp, http://www.pholcidae.de/PDFs/Paris_collection_2012.pdf , accessed on 18.2.2018
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  • Martens, J. 1967. Plecotus austriacus (Fischer) auf Kreta; mit Bemerkungen zu weiteren Arten (Mammalia, Chiroptera). Bonn. Zool. Beitr., 18 (3-4): 253-362.
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  • Raulin, V. 1869. Description physique de l’ile de Crète. Tome second. Arthus Bertrand., Paris. pp. 463-1078.
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Citation
Paragamian, K. 2026. Fauna of the cave Spilaio Katholikou, Chordaki, Chania, Kriti. In Paragamian, K., M. Poulinakis, S. Paragamian and I. Nikoloudakis. Cave fauna of Greece database - Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research. Cave data updated 15.12.2023, Accessed 17.01.2026