Spilaio Vreikou

Higher Geography
Region: Kriti,
Sub-Region: Lasithi,
Municipality: Siteia,
Closest Settlement: Pefkoi
Cave type
Natural
Protection status
  • Archaeological Site - Ministerial Decision 24456/1834 PE/5-5-1976 (OGG 699/Β/26-5-1976)
Fauna
  • Amaurobius sp., Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Amaurobiidae
  • Hoplopholcus labyrinthi (Kulczynski, 1903), Gasparo 2006, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016, Huber 2020
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Pholcidae
  • Metellina merianae (Scopoli, 1763), Gasparo 2006, Bosmans et al. 2013, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Tetragnathidae
  • Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817), Benda et al. 2009, Benda et al. 2019, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Miniopteridae
  • Plecotus kolombatovici Dulic, 1980, Benda et al. 2009, Benda et al. 2019, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Rhinolophus blasii Peters, 1866, Benda et al. 2009, Benda et al. 2019, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774), Benda et al. 2009, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Schizidium perplexum (Vandel, 1958), Schmalfuss et al. 2004, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Armadillidiidae
  • Tegenaria sp., Gasparo 2006
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Agelenidae
  • Trichoniscus lindbergi Vandel, 1958, Schmalfuss et al. 2004, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Trichoniscidae
Cave references
  • Georgiakakis, P., Paragamian, K., Foteinakis, K., Papadaki M, Barlas P. 2006. The caves of Latsida Vreikou and Apoloustres at Pefkoi of Makrys Gialos (Lasithi). In Paragamian, K. and D. Choreftaki. Proceedings of the 2nd Pancretan Speleological Symposium dedicated to the memory of Eleftherios Platakis Irakleio Crete Hellenic Speleological Society, Department of Crete. 47-51.
Species references
  • 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., 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.
  • Gasparo, F. 2006. Indagini faunistiche nelle grotte delle isole di Creta e Lesbos (Grecia). Progressione, 52 (1/2): 58-60.
  • 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
  • Huber B.A. 2020. Revision of the spider genus Hoplopholcus Kulczyński (Araneae, Pholcidae). Zootaxa 4726:1–94.
  • Schmalfuss, H., Paragamian, K. & Sfenthourakis, S. 2004. The terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) of Crete and the surrounding islands. Stuttgart. Beitr. Naturk. Ser. A. (Biol.), 662: 1-74.
Citation
Paragamian, K. 2025. Fauna of the cave Spilaio Vreikou, Pefkoi, Siteia, 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 29.10.2025