Spilaio Geraniou

Higher Geography
Region: Kriti,
Sub-Region: Rethymno,
Municipality: Rethymno,
Closest Settlement: Gerani
Cave type
Natural
Protection status
  • Archaeological Site - Ministerial Decision 36852/2942/12-10-1973 (OGG 1242/Β/16-10-1973)
Fauna
  • Carpathica cretica (Forcart, 1950), Riedel 1977, Riedel 1992, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Oxychilidae
  • Daudebardia brevipes (Draparnaud, 1805), Riedel 1977, Riedel 1992, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Oxychilidae
  • Daudebardia rufa (Draparnaud, 1805), Riedel 1977, Riedel 1992, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Oxychilidae
  • Lindbergia orbicularis (A. Riedel, 1962), Riedel 1977, Riedel 1992, Riedel 1996, Beron 2016, Karakasi et al. 2024
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Pristilomatidae
  • Lindholmiola barbata (A. Férussac, 1821), Subai & Neubert 2014, Karakasi et al. 2024
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Helicodontidae
  • Pleurodiscus sudensis (L. Pfeiffer, 1846), Karakasi et al. 2024
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Pleurodiscidae
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774), Benda et al. 2009, Benda et al. 2019, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Rhinolophus hipposideros (André, 1797), Benda et al. 2009, Benda et al. 2019, Benda et al. 2022, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Schistophallus spratti (Westerlund, 1892), Riedel 1977, Riedel 1992, Riedel 1996, Beron 2016, Karakasi et al. 2024
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Oxychilidae
  • Tandonia sp., Karakasi et al. 2024
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Milacidae
  • Trachelipus cavaticus Schmalfuss, Paragamian & Sfenthourakis, 2004, Schmalfuss et al. 2004, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Trachelipodidae
  • Trichoniscus lindbergi Vandel, 1958, Schmalfuss et al. 2004, Dimitriou & Sfenthourakis 2022
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Trichoniscidae
  • Vitrea contracta (Westerlund, 1871), Riedel 1977, Riedel 1992, Karakasi et al. 2024
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Pristilomatidae
Cave references
  • Makris, Ch. 1969. The cave “Gerani” of Rethymno (CRNr 3553). Bull. Soc. Speleol. Grèce 10:95–101.
  • Petrocheilou, A. 1984. The Greek Caves. Ekdotiki Athinon 160pp.
  • Petrocheilou, A. 1980. The cave of Geraniou at Rethymno, Kriti. Bull. Soc. Speleol. Grèce 17:51–58.
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
  • Benda P, Uvizl M, Vallo P, Reiter A, & Uhrin M. 2022. A revision of the Rhinolophus hipposideros group (Chiroptera : Rhinolophidae) with definition of an additional species from the Middle East. Acta Chiropterologica, 24(2): 269–298. https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.2.001
  • Beron, P. 2016. Faune cavernicole de la Grèce. Maison d'édition Est-West., Sofia. pp. 229.
  • Dimitriou CA , Sfenthourakis S. 2022. An all-inclusive approach: A universal protocol for the successful amplification of four genetic loci of all Onscidea. MethodsX (2022), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2022.101762
  • 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
  • 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
  • Riedel, A. 1977. Materialien zur Kenntnis der Zonitidae (Gastropoda). IX-XI. Ann. Zool. (Wars.), 33 (24): 495-515.
  • Riedel, A. 1992. The Zonitidae (sensu lato) (Gastropoda, Pulmonata) of Greece. Fauna Graeciae V. Hellenic Zoological Society. pp. 194.
  • Riedel, A. 1996. Die in West-Paläarktis unterirdisch lebenden Zonitidae sensu lato (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora). Fragm. faun., 39 (24): 363-390.
  • 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.
  • Subai, P. & Neubert, E. 2014. Revision of the genus Lindholmiola Hesse , 1931 (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Helicodontidae). Contrib. Nat. Hist., 23: 1-94.
Citation
Paragamian, K. 2026. Fauna of the cave Spilaio Geraniou, Gerani, Rethymno, Kriti. In Paragamian, K., M. Poulinakis, S. Paragamian and I. Nikoloudakis. Cave fauna of Greece database - Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research. Cave data updated 14.12.2023, Accessed 22.04.2026