Spilaio Agiou Ioanni

Higher Geography
Region: Notio Aigaio,
Sub-Region: Naxos,
Municipality: Naxos & Mikres Kyklades,
Closest Settlement: Irakleia
Cave Synonyms
Cave of Irakleia
Cave type
Natural
Description / Comments

The cave of Agios Ioannis is a very well known cave, located on the southwestern part of Irakleia Island at 110m a.s.l. A 2.5 km marked path is leading from Panagia settlement to its entrance. The cave is heavily decorated with a variety of speleothems. There are two main spacious chambers measuring 170 m in total length and covering an area of 2,000 sq. m. Although it’s not officially a show cave, several hundred people are visiting it every summer. The cave is dedicated to St John the Prodrome and his memory is celebrated with vespers at the big hall of the cave every year on 28th August.
The Polydesmid milliped was cited as "Serradium or Brachydesmus" (Andreev 1986). The Lindbergia species was cited as  Lindbergia sp. aff pseudoillyrica (Riedel 1990 & 1992) 

Protection status
  • GR4220013 - Mikres Kyklades: Irakleia, Schoinoussa, Koufonisia, Keros, Antikeria Kai thalassia zoni (Special Area of Conservation): Law 3937/2011 (OGG/Α 60/31.03.2011), Joint Ministerial Decision 50743/2017 (OGG 4432/B/15.12.17). Check site’s Standard Data Form
  • GR4220021 - Nisos Irakleia, Nisoi Makares, Mikros and Megalos Avelas, Nisida Venetiko Irakleias (Special Protection Area): Law 3937/2011 (OGG/Α 60/31.03.2011), Joint Ministerial Decision 50743/2017 (OGG 4432/B/15.12.17). Check site’s Standard Data Form
  • K783 - Nisos Irakleia [Wildlife Refuge]: OGG 1052/Β/2000
Fauna
  • Absoloniella nitidipennis (Osella, 1989), Osella 1989, Caladra 2011, Grebennikov 2014, Beron 2016, Morrone & Hlaváč 2017
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Erirhinidae
  • Aelurillus steinmetzi Metzner, 1999, Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Salticidae
  • Alioranus pastoralis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872), Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Linyphiidae
  • Antrobythus perplexus Besuchet, 1993, Besuchet 1993, Beron 2001, Hlaváč et al. 2008, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Staphylinidae
  • Armadillidium granulatum Brandt, 1833, Beron 1985, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Armadillidiidae
  • Chthonius jonicus Beier, 1931, Gardini & Gavalas 2021
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Chthoniidae
  • Cycladiacampa irakleiae Sendra, 2020, Sendra et al. 2020a, Sendra et al. 2020b, Sendra et al. 2020c, Sendra et al. 2022
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Entognatha / Order: Diplura / Family: Campodeidae
  • Ephippiochthonius schmalfussi (Schawaller, 1990), Paragamian et al. 2018, Gardini & Gavalas 2021
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Chthoniidae
  • Ephippiochthonius tuberculatus (Hadži, 1937), Gardini & Gavalas 2021
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Chthoniidae
  • Eukoenenia mirabilis (Grassi & Calandruccio, 1885), Condé 1989, Beron 2016, Mammola et al. 2021
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Palpigradi / Family: Eukoeneniidae
  • Eukoenenia naxos Condé, 1990, Condé 1987, Condé 1989, Condé 1998, Harvey 2003, Christian et al. 2012, Beron 2016, Beron 2018, Mammola et al. 2021
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Palpigradi / Family: Eukoeneniidae
  • Eupolybothrus litoralis (L. Koch, 1867), Matic & Stavropoulos 1988, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Chilopoda / Order: Lithobiomorpha / Family: Lithobiidae
  • Hadoblothrus aegaeus Beron, 1985, Beron 1985, Harvey 1991, Beron 2016, Beron 2018, Gardini & Gavalas 2021
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Syarinidae
  • Harpactea spilioioannis Bosmans & Gavalas, 2023, Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Dysderidae
  • Lepthyphantes magnesiae Brignoli, 1979, Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Linyphiidae
  • Lindbergia sp., Riedel 1990, Riedel 1992, Riedel 1996, Beron 2016, Karakasi et al. 2024
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Stylommatophora / Family: Pristilomatidae
  • Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820), Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Sicariidae
  • Megalepthyphantes lydiae Wunderlich, 1994, Naumova et al. 2016, Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Linyphiidae
  • Mesiotelus viridis (L. Koch, 1867), Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Liocranidae
  • Protrinemura mediterranea Mendes, 1988, Mendes 1988, Mendes 2002, Beron 2016, Mendes 2018
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Zygentoma / Family: Protrinemuridae
  • Serradium sp., Andreev 1986, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Diplopoda / Order: Polydesmida / Family: Polydesmidae
  • Spermophora senoculata (Dugès, 1836), Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Pholcidae
  • Tegenaria domestica (Clerck, 1757), Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Agelenidae
  • Trichoniscus cavernicola Vandel, 1958, Andreev 1986, Beron 2016
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Trichoniscidae
  • Uloborus plumipes Lucas, 1846, Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Uloboridae
  • Walckenaeria monoceros (Wider, 1834), Tanasevitch 2011, Bosmans & Gavalas 2023
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Linyphiidae
Cave references
  • Petrocheilou, A. 1971. The cave “Agiou Ioannou” of Irakleia Naxos (CRNr 851). Bull. Soc. Speleol. Grèce 11:71–75.
  • Petrocheilou, A. 1984. The Greek Caves. Ekdotiki Athinon 160pp.
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.
  • Beron, P. 1985. On the cave fauna of the Greek islands of Sandorin and Iraklia, with preliminary description of a new pseudoscorpion. Grottes Bulgares, 3: 64-71.
  • Beron, P. 2001. Etude comparative des faunes cavernicoles de la Bulgarie et de la Grèce. Hist. Nat. Bulg., 13: 53-68.
  • Beron, P. 2016. Faune cavernicole de la Grèce. Maison d'édition Est-West., Sofia. pp. 229.
  • Beron P. 2018. Zoogeography of Arachnida. Monographiae Biologicae 94:1–987. Springer International Publishing.
  • Besuchet, C. 1993. Pselaphides cavernicoles de Grèce (Coleoptera). Biol. gallo-hellen., 20 (1): 223-229.
  • Bosmans R, Gavalas I. 2023. The spiders (Araneae) of the tiny Greek island Iraklia (Kiklades), with the descriptions of 5 new Harpactea species (Araneae: Dysderidae), 3 species new to Europe and 8 new to Greece. Parnassiana Archives 11 (Suppl. 1): 3-93
  • Caladra, R 2011. Erirhinidae.. In: Löbl, I. & Smetana, A. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 7. Curculionoidea I. Apollo Books, Stenstrup, pp. 192–198.
  • Christian E, Kováč L, Ozimec R, Polak S, Zagmajster M. 2012. Distribution and morphology of the European Karst palpigrade Eukoenenia gasparoi (Arachnida: Palpigradi). Journal of Arachnology 40:265–273. Available from http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1636/Ha12-27.1.
  • Condé, B. 1987. Les Palpigrades du nouveau monde: état des connaissances.. Mémoires de la Société Royale Belge d'Entomologie, 33: 67-73.
  • Condé, B. 1989. Palpigrades (Arachnida) des grottes d΄ Europe. Rev. suisse Zool., 96 (4): 823-840.
  • Condé, B. 1998. Palpigradida. In Juberthie, C.;Decu, V. Encyclopaedia Biospeologica II. Publisher. pp. 913-920.
  • Gardini G, Gavalas I 2021. The Pseudoscorpions of the island of Iraklia (Cyclades, Greece). Parnassiana Archives, 9: 43-78
  • Grebennikov, V. V. 2014. A new concept of Absoloniella (=Ruffodytes syn. n.) for five blind Mediterranean species (Coleoptera: Brachyceridae: Erirhininae). Zootaxa, 3866 (1): 122-130.
  • Harvey, M.S. 1991. Catalogue of the Pseudoscorpionida.. Manchester University Press, 726 pp.
  • Harvey, M. S. 2003. Catalogue of the Smaller Arachnid Orders of the World. Amblypygi, Uropygi, Schizomida, Palpigradi, Ricinulei and Solifugae. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 398.
  • Hlaváč, P., Ozimec, R. & Pavićević, D. 2008. Catalogue of the troglobitic Pselaphinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) of the Balkan peninsula, with a key to genera. In Pavićević, D.;Perreau, M. Advances in the studies of the subterranean and epigean fauna of the Balkan Peninsula. Volume dedicated to the memory of Guido Nonveiller. Publisher, Belgrade. pp. 307-328.
  • 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
  • Mammola S, Fernanda M, Rezende V, Marco S, Ferreira RL. 2021. Global distribution of microwhip scorpions (Arachnida: Palpigradi). Journal of Biogeography, 00:1–13.
  • Matic, Z. & Stavropoulos, G. 1988. Contribution a la connaissance des Chilopodes de Grèce. Biol. gallo-hellen., 14 (1): 33-46.
  • Mendes, L. 1988. Sur deux nouvelles Nicoletiidae (Zygentoma) cavernicoles de Grèce et de Turquie et remarques sur la systématique de la famille. Rev. suisse Zool., 95 (3): 751-772.
  • Mendes, L. 2002. New species and new data on Protrinemuridae and Pacific islands from Eastern Asia and Pacific islands. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 38(4):399–433
  • Mendes, L. 2018. Biodiversity of the Thysanurans (Microcoryphia and Zygentoma). In Foottit RG and Peter H [editors] Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society, Volume II, First Edition, pp 155-198
  • Morrone J. & Hlaváč P. 2017. Checklist of the micro- and anophthalmic soil-dwelling weevils of the world (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).. Zootaxa, 4239:1–102.
  • Naumova, M., Lazarov, S., Petrov, B. & Deltshev, C. 2016. New faunistic data on the cave-dwelling spiders in the Balkan Peninsula (Araneae). Ecologica Montenegrina, 7: 425-438.
  • Osella, G. 1989. Due nuovi Curcudionidi endogei (Coleoptera) (XXXTV. Contributo alla connoscenza della curculionidofauna endogea). Rev. suisse Zool., 96 (2): 451-458.
  • Paragamian K, Gavalas I & Nikoloudakis I 2018. On the cave fauna of Antiparos and Irakleia Islands (Kyklades, Greece). 9th Panhellenic Ecology Conference (HELECOS), October 2018, University of Crete, Heraclion, Crete (in Greek)
  • Riedel, A. 1990. Neue und bekannte Zonitidae (Gastropoda) aus Griechenland. Ann. Zool. (Wars.), 43 (25): 493-534.
  • 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.
  • Sendra A., Antić D., Barranco P., Borko Š., Christian E., Delić T., Fadrique F., Faille A., Galli L., Gasparo F., Georgiev D., Giachino P.M., Kováč L., Lukić M., Marcia P., Miculinić K., Nicolosi G., Palero F., Paragamian K., Pérez T., Polak S., Prieto C. 2020. Flourishing in subterranean ecosystems: Euro-Mediterranean Plusiocampinae and tachycampoids (Diplura, Campodeidae). European Journal of Taxonomy 591: 1–138. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.591
  • Sendra A, Nikoloudakis I, Gavalas I, Selfa J, Paragamian K. 2020. A surprising new genus and species of cave-adapted Plusiocampinae Cycladiacampa irakleiae (Diplura, Campodeidae) from Irakleia Island, Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Archipelago (Greece). Subterranean Biology 35: 15–32. doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.35.53579
  • Sendra A, Palero F, Jiménez-valverde A, Reboleira ASPS 2020. Diplura in caves: diversity , ecology , evolution and biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 20:1–15
  • Sendra, A., Palero, F., Sánchez-García, A., Selfa, J., Tusun, S., & Satar, A. 2022. New evidence for an Anatolian bridge: Colonization of Euromediterranean lands by cave-adapted Plusiocampinae (Diplura, Campodeidae), with establishment of a new genus. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 301: 205–214. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2022.10.006
  • Tanasevitch, A. 2011. On linyphiid spiders (Araneae) from the Eastern and Central Mediterranean kept at the Museum d'histoire naturelle, Geneva. Rev. suisse Zool., 118 (1): 49-91.
Citation
Paragamian, K. 2026. Fauna of the cave Spilaio Agiou Ioanni, Irakleia, Naxos & Mikres Kyklades, Notio Aigaio. In Paragamian, K., M. Poulinakis, S. Paragamian and I. Nikoloudakis. Cave fauna of Greece database - Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research. Cave data updated 16.10.2023, Accessed 09.03.2026