Spilaio Melissotrypa

Higher Geography
Region: Thessalia,
Sub-Region: Larisa,
Municipality: Elassona,
Closest Settlement: Kefalovryso
Cave type
Natural
Protection status
  • GR1440003 - Antichasia Ori - Meteora - Spilaio Melissotrypa (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
  • K717 - Mitrouna - Olympakos - Papamagoula Dimotikon Diamerismaton Palaiokastrou - Kefalovrysou - Kraneas ton Dimon Elassonas - Antichasion [Wildlife Refuge]: OGG 961/Β/2001
Fauna
  • Acantocyclops sp., Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Hexanauplia / Order: Cyclopoida / Family: Cyclopidae
  • Aglenus brunneus (Gyllenhall, 1813), Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Salpingidae
  • Bogidiella sp., Borko et al. 2019, Popa et al. 2019, Ntakis et al. 2020
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Amphipoda / Family: Bogidiellidae
  • Catops nigricans (Spence, 1813), Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta / Order: Coleoptera / Family: Leiodidae
  • Ceratophysella denticulata Bagnall, 1941, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Entognatha / Order: Poduromorpha / Family: Hypogastruridae
  • Cryptops dianae Stavropoulos & Matic, 1990, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Chilopoda / Order: Scolopendromorpha / Family: Cryptopidae
  • Daphniola magdalenae Falniowski, 2015, Falniowski & Sarbu 2015, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Littorinimorpha / Family: Hydrobiidae
  • Delaya sp., Popa et al. 2019, Świątek et al. 2025
    Phylum: Annelida / Class: Clitellata / Order: Haplotaxida / Family: Haplotaxidae
  • Dendrocoelum sp., Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Platyhelminthes / Class: Rhabditophora / Order: Tricladida / Family: Dendrocoelidae
  • Deuteraphorura scotaria (Gisin, 1954), Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Entognatha / Order: Poduromorpha / Family: Onychiuridae
  • Diacyclops maggii Pesce & Galassi, 1987, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Hexanauplia / Order: Cyclopoida / Family: Cyclopidae
  • Haplotaxis sp., Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Annelida / Class: Clitellata / Order: Haplotaxida / Family: Haplotaxidae
  • Histopona thaleri Gasparo, 2005, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Agelenidae
  • Iglica hellenica Falniowski & Sarbu, 2015, Falniowski & Sarbu 2015, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Mollusca / Class: Gastropoda / Order: Littorinimorpha / Family: Moitessieriidae
  • Lasiochernes graecus Beier, 1963, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Pseudoscorpionida / Family: Chernetidae
  • Mediostoma stussineri (Simon, 1885), Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Opiliones / Family: Nemastomatidae
  • Megalepthyphantes collinus (L. Koch, 1872), Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Linyphiidae
  • Microctenonyx subitaneus (O.Pickard-Cambridge, 1875), Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Arachnida / Order: Araneae / Family: Linyphiidae
  • Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl, 1817), Georgiakakis & Papadatou 2015, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Miniopteridae
  • Mixtacandona sp., Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Ostracoda / Order: Podocopida / Family: Cyprididae
  • Mixtacandona thessalica Rossetti & Mazzini, 2025, Popa et al. 2019, Rossetti et al. 2025
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Ostracoda / Order: Podocopida / Family: Cyprididae
  • Myotis sp., Georgiakakis & Papadatou 2015
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Vespertilionidae
  • Niphargus gammariformis Borko, 2019, Borko et al. 2019, Popa et al. 2019, Ntakis et al. 2020
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Amphipoda / Family: Niphargidae
  • Niphargus jovanovici S. Karaman, 1931, Borko et al. 2019, Popa et al. 2019, Ntakis et al. 2020
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Amphipoda / Family: Niphargidae
  • Niphargus lindbergi S. Karaman, 1956, Borko et al. 2019, Popa et al. 2019, Ntakis et al. 2020
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Amphipoda / Family: Niphargidae
  • Niphargus sp., Falniowski & Sarbu 2015
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Amphipoda / Family: Niphargidae
  • Pseudacherontides spelaeus (Ionesco, 1922), Popa et al. 2019, Fiera et al. 2021
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Entognatha / Order: Poduromorpha / Family: Hypogastruridae
  • Pseudectinosoma reductum Galassi & De Laurentiis, 1997, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Hexanauplia / Order: Harpacticoida / Family: Ectinosomatidae
  • Rhinolophus blasii Peters, 1866, Georgiakakis & Papadatou 2015, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Rhinolophus euryale Blasius, 1853, Georgiakakis & Papadatou 2015
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774), Georgiakakis & Papadatou 2015, Georgiakakis et al. 2023
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Rhinolophus hipposideros (André, 1797), Georgiakakis & Papadatou 2015
    Phylum: Chordata / Class: Mammalia / Order: Chiroptera / Family: Rhinolophidae
  • Tropocyclops prasinus (Fischer, 1860), Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Hexanauplia / Order: Cyclopoida / Family: Cyclopidae
  • Turcolana lepturoides Prevorčnik, Konec & Sket, 2016, Prevorčnik et al. 2016, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Malacostraca / Order: Isopoda / Family: Cirolanidae
  • Typhloiulus gellianae Makarov & Radja, 2006, Popa et al. 2019
    Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Diplopoda / Order: Julida / Family: Julidae
Cave references
  • Vaxevanopoulos M. 2006. Tectonic conditions in the speleogenetic process of Melissotripa cave in Kefalovriso of Elassona (Central Greece). Master thesis. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. 105pp.
  • Vaxevanopoulos, M. 2007. Hypogenic karstic caves. Proceedings of the 8th Pan-Hellenic Geographical Conference. Vol. I. In Athens Greek Geographical Society. 17-26.
Species references
  • Borko Š, Collette M, Brad B, Zakšek V, Flot J-F, Vaxevanopoulos M, Sarbu S & Fišer G. 2019. Amphipods in a Greek cave with sulphidic and non-sulphidic water : phylogenetically clustered and ecologically divergent phylogenetically clustered and ecologically divergent.. Systematics and Biodiversity 0(0):1–15. Taylor & Francis. Available from https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2019.1670273
  • Falniowski, A. & Sarbu, S. 2015. Two new truncatelloidea species from Melissotrypa cave in Greece (Caenogastropoda). ZooKeys, 2015 (530): 1-14.
  • Fiera C, Arbea JI, Vargovitsh RS, & Barjadze S 2021. A synthesis on troglobitic springtails in Europe. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 59, 1874– 1890. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzs.12560
  • Georgiakakis, P. & Papadatou, E., 2015. Chiroptera, In Papamichael G., Arapis T., Petkidi K., Fytou I & Chatzirvasanis V. 2015. Deliverable 7, C – Phase of Study 7: "Monitoring and evaluation of conservation status mammal species of Community interest in Greece.". Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climatic Change, Athens, scholars Partnership and consultancy firms “ARAPIS THOMAS EYAGGELOY, GEOANALYSI S.A. and PAPACHARISI ALEXANDRA THEODORA ", Athens. pp. 59 (in Greek)
  • 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
  • Ntakis A, Karaouzas I, Fišer C & Stoch F. 2020. An annotated checklist of the Niphargidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of Greece. . Zootaxa, 4772(3), 517–544. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4772.3.5
  • Popa, I., Brad, T., Vaxevanopoulos, M., Giurginca, A., Baba, S.C., Iepure, S., Plaiasu, R., Sarbu, S.M. 2019. Rich and diverse subterranean invertebrate communities inhabiting Melissotrypa Cave in Central Greece.. Trav. Inst. Spéol. «Émile Racovitza», 58: 65–78.
  • Prevorčnik, S., Konec, M. & Sket, B. 2016. The first Turcolana Argano & Pesce, 1980 (Isopoda: Cirolanidae) from the Greek mainland. Zootaxa, 4170 (1): 125-136.
  • Rossetti G, Sarbu SM, Ștefan A, Motoc R, Mazzini I 2025. Mixtacandona thessalica, a new species of ostracod (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from a sulfidic cave in central Greece.. Subterranean Biology 52: 111-133. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.52.142113
  • Świątek P, Gajda Ł, Urbisz A. 2025. Ovary organization and oogenesis in two species of cave-living clitellate annelids from the genus Delaya (Clitellata, Pelodrilidae). Developmental Biology, 2025, ISSN 0012-1606, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2025.09.021
Citation
Paragamian, K. 2026. Fauna of the cave Spilaio Melissotrypa, Kefalovryso, Elassona, Thessalia. In Paragamian, K., M. Poulinakis, S. Paragamian and I. Nikoloudakis. Cave fauna of Greece database - Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research. Cave data updated 05.10.2025, Accessed 17.01.2026