Statistics

The Cave Fauna of Greece database currently holds data on more than 970 species and more than 780 caves from all 14 administrative regions. It also holds 110 taxa identified to generic level, but these are visible only in the species lists for each cave. The census includes a total of 4,500 records.

Kriti (Crete) is the most studied Region of Greece (31.1% of the caves). Insular Regions (N & S Aegean, Ionian Islands, and Crete) are hosting a remarkable percentage of endemic and troglobiont species. 

 

  

The diversity of the cave fauna of Greece

There are 976 species in 490 genera, 217 families, 69 orders, 20 classes, and 6 phyla. The most diverse Classes are Insecta (Ectognatha) (28.9%) and Arachnida (28.1%) [Araneae 15.8 %].

TAXA Orders Families Genera Species
Phylum Arthropoda        
Arachnida 12 61 130 275
Amblypygi   1 1 1
Araneae   28 78 155
Ixodida   1 2 3
Mesostigmata   2 4 4
Opiliones   4 13 17
Oribatida   3 3 3
Palpigradi   1 1 3
Prostigmata   1 1 2
Pseudoscorpionida   8 13 63
Sarcoptiformes   6 6 6
Scorpiones   3 3 9
Trombidiformes   3 5 9
Branchiopoda 1 1 1 1
Anomopoda   1 1 1
Chilopoda 4 5 7 23
Geophilomorpha   1 1 1
Lithobiomorpha   1 3 15
Scolopendromorpha   2 2 6
Scutigeromorpha   1 1 1
Diplopoda 4 7 25 43
Callipodida   1 5 13
Glomerida   2 2 6
Julida   2 13 17
Polydesmida   2 5 7
Entognatha 4 9 19 32
Diplura   2 6 18
Entomobryomorpha   2 3 3
Poduromorpha   4 9 10
Symphypleona   1 1 1
Hexanauplia 2 4 17 33
Cyclopoida   1 8 16
Harpacticoida   3 9 17
Insecta 12 50 142 284
Archaeognatha   1 3 3
Blattodea   1 1 1
Coleoptera   16 83 163
Diptera   11 20 27
Hemiptera   2 3 3
Hymenoptera   1 4 6
Lepidoptera   7 11 12
Orthoptera   2 5 51
Psocoptera   4 4 5
Siphonaptera   1 1 1
Trichoptera   2 5 10
Zygentoma   2 2 2
Malacostraca 4 23 40 93
Amphipoda   4 6 10
Decapoda   1 2 2
Isopoda   17 31 80
Thermosbaenacea   1 1 1
Maxillopoda 1 1 1 1
Calanoida   1 1 1
Ostracoda 1 1 3 3
Podocopida   1 3 3
Symphyla 1 2 3 3
    2 3 3
Phylum Chordata        
Actinopterygii 1 1 2 2
Cypriniformes   1 2 2
Amphibia 2 2 2 2
Anura   1 1 1
Caudata   1 1 1
Aves 2 2 2 2
Passeriformes   1 1 1
Strigiformes   1 1 1
Mammalia 3 8 16 36
Carnivora   2 3 3
Chiroptera   4 10 30
Rodentia   2 3 3
Phylum Mollusca        
Gastropoda 5 26 51 111
Architaenioglossa   1 1 1
Basommatophora   1 1 1
Littorinimorpha   3 4 4
Pulmonata   1 1 2
Stylommatophora   20 44 103
Phylum Annelida        
Clitellata 4 5 14 18
Branchiobdellida   1 1 1
Crassiclitellata   2 9 13
Enchytraeida   1 3 3
Tubificida   1 1 1
Phylum Nematoda        
Enoplea 3 7 9 9
Dorylaimida   4 4 4
Mononchida   1 3 3
Triplonchida   2 2 2
Secernentea 1 1 3 3
Rhabditida   1 3 3
Phylum Platyhelminthes        
Rhabditophora 2 2 2 2
Lecithoepitheliata   1 1 1
Tricladida   1 1 1
         
TOTAL 69 217 489 976

 

 

Discovery rate

Korykeio Antro (Parnassos Mt.) is the cave from where the first cave animals of Greece have been recorded. From the samples collected by Theobald Johannes Krüper (1829–1917), Brunner Von Wattenwyl (1861) identified the cave cricket Rhaphidophora cavicola -a record assigned recently to Troglophilus zoia (Di Russo et al. 2014)- and Schaum (1962) described a new ground-beetle species (Anophthalmus Krueperi = Duvalius krueperi), the first obligate cave-dwelling species recorded in Greece. Since then, the speleobiological research in Greece has revealed an interesting fauna of more than 970 species from more than 780 caves. More than 335 of them were described for the first time.

 

Species ecological classification

Nearly half of the species in the cave fauna of Greece are Greek endemics. Obligate cavernicolous species (troglobionts/stygobionts) represent 19,5% of the cave fauna, and the vast majority are steno-endemic. Only 14 species are not endemic to Greece

 

Species conservation status

The majority of the species found in the caves of Greece have not been evaluated either for the IUCN Red List (81.4%) or the GR Red Data Book (85.4%). The adequately evaluated groups are bats, orthopterans, and molluscs. Only nine out of the 100 obligate cavernicolous species have been evaluated.

 

 

Species protection status

Only 4.7% of the cavernicolous species (mostly Dolichopoda cave crickets and bats) is protected according to the European and national legal framework! No obligate cavernicolous species are legally protected.

 

Cave protection status

According to the Greek Archaeological Law, all caves associated with ancient human uses are considered protected.

Only 20 caves are namely protected under Greek environmental legislation. About 426 (55.6%) of the caves cited in the CFG database are situated within Natura 2000 sites (Sci’s and/or SPA’s). In addition, 93 caves (11.9 %) are situated within Wildlife Refuges.

For more insights and the code behind the analysis, visit our GitHub Page:

Paragamian, K. and Paragkamian, S. Cave fauna of Greece database analysis (CFG Analysis) - Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research. Available at: https://cfg-analysis.inspee.gr