Biota of limestone caves in Pyeongchang-gun, Korea: Focusing on three undisclosed caves

Abstract

The Gangwon-do Province in Korea features abundant limestone areas and numerous limestone caves; however, few studies have conducted systematic research on the limestone caves in this area. In this study, we observed and explored the biota of three undisclosed caves located in Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do Province (Jangamgul Cave, Baramgul Cave, and Ssanggul Cave) to further understand their ecology. As a result, a total of four phyla, 12 classes, 30 orders, 77 families, and 125 species of cave organisms were discovered, including three phyla, 11 classes, 23 orders, 51 families, and 77 species in Jangamgul Cave; four phyla, 10 classes, 23 orders, 43 families, and 52 species in Baramgul Cave; and three phyla, nine classes, 20 orders, 41 families, and 54 species in Ssanggul Cave. Several threatened species such as Plecotus auritus (Linnaeus, 1758), designated as Class 2 endangered wildlife in Korea, Onychodactylus fischeri (Boulenger, 1886), designated as a least concern (LC) species by the IUCN, and Galloisiana sp., described as an extant species of the relict insect were found in this study. Our results are significant in providing information on the distribution of cave organisms living by adapting to the cave environment.