The Arthropod Cave Fauna of the Carlsbad Caverns Region, New Mexico

Abstract

All invertebrates thus far identified from Carlsbad Caverns and nearby caves, Eddy County, New Mexico, are arthropods. The fauna includes cope- pods, trichoniscid isopods, scorpions, pseudoscorpions, spiders, harvestmen, mites, centipedes, millipedes, collembolans, campodeids, rhaphidophorines, psocids, tineid moths, dipterans, fleas, and beetles (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Scarabaeidae, and Tenebrionidae). About 60% of the species are apparently troglophiles. Only 2 species are unquestionably troglobitic (Speorthus tuganbius, a polydesmid millipede; and Plusiocampa sp., a campodeid dipluran), but 2 other species are possibly tro- globitic (Thalkethops grallatrix, a centipede; and Ceuthophilus longipes, a rhaphi- dophorine). The caves are relatively dry and are situated in a semi-arid region, which probably accounts for the poor troglobitic fauna and high percentage of troglophiles. Many of the species are guanobites. Unlike the famous cave regions of southwest Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, and central Texas, the invertebrate fauna of the caves of the Guadalupe Mountains and vicinity in New Mexico, near the town of Carlsbad, is comparatively sparse. A cor- respondingly small percentage of ecologically significant species are troglobites. All species of invertebrates encountered in the caves thus far are arthropods. Protozoans, rotifers, and nematodes are certainly present here as in all caves in which they have been sought, but no special attempt was made to include these groups in our survey. Collections of invertebrates have been made in eighteen caves in this general vicinity (Fig. 1). The largest of these by far is Carlsbad Caverns, located in the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, approximately 30 km southwest of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, on the east- ern edge of the Guadalupe Mountains. The geology of the area has