A troglobite is an animal that lives entirely in the dark parts of caves. (Not to be confused with troglodyte.) Roughly speaking, troglobites may be classed as troglofauna (the land-dwelling species) and stygofauna (the aquatic species).
Troglobites typically have evolutionary adaptations to cave life. Examples of such adaptations include slow metabolism, loss of sight, and loss of skin pigment. Conversely, as opposed to lost or reduced functions, many species have extreme sensory adaptations for sense of touch or other stimuli that do not depend on light. Such adaptations may take the form of long antennae or sensory hairs, and other types of sensors, particularly chemosensory and auditory organs. Troglobites commonly do not survive well outside caves and therefore cannot travel between separate cave systems. As a result many species are endemic to a single cave or system of caves.
Strictly speaking, in contrast to troglobites, creatures that shelter in caves but go out to feed, are trogloxenes. Examples of trogloxenes include both nocturnal species such as cave-dwelling bats, and diurnal animals such as cave swallows.
Flatworms
- Hausera hauseri
Mollusca
- Tumbling Creek cavesnail (Antrobia culveri)
- Cave physa (Physella spelunca)
- Phantom cave snail (Cochliopa texana)
- Mimic cavesnail (Phreatodrobia imitata)
- Zospeum
Velvet worms
- White cave velvet worm (Peripatopsis alba)
Arthropoda
Arachnida
- Kauaʻi cave wolf spider (Adelocosa anops)
- Nelson cave spider (Spelungula cavernicola)
- Calicina cloughensis
- Texella reddelli
- Trogloraptor marchingtoni
- Apochthonius mysterius â€" Mystery Cave pseudoscorpion
- Apochthonius typhlus â€" Stone County cave pseudoscorpion
- Hesperochernes occidentalis â€" guano pseudoscorpion
- Mundochthonius cavernicolus â€" cavernicolous pseudoscorpion
- Phanetta subterranea â€" subterranean cave spider
- Porrhomma cavernicola â€" cavernicolous Porrhomma spider
- Sinopoda scurion â€" eyeless huntsman spider
- Troglokhammouanus steineri â€" Xe Bang Fai cave scorpion
- Vietbocap lao â€" Nam Lot cave scorpion
- Parobisium yosemite â€" Yosemite cave pseudoscorpion
- Titanobochia magna â€" cave pseudoscorpion
- Cicurina venii â€" Braken Bat Cave meshweaver spider
- Chinquipellobunus madlae â€" cave harvestman
Myriapoda
- Millipedes
- Causeyella species
- Chaetaspis aleyorum â€" Aleys' cave millipede
- Desmoxytes
- Mammamia profuga
- Sinocallipus
- Titanophyllum spiliarum
- Trichopetalum whitei
- Tingupa pallida
- Zosteractis interminata
- Centipedes
- Eupolybothrus cavernicolus
Crustacea
- Alabama cave shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae)
- Procambarus delicatus
- Spelaeorchestia koloana
- Procambarus pecki
- Typhlocaris
- Macromaxillocaris
- Samarplax principe
- Cyclops vernalis
- Holoped amazonicum
- Barburia yanezi
- Gammarus acherondytes â€" Illinois cave amphipod
- Cambarus aculabrum â€" Benton County cave crayfish
- Cambarus hubrichti â€" Salem cave crayfish
- Cambarus setosus â€" bristly cave crayfish
- Cambarus zophonastes â€" Hell Creek cave crayfish
- Andhracoides shabuddinâ€" Guthikonda cave isopod
- Andhracoides gebaueriâ€" Belum cave isopod
- Allocrangonyx hubrichti â€" Hubricht's long-tailed amphipod
- Bactrurus brachycaudus â€" short-tailed groundwater amphipod
- Bactrurus hubrichti â€" sword-tail cave amphipod
- Bactrurus pseudomucronatus â€" false sword-tailed cave amphipod
- Caecidotea antricola â€" cave isopod
- Caecidotea dimorpha â€" Missouri cave isopod
- Caecidotea fustis â€" Fustis cave isopod
- Caecidotea salemensis â€" Salem cave isopod
- Caecidotea serrata â€" serrated cave isopod
- Caecidotea stiladactyla â€" slender-fingered cave isopod
- Caecidotea stygia â€" stygian cave isopod
- Diacyclops yeatmani â€" Yeatman's groundwater copepod
- Orconectes stygocaneyi â€" Caney Mountain cave crayfish
- Stygobromus barri â€" Barr's groundwater amphipod
- Stygobromus clantoni â€" Clanton's groundwater amphipod
- Stygobromus heteropodus â€" Pickle Springs amphipod
- Stygobromus onondagaensis â€" Onondaga cave amphipod
- Stygobromus ozarkensis â€" Ozark cave amphipod
- Stygobromus subtilis â€" subtle groundwater amphipod
- Orcovita hickski
- Orcovita orchardorum
- Cancrocaeca
Insecta
See Cave insects
Fish
- List of cave fish
Amphibians
- Cave salamanders
Mammals
There are no known mammals that live exclusively in caves. Most bats sleep in caves during the day and hunt at night, but they are considered troglophiles or trogloxenes. However some fossorials which spend their whole lives underground might be considered subterranean fauna, although they are not true troglofauna as they do not live in caves.
Reptiles
- Beauty rat snake (Elaphe taeniura)
Birds
There are no known birds that live exclusively in caves.
See also
- Troglofauna