Subterranean Biology

#Subterranean #habitats host unique species that remain largely under-explored.

New study on the endemic ground Trechus #beetles of Portugal, currently Red Listed as Endangered, revealed an interesting #evolutionary trajectory.

⬇️Uncover what the study found here: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

Read more about this Arachnopolis here: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

The colonial spider web in Sulfur Cave, is home to a mixed colony of Tegenaria domestica and Prinerigone vagans. A. Side view; B. frontal view. The swarm of adult chironomids is visible near the cave stream. Photo A: Marek Audy.

Biggest spider web in the world: the area of a flat.

Found in a sulphur-smelling cave in the Balkans, this ~100m² spongy web is maintained by two species of solitary 🕷️. The 110K inhabitants feed on midges, probably because they can't see the other spiders.

🧪
subtbiol.pensoft.net/article/1623...

🦐 New cave shrimp species discovered in the northwestern Balkans: 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘦𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢. This subterranean species was named through a local public voting campaign!

Find out more here: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1267.176622

#NewSpecies #CaveShrimp #Subterranean

Cc: @humboldtuni.bsky.social, @sgn.one

👩🏻‍🔬Researchers in Bahia, Brazil, have discovered 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘦𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘹 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘴, a new genus and species of #cave-dwelling #planthopper (family Delphacidae).

😮This marks the first record of a subterranean #delphacid in the Americas.

🔎 Check it out: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

#morphology #biodiversity

Description of two new species of stygobitic amphipods from groundwater habitats in Nye County, Nevada, USA: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

#caves #newspecies #taxonomy

Ontogeny shapes vulnerability to climate change underground: Larvae of a subterranean beetle are more sensitive to temperature increase than adults Although the effects of climate change on biodiversity are increasingly well documented, subterranean ecosystems remain largely understudied. These environments, characterized by stable temperatures a...

The thermal tolerance of the cave-dwelling beetle Anillochlamys tropica is notably lower than that of most surface insects, this study found.

#beetles #climatechange #subterranean

doi.org/10.3897/subt...

Hunderttausend Spinnen: „Einzigartiger Fall“ – Tief in einer Höhle stoßen Forscher auf das größte Spinnennetz der Welt - WELT Bei der Erkundung einer Höhle in Südosteuropa haben Forscher eine gruselige Entdeckung gemacht: das wohl größte Spinnennetz der Welt. Die Dimensionen der Kolonie wirken unwirklich. Neben der Größe ers...

🕸️ So, the recent discovery of what is thought to be the world's largest #spider structure in the world published in our #openaccess scientific journal @subtbiol.pensoft.net made it on TV📺 as part of the Die Welt!
www.welt.de/wissenschaft...

An extraordinary colonial spider community in Sulfur Cave (Albania/Greece) sustained by chemoautotrophy We report the discovery and detailed analysis of an extraordinary colonial spider assemblage in Sulfur Cave, a chemoautotrophic sulfidic ecosystem located on the Albania-Greece border. The colony, com...

The really cool, and interestingly uncanny, part is the chemoautotrophy. A little ecosystem running in complete darkness off the oxidation of sulfur.

This Massive Web—Home to More Than 100,000 Spiders—Found in a Cave in Europe Could Be the World's Largest The cavern along the border of Greece and Albania is home to a terrifyingly high number of two species of arachnids that live together peacefully in complete darkness

World's largest spider web found in Balkan cave

www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/m...

Stinking, Spongy, Dark, Huge: A Spider Web Unlike Any Seen Before

The @nytimes.com are the latest major news outlet to cover our mind-blowing spider cave study!

➡ For the study, head to doi.org/10.3897/subt...

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/s...

An extraordinary spider colony was found in a cave on the Albania-Greece border. Comprising over 100,000 spiders, the network spans a surface area of over 100 m².

This discovery was published in our journal Subterranean Biology: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

Video by @vrenozina.bsky.social

World's biggest spiderweb discovered inside 'Sulfur Cave' with 111,000 arachnids living in pitch black A giant colonial spiderweb in a sulfuric cave on the border between Greece and Albania may be the largest ever found — and it was built by spiders we didn't know liked the company of others.

Arachnophobes, look away.

www.livescience.com/animals/spid...

An extraordinary colonial spider community in Sulfur Cave (Albania/Greece) sustained by chemoautotrophy We report the discovery and detailed analysis of an extraordinary colonial spider assemblage in Sulfur Cave, a chemoautotrophic sulfidic ecosystem located on the Albania-Greece border. The colony, com...

Learn more in the research article we published: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

World's biggest spiderweb found with 111,000 spiders living in eerie mega-colony ARACHNOPHOBES, look away now – what might be the world’s biggest spider web has been found. Hidden deep inside a pitch-black cave is a mammoth web that houses upwards of 111,000 spiders, rese…

The incredible story about the spider colony at Sulfur Cave covering an area of 100 m² and comprising an estimated 69,000 individuals, published in Subterranean Biology and now made popular all over the media!

www.thesun.co.uk/tech/3722343...

Two new subterranean springtail species of the genus Schaefferia are described. Find out more about them here: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

#springtails #evolution #phylogeny

DarCo: Filling knowledge gaps for European subterranean biodiversity towards its effective conservation DarCo is a Biodiversa+ project (2021–2022 joint call “Supporting the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems”) entitled: "The vertical dimension of conservation: a cost-effect...

Find more works on European subterranean biodiversity in our special topical collection doi.org/10.3897/subt...

@vrenozina.bsky.social @uni-goettingen.de

A spider colony of 69,000 individuals of Tegenaria domestica and more than 42,000 of Prinerigone vagans, covering a surface area of over 100 m², was found in Sulfur Cave, a chemoautotrophic sulfidic ecosystem located on the Albania-Greece border. See more here: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

26th International Conference on Subterranean Biology, and the 6th International Symposium on Anchialine Ecosystems The joint conference of the 26th International Conference on Subterranean Biology and the 6th International Symposium on Anchialine Ecosystems will be held in Cagliari (Italy) for six days full of exc...

You might also want to check the rest of the proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Subterranean Biology and the 6th International Symposium on Anchialine Ecosystems, which we have published in a topical collection doi.org/10.3897/subt...

The key role of humidity for the survival of cave beetles in a context of climate change Climate change is altering the environmental conditions of subterranean ecosystems, leading to warmer and drier caves across many regions. Despite growing evidence of the high heat sensitivity of cave...

An assessment of the combined effects of temperature and humidity on the survival of four Pyrenean cave beetles.

#climatechange #beetles #subterranan @um.es

doi.org/10.3897/subt...

Ever wondered if #colonial spider webs can exist... in a #Sulfur #Cave?! Yes, it’s real—and it is between Albania🇦🇱 and Greece🇬🇷! This study reveals how #Tegenaria domestica form dense colonies in a toxic cave ecosystem—supported by sulfur-based chemoautotrophic life. 🕷🕸

DarCo: Filling knowledge gaps for European subterranean biodiversity towards its effective conservation DarCo is a Biodiversa+ project (2021–2022 joint call “Supporting the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems”) entitled: "The vertical dimension of conservation: a cost-effect...

Subterranean biodiversity patterns in Europe remain understudied, which is one of the reasons we publish "DarCo: Filling knowledge gaps for European subterranean biodiversity towards its effective conservation", a special collection that features this article.

doi.org/10.3897/subt...

An extraordinary colonial spider assemblage was discovered in Sulfur Cave, a chemoautotrophic sulfidic ecosystem located on the Albania-Greece border. Learn more about it here: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

#spiders #caves #subterranean @vrenozina.bsky.social @uni-goettingen.de

A study of terrestrial isopods in Mesovoid Shallow Substratum habitats across Portufal identified 12 species belonging to five families, including one new to science. See more here: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

Adult Allegheny cave amphipods (Stygobromus allegheniensis) are capable of surviving the unique tectonic ice caves of New York’s Shawangunk Ridge during extreme winter conditions, this study found: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

#troglobites #caves #invertebrates

A first confirmed occurrence record of the gecko Cyrtodactylus ziegleri in lava caves in Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark in Vietnam: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

#geckos #biodiversity #lavacaves

Two new species of the large Asian millipede genus 𝐸𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑠 have been discovered in caves in the Wuling Mountains, Hunan Province, China.

🔗 doi.org/10.3897/zse....

A study exploring the macrozoobenthos assemblages in stream environments within Western Caucasus caves, focusing on the interplay between surface, ecotone, and subterranean habitats: doi.org/10.3897/subt...

#ecotone #ecology #stygobionts