Journal Article
Undara lava cave fauna in tropical Queensland with an annotated list of Australian subterranean biodiversity hotspots
Eberhard, S.M. and Howarth, F.G.
Record Number:
5400
Year:
2021
Journal:
Diversity
Pages:
1-25
Volume:
13, 326
Abstract:
Abstract: The lava tubes at Undara became internationally recognised in the late 1980s, when
24 species of terrestrial cave-adapted invertebrates (troglobionts) were recorded from Bayliss Cave,
making it one of the 20 richest known cave communities in the world at the time. Over the last
decades, several of the Undara species have been taxonomically described and a great deal of research
has been undertaken in other parts of Australia, which has revealed additional subterranean hotspots.
It is therefore timely to update the list of Undara cave fauna, and to evaluate the Undara cave system in
relation to other subterranean hotspots in Australia. The updated species list was compiled from the
published literature and museum databases. Minimally, 78 species of arthropods have been recorded
from 17 lava tube caves in the Undara Basalt. Sixteen species have been taxonomically described;
30 identified to genus and/or morpho-species; and 32 remain unidentified to species or genus level.
Thirty troglobionts and one stygobiont species were recorded. Seven caves harboured obligate
subterranean species; Bayliss Cave harboured the most obligate subterranean species: 23 troglobionts
and one stygobiont. All these caves contained deep zone environments with high humidity, of
which three also contained ‘bad air’ (CO2). The unique combination of geomorphic structure and
environmental parameters (high humidity) and multiple energy sources (tree roots, bats and guano,
organic material wash-in) are the main factors responsible for Bayliss Cave’s extraordinary local
richness. Further research is needed to investigate CO2 as a factor influencing troglobiont richness
and distribution in ‘bad air’ caves. Undara remains the richest subterranean hotspot in humid
tropical Australia; however, significantly richer subterranean assemblages are found in arid and
semi-arid calcrete aquifers, karst and iron-ore terrains, mostly in Western Australia.
Keywords: basaltic lava flow; cave ecology; arthropods; tropical cave fauna; Bayliss Cave; Psilotum
Times Cited:
3