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I had a chance to visit my good friend and fellow caver in Texas again, Andy Gluesenkamp. We went to the International Congress of Speleology together and had a great time. Andy had arranged a little caving while I was there so I got to see a few more cave critters. I also had a chance to photograph Mexican blindcats again thanks to the generosity of Dean Hendrickson.
Some members of the beetle genus Rhadine are cave dwelling and are specialist feeders, eating cave cricket eggs. The long neck presumably allows them to reach into holes they dig or into cracks and crevices, where cave cricket eggs are hidden, to feed on them. This is Rhadine speca.
Harvestmen, or opilionids, are arachnids related to spiders and scorpions. There are many species that frequent caves and many other species that are obligate cave dwellers. This is Chinquipellobunus madlae. Opilionids are small predators, often feeding on tiny invertebrates. Obligate cave species can be white (often as juveniles or newly molted individuals and less commonly as adults), red, or orange.
The type locality for Eurycea latitans is Cascade Caverns, thus the common name “Cascade Caverns Salamander.” These specimens are from the type locality.
Eurycea latitans demonstrates quite a bit of phenotypic plasticity. Some populations, as with the population at the type locality, have functional eyes and some pigmentation remaining. In other cave dwelling populations, the salamanders have greatly reduced, non-functional eyes and little or no pigment.
Mexican blindcats of the genus Prietella are endemic to Mexico. These are P. phreatophila. I thank Dean Hendrickson for allowing me to photograph these specimens.
Spring netting is one method used to sample spring and aquifer dwelling fauna. Nets are placed in front of a spring’s discharge point to collect whatever wildlife may be expelled in the current. The nets are typically checked once a day.
USFWS aquatic invertebrate specialist Randy Gibson checks through the collected debris in one of his spring nets, looking for groundwater amphipods that had been captured in his nets.
One of the great cave fish biologists, Tom Poulson is depicted here at the International Congress of Speleology (Kerrville, TX, July 2009) examining preserved cave fish specimens. Tom was gracious enough, with help from his wife Liz, to look over specimens of a new blind cave Amblyopsid that I am helping to describe with a team of scientists including G.O. Graening, Matt Niemiller, Al Romero, and Stan Trauth.
Randy Gibson's sketch on making a collection bucket for a spring net.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:21 am
Hi Dante:
Great shots! I thoroughly enjoyed the catfishes, of course, but all the cave critters were wonderful to view vicariously like we all do here.
Question: What are the nets being used to collect the spring outflows? Can you send me some info on them as I need to get several of these to monitor Ouachita Mountain springs.
Again, loved the pictures Dante.
Rob
August 18th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Wonderful pictures, especially liked how the beetle is perched like its about to leap.
August 18th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the comments! The spring nets are called exactly that. New designs are really being ironed out all the time. They can be made by hand very easily. You can buy the prefabricated plankton trawling nets or just buy the fabric. The diameter of the fabric’s mesh openings needs to match what you hope to filter out. For example, you may want a smaller diameter mesh so you can collect microcrustaceans as well as macro fauna. If all you want are isopods, amphipods, and larger, you can use fish netting, which can be bought online by the square yard. Often, the same supply companies that sell trawling nets/plankton sampling nets/ etc. sell the finer mesh fabrics. The nets in the images have a PVC framework at their mouth which is simple to build and very inexpensive. A heavier material can be sewn around the PVC and to the mesh netting for support and strength. The collecting cup at the end of the net is a wider diameter PVC segment with the mesh glued to the end so water can pass through. Metal ring clamps hold the collecting cup to the mesh body of the structure. As you use smaller and smaller mesh diameters, you need to make the nets longer and longer so that the water pressure in the net doesn’t get to a point where it is crushing whatever is captured. The nets in the images were roughly 3 feet long, perhaps 4, and they had a mesh size fine enough to collect ostracods. The seams can be double sewn for strength down the sides of the nets. If I can find information online for prefabricated spring nets, I’ll post the urls.
Cheers,
Dante
August 18th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Hi,
Thanks for the comments on the images. The beetles can be difficult to shoot as they typically don’t stop moving around.
Cheers & Thanks,
Dante
August 19th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
I’m sure our local entomologist, Rolf, can attest to how much beetles move about. I hope to get a shot of a catfish in a cave this weekend- I’ve got one rather blurry shot of one in Millerton before. Not a wonderful cave adapted one like these though, just a regular catfish that followed the stream down into the cave. Now I have to check if there are any more still in the cave.
September 4th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Rob and others,
Here is more information on the spring nets from Randy Gibson of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service:
Commercially available nets:
Wildco – larger mesh size and rectangular opening:
https://wildco.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=drift+net&osCsid=d4f097385a6ae13564d890e3a5c7b1d2
Bioquip – smaller mesh size available, smaller square opening, and cheaper:
http://www.bioquip.com/Search/DispProduct.asp?itemnum=4250A
More info from Randy, “I have found what seems to work well for both the nets above is to glue the following parts : 2 ” male threaded adapter, reduce with a 1.5 to 2″ bushing, and a short piece of 1.5″ pvc pipe (schedule 40). The pipe can be slid into the end of the net and attached with a stainless steel hose clamp. Then build the buckets as shown with 2″ parts.”
See Randy Gibson’s sketch above on making a collection bucket for a spring net.
October 22nd, 2009 at 4:11 am
Those are great pictures. I liked the salamander ones in particular.
July 3rd, 2010 at 8:41 am
Dr. Fenolio,
Really enjoyed seeing the E. latitans from the type locality. How are you getting the shots with the black backgrounds?
Sam
July 4th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Hi Sam,
I have been using standard photographic aquaria to get the shots. I’ve had a lot of people ask about the effects that can be had when using these tanks and my recommendations are always the same…make one and start taking shots. You’ll soon see how easy it is to manipulate background colors without having to use Photoshop. Another advantage is that a “squeeze” tank allows you to restrict the movement of the subject without being harsh on the animal.
Best of Luck!
Dante