Composite Observations on Cave Life (with Special Reference to Blind Fishes), 1945, Benn, James H.

Blind Fishes Found in Cave Pools and Streams, 1956, Woods, Loren P.

Cave Animals and Their Environment, 1962, Richards, Aola M.

Caves can be divided into three distinct regions - the twilight zone, the transitional zone and the troglic zone. The main physical characters of caves - light, air currents, temperature and humidity - are discussed in relation to their effect on cave fauna. Various classifications of cave animals are mentioned, and those of Schiner and Jeannel discussed in detail. The paucity of food in caves, and its effect on the animal population is considered. Mention is made of the loss of secondary sexual characters and seasonal periodicity of breeding among true troglobites. Cave animals have undergone many adaptations to their environment, the most interesting of these being blindness and loss of pigment. Hyper-development of tactile, gustatory, olfactory and auditory organs and general slenderness of body, are correlated with eye degeneration. Several theories on the origin of cave fauna are discussed, and the importance of isolation on the development of cave fauna considered.

Contribution to the knowledge on spring fauna in the Bela Reca river valley (Romania)., 1965, Capuse Iosif, Motas Constantin

After an introduction, comprising a historical summary on the researches on well fauna, a description of the study area in which 13 water wells have been investigated is given. The authors explain the adopted working method and indicate the physical and chemical characteristics of the waters (temperature, pH, alkalinity, hardness, O2-content, fixed residuum, suspended matter, N2O5, P2O5, NaC1, Ca, Fe). The fauna of the wells of Mehadia (see systematic part) is composed of 34 species: 1 Triclade, 3 Oligochaeta, 2 Gastropods, 5 Cladocera, 1 Ostracod, 3 Copepods, 4 Isopods, 2 Amphipods, 1 Halacarida, 1 Collembola, empty puppies of a Trichoptera, 2 Coleoptera and 8 Diptera (larves and nympha). Among these species 15% can be considered phreatobionts: a blind Triclade (not identified), Candona eremita Vejd., Asellus (Proasellus) danubialis Lt. & M. Codr., Asellus (Proasellus) elegans Lt. & M. Codr., Niphargus jovanovici bajuvaricus Schell. and Niphargopsis trispinosus Dancau & Capuse. The remaining 28 species, counting for 85%, belong to the phreatoxenes. It is worth to mention that Vejdovsky (1882) in wells near Prague, Jaworowski (1895) in wells of Cracovia and of Lwov, Moniez (1888, 1889) in wells in North-East France and Chappuis (1922) in those close to Bale, have found a much smaller proportion of phreatobe forma (e.g. Chappuis 2%).

Contribution to the study of certain Lithobiidae (Chilopoda) of Romanian caves., 1965, Negrea Stefan

This paper comprises the ecological and zoogeographical data of 21 systematic units of Lithobiidae coming from 100 Romanian caves (Transylvania, Banat, Oltenie and Dobroudja). Initially the author describes in a summarising way the provenance of the studied material, after which he exposes fro every species the results of observations carried out by several authors and by himself. Finally he formulates the conclusions concerning ecology and biogeography resulting from his observations. These data are summarised in a synoptic table in which three species can be considered troglobionts, two of which are blind; these are Harpolithobius oltenicus Negrea; Lithobius decapolitus Matic, Negrea et Prunescu; Lithobius daeicus Matic; The other 18 species found are 5 troglophiles, 12 sub-troglophiles and 1 trogloxene.

Analysis of the feeding behaviour of the blind cavernicolous fish Anoptichthys Gen. and hybrids F1 (Astyanax x Anoptichthys) and F2., 1967, Soffie Monique, Thinès Georges, Vandenbussche Erik

The feeding behaviour of the blind cave fish Anoptichthys is characterised by two phases, an initial short chemioreceptic one and second one in which the fish explores the bottom systematically for a longer period. The whole process last approximately 30 seconds, both in adults as in youngsters.

Analysis of the feeding behaviour of the blind cavernicolous fish Anoptichthys Gen. and hybrids F1 (Astyanax x Anoptichthys) and F2., 1967, Soffie Monique, Thinès Georges, Vandenbussche Erik

The feeding behaviour of the blind cave fish Anoptichthys is characterised by two phases, an initial short chemioreceptic one and second one in which the fish explores the bottom systematically for a longer period. The whole process last approximately 30 seconds, both in adults as in youngsters.

Blindkäfer-Fund in Kärnten., 1970, Schmid, M. E.

[Villacher Näturschächte (3742/38)]

Blindkäfer-Fund in Kärnten, 1970, Schmid, M. E.

The subterranean fauna associated with the blind palaemonid prawn Typhlocaris galilea Calman., 1971, Dov Por Francis, Tsurnamal Moshe

Exploration of the subterranean tract of the spring of En-Nur (at the North end of Lake Tiberias) by scuba diving and by use of new collecting methods, led to the discovery of a living community associated with the blind prawn Typhlocaris galilea. A rich growth of sulphur bacteria and of pigmentless Cyanophyceae from the trophic basis in this peculiar biotope. Representatives of three hypogeic crustacean orders have been found as well as some peculiar gastropods, nematods and oligocaets. The latter are the main food of Typhlocaris galilea.

The subterranean fauna associated with the blind palaemonid prawn Typhlocaris galilea Calman., 1971, Dov Por Francis, Tsurnamal Moshe

Exploration of the subterranean tract of the spring of En-Nur (at the North end of Lake Tiberias) by scuba diving and by use of new collecting methods, led to the discovery of a living community associated with the blind prawn Typhlocaris galilea. A rich growth of sulphur bacteria and of pigmentless Cyanophyceae from the trophic basis in this peculiar biotope. Representatives of three hypogeic crustacean orders have been found as well as some peculiar gastropods, nematods and oligocaets. The latter are the main food of Typhlocaris galilea.

A new blind millipede (Typhlopygmaeosoma hazeltonae) from a Himalayan Cave with notes on its zoogeographical significance, 1972, Turk F. A.

Optic regression in a subterranean Mysid (Crustacea, Mysidacea)., 1972, Nath C. N. , Pillai N. Krishna, Thampy D. M.

The eyes of the blind subterranean mysid, Lepidomysis longipes are stalked and paired in the embryonic condition. They fuse together in the adult and the optic ganglia are enclosed in a single eyeplate. The ganglia are arranged in the form of an arc on either side anterodorsal to the brain inside the single eyeplate.

Optic regression in a subterranean Mysid (Crustacea, Mysidacea)., 1972, Nath C. N. , Pillai N. Krishna, Thampy D. M.

The eyes of the blind subterranean mysid, Lepidomysis longipes are stalked and paired in the embryonic condition. They fuse together in the adult and the optic ganglia are enclosed in a single eyeplate. The ganglia are arranged in the form of an arc on either side anterodorsal to the brain inside the single eyeplate.

Present state of the knowledge on hypogean Histeridae., 1973, Vomero Vincenzo

The author makes some considerations on troglobitic and endogeous world Histeridae. All these species present extreme reduction of eyes or are completely blind; all are wingless and only one is brachipterous. The Histeridae described here belong to the following genera: Speleacritus Jeannel and Spelaeabraeus Moro (Abraeinae), Sardulus Patrizi, Bacanius Le Conte, Troglobacanius Vomero and Geoculus Wenzel. (Dendrophilinae, Bacanius group). Finally some considerations on troglophylic and guanobitic Histeridae are made, reporting the recent discovery of a new genus and of some new species belonging to guanobitic biocoenosis of Mexican tropical caves.