CATALOGUE AND ATLAS OF CAVE-DWELLING TERRESTRIAL ISOPODS (CRUSTACEA: ONISCIDEA) FROM CROATIA

Abstract

This paper presents a checklist with historical overview and new records on the cave-dwelling terrestrial isopods (troglophiles and troglobionts) from Croatia, based on detailed analyses of available literature and unpublished data from collections. For each species the following data are quoted: the name of the taxon; synonyms; general distribution; type locality; ecological status; list of locality records; species names used in the cited literature; the distribution map using 10x10 km UTM grid squares. Annexes with the locality synonyms used in the examined literature and collection data are enclosed. Altogether this paper presents data from 557 caves, 6 artificial underground structures and 15 other epigean and subterranean localities. A checklist of cave terrestrial isopod taxa in Croatia is composed of 35 species and five subspecies distributed in five families, including 22 Croatian endemic and 20 troglobiotic taxa. The family Trichoniscidae and the subfamily Trichoniscinae are the most representative with 26 and 20 species, respectively. The most represented genus is Alpioniscus with 10 species. The South Croatian Littoral macroregion has the highest number of species and endemics among Croatian macroregions. The most widely distributed species in Croatia are the troglophiles Mesoniscus graniger and Androniscus roseus found in three macroregions. Only four troglobiotic species (Alpioniscus balthasari, A. strasseri, Titanethes albus and T. dahli) are distributed in two macroregions, while the rest are distributed only in single macroregions. All the 40 Croatian cave taxa are distributed in the Dinaric karst area, and only three troglophilic species are found also outside. No Croatian endemic taxa are found outside the Dinaric karst area.