Survey Of Cave Biodiversity In Huanjiang World Natural Heritage Site Of South China Karsts

Huanjiang Karst to South China Karst World Natural Heritage is located in the northern to the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,north of the tropic of cancer.It is east to the upstream Gubin River,west to the Dagou River,north to the Dongtang and Weng'ang in Maolan World Natural Heritage site of Guizhou province,south to the Mulun-C huanshan area.It is 19.8 kmlong from east to west and 10.8 km wide from north to south,with the total area is 89.69 km~2,of that,84.99 km~2(94.8%)covered by primary forest.Since 2007,cave biological surveys have been carried out in Huanjiang karst by SCAU team in the Department of Entomology.Altogether 118 specimens of cave animals from 67caves were collected and recorded.The main results of the preliminary surveys are as follows.1.The cave biodiversity is particularly rich in the Huanjiang karstic area.In total,118species of cave creatures are found,indicating that Huanjiang holds the richest cave biodiversity in C hina and of course the first one within the seven sites ofS outhernChina Karsts.2.Arthropods are the largest group of cave creatures in Huanjiang karst,represented by95 species,accounting for about 80.5%of the total caveanimal species.Arachnida,Insecta,Diplopoda,Crustacea,Collenmbola are very rich,each recorded more than 10species,accounted for 93.68%of the total arthropods.Their dominant groups are Araneae,Coleoptera,Polydesmida,Collembola and Isopoda.3.Carabidae and Cambalopsidae are the flagship groups of terrestrial cave creatures,while C yprinidaeis the flagship group of aquatic cave creatures.Both of them were had more than 5 species.4.The cave creatures are dominated by troglobites,accounted for 73.73%of all species.The troglobites includes species of Osteichthyes,Hirudinea,Diplopoda,Collenmbola,Copepoda,Ostracoda,Pseudoscorpiones,Opilionida,Acarina,Decapoda,Keroplatidae and Coleoptera Carabidae,Pselaphidae,Leiodidae and Noteridae.5.The cave creatures are great difference fromcave to cave.For example,more than 20species of cave creatures were found from Mashandong cave,more than 15 species from each of Dongzhaidong cave and Ganglaidong cave,while,more than 10from each of Guidong cave,Xialandong cave,Ganxiaodong cave,Shenlongdong cave and Shuidong cave,respectively.Most of the other caves were rather poor on cave fauna,found less than5 species of cave creatures in each cave.6.The cave biodiversity in Huanjiang ishigh endemism.The troglobitic members are recorded from Pseudoscorpionida,Opilionida,Isopoda,Carabidae,Pselaphidae,Leiodidae and Noteridae,all of them are narrowly distributed,living only in one cave or several caves nearby.In Huanjiang karst,more than 67%cave creatures are endemic species.In conclusion,the cave biological surveys showed that the remarkable rich cave biodiversity is held in Huanjiang karst,and further study on the survival status of the troglobitic species and their conservation need to be conducted.