Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 68. (Budapest 1976)

Papp, L. ; Plachter, H.: On cave-dwelling Sphaeroceridae from Hungary and Germany (Diptera)

burrows, are scarcely found (the possible exceptions are the extremely rare and thus rather mysterious species of Speomyia absoloni BEZZI, 1914 and Paraspeomyia, hungarica DUDA, 1938); the species of Limosina czizeki and L. penetralis, which were found in the above materials, probably also live there judging by the basis of their life-habit, although they have not been collected in small mammal burrows until now. The fauna of the small mammal runs and nests is richer, which is easy to understand because the small mammal burrows have also special characteristic species, besides some elements of the terricolous fauna can be found there, too (see HACKMAN 1903, 1967). It is sure that the study of the cave-dwelling Sphaerocerids will be fundamentally helped by the increasing knowledge of the life-habit of Sphaerocerids of small mammal burrows and vice versa. Among the numerous diverse classifications of the cavernicolous fauna, the classification given by DUDICH (1932) seems the best and it is valid even today. The study of the materials in the present paper supported the quadripartite classification proposed by DUDICH enterily. It is established that there are no troglobiont species in our materials (there are no such species even in the whole Palaearctic region with the possible exception of the two species of Speomyia and Paraspeomyia). Only two troglophilous species have been found (L. bequaerti, L. rakovitzai.) These latter species have some of the characteristics of the troglobiont species (see below), they partially accomodate to the ecological conditions of the caves, they regularly breed in them, but both of them live also in small mammal burrows. There are rather few trogloxenic species in the materials, too (two species of Sphaerocera, and perhaps C. nigra, which was considered to be a predominantly coprophagous species, may be regarded as trogloxenic one). The bulk of the species belongs to the hemitroglophilous group. These species did not accomodate to the ecological conditions of the caves, they live in the caves near or closely near the entrance owing to the causes examined above. As the distribution of the separate species in the caves (distance from entrance) is a good index of the accomodation to the ecological conditions of the caves, data of the collected specimens concerning these relations were summarized in Diagram 1. The diagram illustrates the statements above, but it is to be remarked that the species L. claviventris STRÓBL, 1909, which is rather common in small mammal burrows, and which is found also in the lower layers of wet forest litter, probably because it is a Diagram 1. Distribution of Sphaerocerid species in caves Aphotic interior part Species Near entrance Intermediate parts with constant humidity and temperature C. (Crumomyia ) nigra C. (Fungobia) nitida Limosina crassimana Limosina talparum Leptocera fontinalis L. (Opacifrons) cox. C. glabrifrons C. glaciális Limosina penetralis Limosina silvatica L. claviventris Limosina bequaerti Limosina rakovitzai