Danté B. Fenolio

• Ph.D.
• Vice President at San Antonio Zoo

Deep inside caves, at the bottoms of oceans, lakes and rivers, beneath the ground: these concealed habitats are absent of sunlight. This strange and fascinating world of complete darkness is not a solitary place—it is inhabited by millions of life forms. Yet most humans—creatures of daylight—have never seen any of them. Wildlife photographer and s...

The Georgia Blind Salamander (Eurycea wallacei) is a poorly understood stygobitic plethodontid salamander found in the Floridan Aquifer of Florida and Georgia, USA. Its distribution is poorly delimited and little information is available on the ecology and life history of the species. We summarize existing information on the Georgia Blind Salamande...

During a two year population ecology study in a cave environment, 15 Eurycea (= Typhlotriton) spelaea were observed ingesting bat guano. Furthermore, E. spelaea capture numbers increased significantly during the time that grey bats (Myotis grisescens) deposited fresh guano. We investigated the hypothesis that this behaviour was not incidental to th...

Examination of 4 Ozark cavefish, Troglichthys rosae, collected opportunistically during February 2020 from Benton County, Arkansas, U.S.A., revealed the presence of an unknown myxozoan (Myxobolus sp.) in the gall bladder of 1 fish and encapsulated metacercariae of Clinostomum sp. (“yellow grub”) in 2 hosts. One Ozark cavefish harbored 4 metacercari...

The genus Amathillopsis Heller, 1875 represents a group of 13 species of amphipods that live predominantly in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Many amathillopsids inhabit both mesopelagic, bathyal, and abyssal zones. We describe Amathillopsis colemani n. sp., a new species of marine deepwater amphipod collected at 1200 meters depth. This is the fir...

Two of the main drivers of speciation among aquatic vertebrates are physical isolation (e.g., lakes and streams) and micro-niche availability (e.g., tropical reefs). In both regards, the mesopelagic domain of the open ocean, Earth’s second largest cumulative ecosystem (behind only the bathypelagic domain), would seem retardant. Ocean circulation ma...

This chapter within the book, "Diversity and Speciation of Subterranean Fauna", is now available: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12872/cave-biodiversity China supports the highest diversity of cavefishes in the world. With 148 known species, this accounts for one-third of all cavefishes globally. In this chapter, we review Chinese cavefish...

Brazil’s caves, home to diverse species and minerals, were stripped of protections by a recent presidential decree.

The 15th UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (COP15) will be held in Kunming, China in October 2021. Historically, CBDs and other multilateral treaties have either alluded to or entirely overlooked the subterranean biome. A multilateral effort to robustly examine, monitor, and incorporate the subterranean biome into future conservation targ...

The application of DNA barcoding represents a complementary and efficient approach to identifying specimens at all stages of their life cycle when used in combination with traditional morphological methods. Due to difficulties obtaining samples from the deep sea (> 200 m), these methods have been less frequently applied to deep-water taxa. We used...

Leptocephalus larvae of elopomorph fishes are a cryptic component of fish diversity in nearshore and oceanic habitats. However, identifying those leptocephali can be important in illuminating species richness in a region. Since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, sampling of offshore fishes in the epi-, meso-, and upper bathypelagic depth stra...

The Journal of Natural History Education and Experience

Deep-sea anglerfishes are relatively abundant and diverse, but their luminescent bacterial symbionts remain enigmatic. The genomes of two symbiont species have qualities common to vertically transmitted, host-dependent bacteria. However, a number of traits suggest that these symbionts may be environmentally acquired. To determine how anglerfish sym...

The interdependence of diverse organisms through symbiosis reaches even the deepest parts of the oceans. As part of the DEEPEND project (deependconsortium.org) research on deep Gulf of Mexico biodiversity, we profiled the bacterial communities ('microbiomes') and luminous symbionts of 36 specimens of adult and larval deep-sea anglerfishes of the su...

Salamanders are the only tetrapod vertebrates capable of having an exclusively hypogean life cycle. In contrast to the great number of salamanders that temporarily inhabit caves, only 13 species of obligate cave-dwellers are known. Troglobiotic salamanders are found in North America (12 species in the family Plethodontidae) and Europe (one species...

Mosaic evolution refers to the pattern whereby different organismal traits exhibit differential rates of evolution typically due to reduced levels of trait covariation through deep time (i.e. modularity). These differences in rates can be attributed to variation in responses to selective pressures between individual traits. Differential responses t...

Cavefishes are a distinctive group of animals restricted to subterranean environments for at least for part of their lives. Their level of troglomorphism differentiates them into groups: stygobionts (troglomorphic) and stygophiles/stygoxenes (non-troglomorphic). China is home to the greatest diversity of cavefishes in the world, with more than 76 e...

Diverse marine fish and squid form symbiotic associations with extracellular bioluminescent bacteria. These symbionts are typically free-living bacteria with large genomes, but one known lineage of symbionts has undergone genomic reduction and evolution of host dependence. It is not known why distinct evolutionary trajectories have occurred among d...

The transition from carnivory to omnivory is poorly understood. The ability to feed at more than one trophic level theoretically increases an animal’s fitness in a novel environment. Because of the absence of light and photosynthesis, most subterranean ecosystems are characterized by very few trophic levels, such that food scarcity is a challenge i...

Sinocyclocheilus cyphotergous was described by Dai in 1988 as Gibbibarbus cyphotergous based on a single specimen collected in Luodian County, Guizhou Province, China. The holotype (the only one type specimen) has been lost and the original description was vague and was published in a report with limited circulation. A specimen collected from the t...

Aim Habitat specialization can constrain patterns of dispersal and drive allopatric speciation in organisms with limited dispersal ability. Herein, we tested biogeographic patterns and dispersal in a salamander with surface‐dwelling larvae and obligate cave‐dwelling adults. Location Ozark Plateau, eastern North America. Methods A population‐level...

Cambarus cryptodytes (Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish) is an obligate inhabitant of groundwater habitats (i.e., a stygobiont) with troglomorphic adaptations in the Floridan aquifer system of southwestern Georgia and adjacent Florida panhandle, particularly in the Dougherty Plain and Marianna Lowlands. Documented occurrences of Dougherty Plain Cave Cr...

The transition from carnivory to omnivory is poorly understood. The ability to feed at more than one trophic level theoretically increases an animals fitness in a novel environment. Because of the absence of light and photosynthesis, most subterranean ecosystems are characterized by very few trophic levels, such that food scarcity is a challenge in...

At least one-third of all amphibian species face the threat of extinction, and current amphibian extinction rates are four orders of magnitude greater than background rates. Preventing extirpation often requires both ex situ (i.e., conservation breeding programs) and in situ strategies (i.e., protecting natural habitats). Flatwoods salamanders (Amb...

We report a new locality record for the Mehuín Green Frog, Insuetophrynus acarpicus Barrio, 1970, a Critically Endangered species from southern Chile. The new locality is about 90 km southeast of the type locality and expands the known geographical distribution 40 km to the southeast. The new record confirms the presence of I. acarpicus south of th...

Salamander species that live entirely in subterranean habitats have evolved adaptations that allow them to cope with perpetual darkness and limited energy resources. We conducted a 26-month mark–recapture study to better understand the individual growth and demography of a population of the Big Mouth Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus necturoi...

Spatial patterns of cave biodiversity reveal a large sampling gap for Appalachian Valley and Ridge (AVR) caves in eastern Tennessee. In the past two years, more than 20 researchers have been involved on our project to address these gaps. Most caves examined have not been biologically surveyed, and some counties even lacked cave fauna records (e.g.,...

Salamanders are among the few vertebrates that have successfully colonized and exploited subterranean habitats, demonstrating flexibility in behavior and physiology. However, our knowledge of the ecology and life history of many subterranean salamanders is poor because of the limits and challenges of studying organisms in subterranean habitats. The...

The “thysanuran” (Zygentoma: Nicoletiidae) Speleonycta ozarkensis is the only troglobiotic nicoletiid from the Ozark Highlands. It was originally described with only four specimens from four different cave systems in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The scarcity of available specimens has made it difficult to determine whether morphological variation among p...

159-163

The delimitation of cryptic species and lineages is a common finding of phylogenetic studies. Species previously considered to be of low conservation priority might actually be comprised of multiple lineages with substantially smaller geographic ranges and smaller populations that are of much greater conservation concern and that require different...

One of 4 Georgia blind salamanders (25%), Eurycea wallacei from Dougherty County, Georgia, U.S.A., were found to be infected in its small intestine with a Bothriocephalus sp. tapeworm; a single E. wallacei from Jackson County, Florida, U.S.A., was negative. Because the internal anatomy of this worm was immature, species identity was not possible. T...

Published accounts and descriptions of Rhinella ceratophrys Boulenger, 1882 were all based on juvenile specimens until 1994, thus it had generally been presumed to be a diminutive species. Based on examination of additional material, including adult specimens, as well as the holotype, we here report on variation in this large-sized bufonid toad and...

Salamanders are the only tetrapod vertebrates capable of having an exclusively hypogean life cycle. In contrast to the great number of salamanders that temporarily inhabit caves, only ten species of obligate cave-dwellers are known. Troglobitic salamanders are found in North America (nine species in the family Plethodontidae) and Europe (one specie...

Here we review the thirty year recovery effort and conservation status of the Ozark cavefish, Amblyopsis rosae. We summarized the historic and current range of the species, and report county range extensions for both A. rosae and its confamilial Typhlichthys subterraneus. Ozark cavefish survey data spanning almost a century were analyzed for tempor...

The West Virginia Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus subterraneus) is one of four obligate cave-dwelling species of plethodontid salamanders found east of the Mississippi River in the United States. This species is endemic to a single cave system; General Davis Cave, in Greenbrier Co., West Virginia, where it is syntopic with the closely-related Sprin...

Pseudosinella dubia Christiansen 1960 was described from specimens collected in four caves of Washington County, Arkansas (Christiansen, 1960). Christiansen and Bellinger (1998) documented another Washington County cave record, and Peck and Peck (1982) recollected the species from one of the original four localities. Gardner (1986) reported a Pseud...

Observamos durante un periodo de dos años una población de Rana palustris en una cueva en los Ozarks. Se detectaron ranas de agosto y abril con densidades picos en noviembre y diciembre. Aunque las densidades fueron muy altas en estos dos meses, los contenidos estomacales y análisis de isótopos estables revelan que R. palustris no juega un papel si...

We describe a new arboreal, cophyline, microhylid frog from the rainforest of northeastern Madagascar belonging to the genus Anodonthyla. Anodonthyla hutchisoni, new species, is named in honor of a lifetime of dedication to excellence in herpetology by V. H. Hutchison. Anodonthyla hutchisoni differs from a close relative, A. boulengeri, in having g...

A survey of cave and spring fauna in Oklahoma resulted in the discovery of Caecidotea mackini, new species, which is described from specimens collected in Long's Cave, Delaware County. Within the hobbsi group of the genus Caecidotea, C. mackini belongs to a subset of nine species termed the tridentata assemblage. All nine are subterranean, but seve...

The ecology of two species of tree-climbing crabs, Malagasya antongilensis (Rathbun, 1905) (Potamonautidae) and Labuanium gracilipes (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Sesarmidae), collected from container microhabitats (phytotelmata) in rainforest in the Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar, is described. This is a rare report of a tree-climbing phytotelmic sesar...

Thirty-eight larval and adult Eurycea (=Typhlotriton) spelaea were borrowed from the Arkansas State University Museum Herpetological (ASUMZ) collection and examined for helminth parasites. These salamanders were collected at various times between 1936–1988 from locales in Independence, Izard, Sharp, and Stone counties, Arkansas, U.S.A., and Boone,...

The Cave Salamander, Eurycea lucifuga, is a common inhabitant of caves throughout the Appalachian Valley, Interior Low Plateau, and Ozark Plateaus. Despite its ubiquity, few observations of nest sites have been reported for this troglophilic species, suggesting that oviposition occurs deep within springs and caves 1,2 . The reproductive biology of...

Termiteiros são conhecidos por oferecer refúgio e micro habitats para uma grande variedade de invertebrados e vertebrados. Aproveitando trabalhos realizados na área de influência de usinas hidrelétricas no vale do rio Tocantins, inspecionamos avaliamos 4.000 termiteiros visando determinar os anfíbios e répteis que se utilizam desses ambientes. Resu...

All known records of isopod crustaceans (Order Isopoda) in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma are summarized, including new state, county, and site records. This updated checklist recognizes 47 taxa in 9 families: 2 taxa in Armadillidiidae; 1 in Armadillidae; 30 in Asellidae; 1 in Cylisticidae; 1 in Ligiidae; 1 in Oniscidae; 4 in Porcellionidae; 1...

La distribución del camarón de agua dulce Cambarus tartarus, endémica de un sólo sitio, se extiende a un sistema de cuevas adicionales (Long's Cave), pero continúa restringida a la cuenca Spavinaw Creek en el condado de Delaware, Oklahoma. Los censos de estas dos poblaciones en el 2001 y 2004 produjeron records altos de conteos: 17 individuos en Ja...

Summarized here for the first time are all known records of amphipod crustaceans in Oklahoma. Data sources consisted of a thorough literature review as well as unpublished state, county, and site records by the authors and contributors to regional databases. Fourteen species in four families are currently recognized: Allocrangonyctidae (Allocran-go...

Termite mounds are known to offer refuge and microhabitats to a great variety of invertebrates and vertebrates. In the valley of the upper Tocantins River, within areas of influence of hydroelectric power plants 4,000 termite mounds were surveyed to evaluate the diversity of amphibians and reptiles using these environments. Surveys in termite mound...

Two new arboreal microhylid frogs are described from the rainforests of northeastern Madagascar. Platypelis tetra is a very small frog, reaching about 20mm SVL, and inhabits phytotelms in screw Pandanus pines. It was found in some low and mid-altitude rainforests, such as Anjanaharibe-Sud, Besariaka, Tsararano, and Masoala Peninsula. This species d...

The rare, stygobitic (groundwater-adapted) crayfi sh Cambarus subterraneus Hobbs 1993 (Fig. 1) was censused as part of a multi-agency effort (the Ozark Subterranean Bio-diversity Project) to update the status and distribution of rare cave fauna in the region. Since its discovery in the 1950s (Hobbs and Barr 1960), the only scientifi c attention thi...

The amphibian decline phenomenon now involves in excess of a third of the roughly 6000 species of amphibians on the planet. The problems that drive the declines are diverse with no end in sight. The Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP) aims to stem amphibian decline through four recommended actions by researchers and conservation biologists: (...