A troglobite is an animal that lives entirely in the dark parts of caves. (Not to be confused with troglodyte.) Roughly speaking, troglobites may be classed as troglofauna (the land-dwelling species) and stygofauna (the aquatic species).
Troglobites typically have evolutionary adaptations to cave life. Examples of such adaptations include slow metabolism, loss of sight, and loss of skin pigment. Conversely, as opposed to lost or reduced functions, many species have extreme sensory adaptations for sense of touch or other stimuli that do not depend on light. Such adaptations may take the form of long antennae or sensory hairs, and other types of sensors, particularly chemosensory and auditory organs. Troglobites commonly do not survive well outside caves and therefore cannot travel between separate cave systems. As a result many species are endemic to a single cave or system of caves.
Strictly speaking, in contrast to troglobites, creatures that shelter in caves but go out to feed, are trogloxenes. Examples of trogloxenes include both nocturnal species such as cave-dwelling bats, and diurnal animals such as cave swallows.
Hausera hauseri
Tumbling Creek cavesnail (Antrobia culveri)
Cave physa (Physella spelunca)
Phantom cave snail (Cochliopa texana)
Mimic cavesnail (Phreatodrobia imitata)
Zospeum
White cave velvet worm (Peripatopsis alba)
Kauaʻi cave wolf spider (Adelocosa anops)
Nelson cave spider (Spelungula cavernicola)
Calicina cloughensis
Texella reddelli
Trogloraptor marchingtoni
Apochthonius mysterius – Mystery Cave pseudoscorpion
Apochthonius typhlus – Stone County cave pseudoscorpion
Hesperochernes occidentalis – guano pseudoscorpion
Mundochthonius cavernicolus – cavernicolous pseudoscorpion
Phanetta subterranea – subterranean cave spider
Porrhomma cavernicola – cavernicolous Porrhomma spider
Sinopoda scurion – eyeless huntsman spider
Troglokhammouanus steineri – Xe Bang Fai cave scorpion
Vietbocap lao – Nam Lot cave scorpion
Parobisium yosemite – Yosemite cave pseudoscorpion
Titanobochia magna – cave pseudoscorpion
Cicurina venii – Braken Bat Cave meshweaver spider
Chinquipellobunus madlae – cave harvestman
Millipedes
Causeyella species
Chaetaspis aleyorum – Aleys' cave millipede
Desmoxytes
Mammamia profuga
Sinocallipus
Titanophyllum spiliarum
Trichopetalum whitei
Tingupa pallida
Zosteractis interminata
Centipedes
Eupolybothrus cavernicolus
Alabama cave shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae)
Procambarus delicatus
Spelaeorchestia koloana
Procambarus pecki
Typhlocaris
Macromaxillocaris
Samarplax principe
Cyclops vernalis
Holoped amazonicum
Barburia yanezi
Gammarus acherondytes – Illinois cave amphipod
Cambarus aculabrum – Benton County cave crayfish
Cambarus hubrichti – Salem cave crayfish
Cambarus setosus – bristly cave crayfish
Cambarus zophonastes – Hell Creek cave crayfish
Andhracoides shabuddin– Guthikonda cave isopod
Andhracoides gebaueri– Belum cave isopod
Allocrangonyx hubrichti – Hubricht's long-tailed amphipod
Bactrurus brachycaudus – short-tailed groundwater amphipod
Bactrurus hubrichti – sword-tail cave amphipod
Bactrurus pseudomucronatus – false sword-tailed cave amphipod
Caecidotea antricola – cave isopod
Caecidotea dimorpha – Missouri cave isopod
Caecidotea fustis – Fustis cave isopod
Caecidotea salemensis – Salem cave isopod
Caecidotea serrata – serrated cave isopod
Caecidotea stiladactyla – slender-fingered cave isopod
Caecidotea stygia – stygian cave isopod
Diacyclops yeatmani – Yeatman's groundwater copepod
Orconectes stygocaneyi – Caney Mountain cave crayfish
Stygobromus barri – Barr's groundwater amphipod
Stygobromus clantoni – Clanton's groundwater amphipod
Stygobromus heteropodus – Pickle Springs amphipod
Stygobromus onondagaensis – Onondaga cave amphipod
Stygobromus ozarkensis – Ozark cave amphipod
Stygobromus subtilis – subtle groundwater amphipod
Orcovita hickski
Orcovita orchardorum
Cancrocaeca
See Cave insects
List of cave fish
Cave salamanders
There are no known mammals that live exclusively in caves. Most bats sleep in caves during the day and hunt at night, but they are considered troglophiles or trogloxenes. However some fossorials which spend their whole lives underground might be considered subterranean fauna, although they are not true troglofauna as they do not live in caves.
Beauty rat snake (Elaphe taeniura)
There are no known birds that live exclusively in caves.
