ISSN 0146-9517 THE NSS BULLETIN QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY VOLUME41 OCTOBER 1979 NUMBER4 Contents 1978 NSS Convention, Abstracts of Papers ................................................ 111 Recent Anhydrite and Bassanite from Caves in Big Bend National Park, Texas .............. 126 Cover Photo: troglobitic millipeds, Tetracion jonesi, Crossing Cave, Alabama. Stewart Peck photo. OFFICE ADDRESS National Speleoloalcal Society Cave Avenue Huntsville, Alabama 35810 MANAGING EDITOR llllllfl Hedges The NSS Bulletin is published quarterly, in January, April, July, and Big Cove Tannery October. Material to be included in a given number must be received at Pennsylvania 17212 least 90 days prior to the first of the month in which publication is desired. The subscription rate in effect 1 August 1975: $10.00 per year. CONSERVATION EDITOR Tbomu Lera 729 Nora Lane Desoto, Texas 75115 Discussion of papers published in the Bulletin is invited. Discussion should be 2,000 words or less in length, with not more than 3 illustrations. LIFE SCIENCES EDITOR Discussions should be forwarded to the appropriate editor within three Francll G. Howarth months of publication of the original paper. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Box 19,000-A Honolulu, Haw. 96819 SOCIAL SCIENCES EDITOR The photocopying or reproduction or recording by any electrical or mechanical process of more than two pages of any issue of this journal still in print is a violation of copyright. Requests to purchase back numbers will be speedily fulfilled. EXPLORATION EDITOR Barry F. Beck Geology Department Georgia Southwestern College Americus, Ga. 31709 Copyright © 1979 by the National Speleological Society, Inc. EARTH SCIENCES EDITOR William B. White Materials Research Laboratory 210 Engineering Science Building Entered as second-class matter at Huntsville, Alabama The Pennsylvania State University and at additional mailing offices. University Park, Pa. 16802 Printing and Typography by ANTHROPOLOGY EDITOR Adobe Pre.. Patty Jo Watlon Albuquerque, New Mexico Anthropology Department Washington University St. Louis, Mo. 63130 ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS 1978 NSS CONVENTION NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS (By prior arrangement with the Program Editor, abstracts of all papers accepted for the program are reprinted in this issue of The NSS Bulletin .) SUBTERRANEAN AQUATIC FAUNA OF THE A REMARKABLE AM PHI POD CRUSTACEAN EDWARDS AQUIFER IN TEXAS, AS INDICATED FAUNA FROM THE ARTESIAN WELL BY SAMPLES FROM WELLS AND SPRINGS IN SAN MARCOS, TEXAS Glenn Longley John R. Holsinger Box 46, Aquatic Station, Southwest Texas State University • San Marcos, Texas 78666 Department ofBiological Sciences, Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 23508 An extensive sampling program New insight has been gained into was initiated in 1973 and has been the food-chain relationships and continued to the present on wells feeding habits of vertebrates in the and springs along the Balcones Aquifer. Extensive work has been Since 1973, continuous sampling Hadzioidea, which is composed of Escarpmimt in Central Texas. This done with the Texas Blind of the Artesian Well in San epigean and hypogean species sampling·program has produced Salamander, Eurycea rathbuni and Marcos, Hays Co., Texas, has living in shallow marine, brackish , much new information about two species of blind cavefish revealed an extraordinary and fresh water habitats; (3) aquatic specie-; inhabiting the from Bexar County, Satan assemblage of subterranean superfamily Bogidielloidea, which Edwards Aquifer. Where possible, eurystomus (widemouth) and amphipods. At present, this fauna is composed of subterranean discharge has been measured and Trogoglanis pattersoni (toothless), consists of 10 species representing species living in habitats that related to numbers of organisms. in the family Ictaluridae. Prior to six genera and five families. In include mesopsammic marine, Estimates of populations have been my studies, few specimens of many overall taxonomic diversity, this littoral interstitial, freshwater made where the hydrology is of the species had been collected amphipod fauna is probably the hyporheic and freshwater caves; known. Numerous new species of and studied. With the methods I richest in the world, and in number and (4) family Sebidae, which is amphipods, isopods, and employ, numerous specimens of of species, it is rivaled only by those predominantely marine benthic. gastropods have been discovered. most forms are now available of certain groundwater biotopes in The zoogeographic and Several other taxa will probably (Supported by contracts with the southern Europe. ecological ramifications of the produce new material when U.S.F.W.S.). Among the amphipods recorded diversified amphipod fauna of the examined more closely. from the well are Stygobromus subterranean Edwards Aquifer are flagellatus (first described from the tremendous. More than 50% of the well in 1896) and S. russelli of the species have obvious affinities with STATUS OF THE TROGLOBITIC BLIND CAT­ family Crangonyctidae; two new marine and brackish-water genera and four species (three new) relatives and are presumably FISHES, TROGLOGLANIS PA TTERSONI AND of the family Hadziidae that are derivatives of marine ancestors that SATAN EURYSTOMUS, IN BEXAR COUNTY, members of the weckeliid generic colonized newly opened freshwater TEXAS complex of the greater Caribbean habitats during the recession of region; a new genus closely allied epeiric seas in the Late Cretaceous. with Bogidiella (family Although little is yet known about Henry Karnei, Jr. Bogidiellidae) that is composed of the population and community two new species; a new family ecology of amphipods in the Aquatic Station, Southwest Texas State University composed of monotypic new genus Edwards Aquifer, it is apparent San Marcos, Texas 78666 and species; and a new species of from the large number of species the heretofore monotypic, and their relative abundance and Prior to this study, only three specimens of T. pattersoni and 15 brackish-water genus Seborgia also the high degree of specimens of Trogloglanis specimens of S. eurystomus. (family Sebidae). differentation in mouthpart and pattersoni Eigenmann and three Ecological factors such as Four distinct phylogenetic appendage morphology that these specimens of Satan eurystomus evolutionary background, lineages are represented in the species are well adapted for fine Hubbs and Bailey had been distinguishing characteristics, Artesian Well amphipod fauna: (1) resource partitioning and collected. A program for sampling distribution, habitat, feeding superfamily Crangonyctoidea, co-existence. (Supported in part by the Central Pool of the Edwards habits, population dynamics, and which is an old freshwater group of grants from the National Science Aquifer in San Antonio, Bexar predation of these fishes are mostly groundwater-related species Foundation (GB-42332) and the County, Texas, was initiated in presented. without contemporary marine Penrose Fund of the American 1976 yielding approximately 25 relatives; (2) superfamily Philosophical Society.) Volume 41, Number 4, October 1979 111 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FAUNA OF HAWAIIAN LAVA TUBES DIVERSITY IN TEXAS CAVE SALAMANDERS Francis G. Howarth Samuel S. Sweet Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Box Dept. Biological Sciences, University ofCalifornia Box 19000-A, Honolulu, Hawaii 69819 Santa Barbara, California 93106 Hawaii is a string of young, are not relictual. The two favorite oceanic volcanic islands stretching biomes of evolutionary biologists The Edwards Plateau is the site of is weak or nonexistent; more than 2400 km across the are oceanic islands and caves. Now, the most extensive radiation of hybridization occurs wherever cave mid-Pacific. The native fauna and troglobitic salamanders in the and surface populations come into for the first time, these have been flora are composed of those groups world. About 35 populations, contact. Allopatry, evolutionary combined. which dispersed across upwards of Of the four life zones in caves, representing 5 to 7 species, are parallelism and convergence, and 4000 km of open ocean and became the dark zone, where the troglobites distributed along the Balcones hybridization combine to make the successfully established. Less than live, is of the most interest. The Fault Zone from Austin to Del Rio systematics of these salamanders 300 introductions gave rise to our main energy source in Hawaiian and inland to the undissected difficult. Of the four species entire native insect fauna of 7000+ lava tubes is tree roots. Other Plateau surface. These troglobites • currently recognized, two species. Lava tubes, the major cave energy sources are slimes and range in morphology from (Eurycea latitans and E. type in Hawaii, form almost accidentals. At the base of the food populations indistinguishable from troglodytes) appear to be hybrid exclusively in pahoehoe basalt by the widespread epigean Eurycea swarms involving E. neotenes and web are several rhizophagous the crusting over of lava rivers. The troglobites, including cixiid neotenes through numerous E. tridentifera; these taxa are thus resultant caves can be complex. In intermediate forms to the advanced invalid. With the addition of an planthoppers, millipedes, and the past, these were considered too moths. The troglobitic scavengers E. tridentifera and beyond to the undescribed intermediate ephemeral, too often polluted with include several species of crickets, a uniquely specialized Typhlomolge troglobite from Travis County, the volcanic gasses, and