Troglofauna
species that lives in caves and similar subterranean enviroments
Troglofauna are small cave-dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings. Troglofauna and stygofauna are the two types of subterranean fauna (based on life-history). Both are associated with subterranean environments – troglofauna are associated with caves and spaces above the water table and stygofauna with water. Troglofaunal species include arachnids, insects, myriapods and others. Some troglofauna live permanently underground and cannot survive outside the cave environment. Loss of under-used senses is apparent in the lack of pigmentation as well as eyesight in most troglofauna. Troglofauna insects may exhibit longer appendages and a lack of wings.
Ecological categories
Troglofauna are divided into three main categories based on their ecology:
Troglobionts (or troglobites): species, or populations of species, strictly bound to subterranean habitats.
Troglophiles: species living mainly aboveground but also in subterranean habitats. These are further divided into eutroglophiles (aboveground species also able to maintain a permanent subterranean population) and subtroglophiles (species inclined to perpetually or temporarily inhabit a subterranean habitat, but strongly associated with aboveground habitats for some functions).
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Troglofauna” as species that lives in caves and similar subterranean enviroments. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species that lives in caves and similar subterranean enviroments. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1141786.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
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- Expand the search: follow Troglofauna primary sources, Troglofauna archive and Troglofauna research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Troglofauna” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.