Belize sei2011forweb

The 2011 Belize Biospeleology Expedition

The Subterranean Ecology Institute, Inc.

© SJTaylor/SEI 2011http://cavelife.org/

In April 2011, an expedition to southern Belizewas undertaken by a team which

included 3 professional biospeleologistsand other experts who set out to

document previously unstudiedsubterranean biodiversity

© JKKrejca/SEI 2011http://cavelife.org/

Fieldwork focusedon caves and karst

in the Toledo Districtof southern Belize

the team members

Steve Taylor Mike Slay Jean Krejca

Christy Slay Geoff Hoese JoAnn Jacoby

http://cavelife.org/

© GHoese/SEI 2011http://cavelife.org/

Led by local Mayan guides, we visited several

caves over a period of about two weeks


Along the way, we admired many natural wonders of the jungle

http://cavelife.org/ © CMSlay/SEI 2011

Some of the caves have large skylights, with trees growing in them. These skylights also function as natural pitfall traps, bringing energy into the caves to feed the organisms that live in the darkness, with little access to other energy sources.

http://cavelife.org/ © CMSlay/SEI 2011

This is a baited bottle trap, being placed in a pool in a cave in hopes of catching some aquatic troglobites.

http://cavelife.org/ © JKKrejca/SEI 2011

Cave inhabiting crickets, such as this one, were common inhabitants of the twilight zone of the caves. They probably exit the cave at night to forage on the forest floor.

Family Gryllidae: Subfamily Phalangopsinae: Tribe Luzarini: Subtribe Amphiacustina: Mayagryllus sp.

http://cavelife.org/ © MESlay/SEI 2011

Each place we stopped to sample in the caves, we collected data on light availability, temperature, wind, relative humidity, and substrate. These data are carefully recorded on field sheets, and are associated with numbered sample jars.

HumidityMeter

Diplura: Campodaeidae

Isopoda: Trichoniscidae


Two small cave invertebrates we found feeding on a piece of debris

Amblypygids, tailless whip scorpions, arelarge arachnids. They were common in the caves, but likely are not cave-limited species.


This harvestman (Opiliones) is a troglobitic,or cave-limited, species. It has a small eyespot,visible in this image, but it is much reduced in comparison to closely related surface species.It is amost certainly an undescribed species –our first discovery!

http://cavelife.org/ © SJTaylor/SEI 2011

The delicate webs of larval fungus gnats, or webworms (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) were present in many of the caves. We are unsure of which adult fly species these larvae are associated with. In temperate North America, there are other species of these flies whose larvae make a web with a somewhat different construction.



Looking into one of the cave entrances, you can see from the size of the four people, that the passage was often quite large.


A tiny fungus found growing on a piece of organic debris in one of the caves. Fungi play an important role in cave ecosystems, helping to break down organic debris, and providing food for other inhabitants.

One of our team closely examines an amblypygid (tailless whip scorpion).



We spend many hours doing just this, closely examining all surfaces in search of tiny cave invertebrates, and carefully recording our findings on field forms.

This animal represents one of the most exciting new discoveries from our trip. This is a Schizomid, or Shorttailed whipscorpion, and is an

undescribed new species discovered during our bioinventory. It is a distant relative of spiders, mites, ticks, scorpions.



We spent a lot of time trying to photo-document our trip, so we can better explain what we found, and why it is important. We were fortunate to have several good photographers on the trip.


In the lush jungle, cave entrances were sometimes hard to see!

This tiny trichoniscid isopod is an

eyeless troglobite, distantly related

to “pillbugs.”

It is likely a new, undescribed

species.


Another one of the more exciting discoveries was this tiny, cave adapted and undescribed new pseudoscorpion species.


A cave-adapted millipede (Diplopoda), likely an undescribed species.



One of the many kinds of spiders that were collected. Some of these will likely turn out to be new species, once we’ve had them examined by

appropriate experts.


Although this, and several other scorpions, were found in the caves, none appeared to be cave-limited, or cave adapted, species.


Big, beautiful passage, deep within a cave in southern Belize.


Fruit bats are important pollinators in the tropics. The plants they pollinate include fruit trees utilized by humans. Caves provide critical shelter needed for the bats to rear their young. Here, an adult is roosting with four younger individuals. The feces of these bats, in turn, provides a rich food source for the invertebrates living in the caves.


We sometimes made rather extreme efforts to locate cave

animals in unusual habitats. This cave pool is more than 15 feet

deep.


In addition to sampling the caves, we also attempted to collect groundwater invertebrates by using a baited trap lowered down into several water wells.


Using heat and light, tiny invertebrates were extracted from leaf litter collected at the caves using this device, called a Berlese funnel.


A typical hike back from the caves.


Prior to conducting our fieldwork, we worked closely with the Belizian Institute of Archeology to obtain research permits, as they are responsible for all research activities in the caves. We also worked with the Belize Forest Department to obtain a collecting permit. Finally, we work with customs in both Belize and the USA, as well as US Fish & Wildlife, to obtain final clearance and approval to bring materials back to the laboratory where we are now sorting and studying our findings.


Bruno Kuppinger, a local licensed tour guide, proved indispensible in providing

logistical support and helping us arrange for local

guides.


Cooling off at the end of the day after a long hike

We thank:Dr. John Morris, Director of Research, Belize Institute of ArcheologyDr. Jaime J. Awe, Director, Belize Institute of Archaeology Mr. Hector Mai, Belize Forest DepartmentBruno Kuppinger, Toledo Cave & Adventure ToursShirley & the staff at Sun CreekDr. Keith Prufer, University of New MexicoPhil Walker & Alan Braybrooke of SWCCIra TaylorJason ValdesAll of our Mayan guides

Belize Institute of ArcheologyBelize Forest DepartmentSubterranean Ecology InstituteNational Speleological FoundationIllinois Natural History SurveyUniversity of Illinois The Nature ConservancyZara Environmental, LLCUniversity of ArkansasSouth Wales Caving Club (SWCC)Billy Valdes Custom House Brokers


The 2011 Belize Biospeleogy Expeditionreceived major support

from the

as well as a grant from theNational Speleological Foundation

International Exploration Fund© GHoese/SEI 2011http://cavelife.org/

Belize sei2011forweb

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