Are the Neglected Tipuloidea Crane Flies (Diptera) an Important Component for Subterranean Environments?

Abstract

Usually, biospeleological studies focus on cave-specialist taxa showing strong adaptation to the subterranean environment, as their unusual morphological and ecological features represent intriguing case studies. On the other hand, species occurring in subterranean environments but without marked adaptations have been generally overlooked, probably because they are thought to be accidental and not very important for the ecosystem. Particularly exemplificative is the case of Tipuloidea crane flies (Diptera), which although abundant, are rarely considered in biospeleological studies. Here, by analyzing the crane fly occupancy, we observed that individuals occur within the shallowest areas of subterranean environments throughout the year, with a peak of presence during hot season. Crane flies occupy dark and warm areas close to the connection with surface and with smoother walls. Furthermore, we observed that the presence of crane flies is positively related to the abundance and the richness of cave predators, highlighting their importance for the sustainment of the local community. With this study we aim to stimulate future researches on these important, but still neglected cave species.

Ecological Observations on Hybrid Populations of European Plethodontid Salamanders, Genus Speleomantes

“…With this study we were able to gather only limited information on the diet of Speleomantes hybrids. Most of the prey consumed were Diptera, which can be highly abundant near the entrance of subterranean environments, especially during the hot season [28,29]. This is in agreement with previous studies on the Speleomantes diet [16,30,31].…”

The Trophic Niche of Two Sympatric Species of Salamanders (Plethodontidae and Salamandridae) from Italy

“…The trophic niche of S. italicus was only studied in subterranean populations [ 12 ]. Researchers have observed high variability in the consumed prey among populations, with a clear predominance of Diptera, one of the most abundant prey in subterranean environments [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Do the evolutionary interactions between moths and bats promote niche partitioning between bats and birds?

“…Crane flies constitute the majority of prey for various wildlife, including snails, salamanders, and other Arthropoda (Lunghi et al, 2020), in addition to the species observed here (Table 4). A recent study found that crane fly abundance was a key predictor of the persistence of multiple sympatric bird species, and explained 39% of observed bird abundance (Carroll et al, 2015).…”