20.500.12556/DiRROS-29660 Cave size doesn’t matter but persistence and sampling techniques do–rich cave-dwelling fauna revealed in the epikarstic Velika Pasica cave (Slovenia, Europe) Cave size doesn’t matter but persistence and sampling techniques do Velika Pasica cave is situated in central Slovenia (Europe); it is 105 m long and 12 m deep, at an elevation of 670 m, and only has a 2–7 m thick roof and four permanent trickles from the epikarst zone. The second troglobiotic beetle, Anophthalmus hirtus Sturm, 1853, was described in this cave, twenty years after the first species, Leptodirus hochenwartii Schmidt, 1832, was described from Postojnska Jama cave (Slovenia). In the following decades, nine more terrestrial species and subspecies were described from Velika Pasica cave, which belong to the Mollusca, Pseudoscorpiones, Collembola and Coleoptera groups. After 2000, intensive research of the pools and trickles revealed an abundance of aquatic fauna, resulting in the description of four new species of Copepoda and two not yet determined epibiotic protozoans. A complete list of the terrestrial and aquatic fauna in Velika Pasica cave has never been published. To fill this gap, data from the literature and from intensive field work are presented here. To date, 89 terrestrial and 36 aquatic taxa have been recorded from the cave and the adjacent temporary spring and reservoir. Twenty-nine aquatic (including two epibionts) and 18 terrestrial species are strict cave-dwelling organisms. Thus, Velika Pasica cave ranks among the top global subterranean hotspots for species richness. troglobionts stygobionts biodiversity epikarst habitats endemics ecology subterranean hotspots true false true Angleški jezik Ni določen Neznano 2026-06-02 13:48:39 2026-06-02 13:48:40 2026-06-03 03:56:39 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Opis vira z dne 2. 6. 2026; 1-21 str. iss. 5, [article no.] 280 Vol. 18 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-05-08 59 1424-2818 10.3390/d18050280 280165635 https://doi.org/10.3390/d18050280 1 00eadfc6-5e79-11f1-8e51-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=44540 RAZ_Brancelj_Anton_2026.pdf RAZ_Brancelj_Anton_2026.pdf 1 A1FDF516E5A915C846EC34FC38801FA4 d00f19bd5387500950cc35bd59ead93c5aaf89627ef1638ddca37e9b3dc9df24 2a44b689-5e79-11f1-8e51-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=44541 Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo 0 0 0