This April, entomologist and arachnologist, Dr. Jess Marsh, took a group of bio-explorers on a thrilling adventure into the inky depths of the Nullarbor caves. Her team from the Australian Speleological Federation (ASF) stumbled upon important discoveries regarding the world’s only unique blind cave invertebrates. Each of those five sites visited was the location of various ancient activities. There, the team found an incredible concentration of spiders at a location they jokingly dubbed “party rock.”
When Dr. Marsh reported his discovery, he caused quite a stir. There, preserved in a small plastic jar, he discovered a rare hairy spider, along with hundreds of other dead invertebrates including spiders, cockroaches and centipedes. The cave’s unique conditions of temperature and humidity provided extraordinary preservation, creating the effect that these creatures had “died almost mid-action.”
Past the treeless Nullarbor Plain, famous for its limestone caves, the region is considered a “hotspot” for blind cave invertebrates. These animals are slow, docile, and ground nests are easy picking even for foxes, one of their few natural predators on the continent. On the journey, Dr. Marsh made a thrilling find. He and his team have discovered that the variety and abundance of species inhabiting these caves has skyrocketed, surprising all with their dramatic expectations.
Unique Invertebrates Found
Besides many of these dead specimens, Dr. Marsh’s expedition found live examples of two eyeless spider species. Among its most significant discoveries was the mummified wasp, which was about two centimeters long, including its translucent wings. This wasp is a member of the spider-hunting family Pompilidae. This extreme cave adaptation makes it the only such species in the world to have succeeded at colonizing caves full time.
The expedition’s greatest scientific find was a second specimen of Troglodiplura. It is a genus that in recent years has been publishing a lot of species descriptions based on fragments found in museum collections. The finding of this new Troglodiplura spider specimen reminds us of how little we know about biodiversity even within tiny, isolated cave systems.
“This wasp is the only wasp in the world that is known to have adapted like that to a cave life.”
Tens to hundreds of thousands of invertebrates, primarily cave adapted species, have unfortunately perished within the caves. This difficult scenario underscores the desperate need for focus and conservation. Dr. Marsh expressed concern regarding external threats to these delicate ecosystems:
The results from this expedition highlight the urgent need to protect the sensitive ecosystems found in the Nullarbor caves. A spokesperson for the WA Mirning People Aboriginal Corporation stated:
“The risk of extinction for a lot of those [underground] species through development, impact by humans, changes to water movement across the landscape … is really very high.”
The Importance of Preservation
As development pressures become more intense in the areas surrounding these habitats, efforts to conserve these habitats will be indispensable. The diverse range of species found during this expedition could provide valuable insights into evolutionary biology, as pointed out by Matt Shaw:
“Our priority is always to protect the environment as a whole, while placing particular emphasis on rare and endangered species.”
Andrew Stempel, another participant in the research effort, reflected on the extensive work that led to these discoveries:
“Because as [Charles] Darwin pointed out … regressed animals including cave animals were an important source of evidence for understanding evolution.”
Dr. Marsh emphasized that the discoveries made during this expedition are just the beginning of understanding the biodiversity housed within Nullarbor caves. She stated:
“It took many years and many cavers and a lot of hard yards.”
Future Research and Exploration
The expedition combined the latest technology and expertise to film the Troglodiplura beirutpakbarai spider. She and her team filmed incredible action shots of this elusive spider in the wild in 2021. This reflects a broader trend of public interest and investment into exploring and documenting these fragile ecosystems.
“The number and the diversity of species that may be surviving and living in the caves on the Nullarbor is actually much higher than we initially thought.”
As researchers continue to study these isolated environments, they hope to gather more information that will aid in conservation efforts and raise awareness about the delicate balance of life within cave systems.
As researchers continue to study these isolated environments, they hope to gather more information that will aid in conservation efforts and raise awareness about the delicate balance of life within cave systems.
