Biodiversity of the Huautla Cave System, Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

Sistema Huautla is the deepest cave system in the Americas at 1560 m and the fifth longest in Mexico at 89,000 m, and it is a mostly vertical network of interconnected passages. The surface landscape is rugged, ranging from 3500 to 2500 masl, intersected by streams and deep gorges. There are numerous dolinas, from hundreds to tens of meters in width and depth. The weather is basically temperate subhumid with summer rains. The average yearly rainfall is approximately 2500 mm, with a monthly average of 35 mm for the driest times of the year and up to 500 mm for the wettest month. All these conditions play an important role for achieving the highest terrestrial troglobite diversity in Mexico, containing a total of 35 species, of which 27 are possible troglobites (16 described), including numerous arachnids, millipedes, springtails, silverfish, and a single described species of beetles. With those numbers, Sistema Huautla is one of the richest cave systems in the world.