Cave-dwelling gastropods (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Brazil, state of the art and conservation: a critical review

Abstract

In 2022, Salvador and co-authors published an up-to-date list of gastropod species recorded from Brazilian caves. That list included 18 species (15 land and three freshwater species) that were considered by the authors to be restricted to caves (troglobitic). In this contribution we argue that only six of the species listed by them as truly troglobites can be classified in that category. We disagree with some characteristics listed by Salvador and co-authors to diagnose the species they classify as cave-restricted and argue that those species do not have truly troglomorphic traits (characteristic of subterranean habitats). Since the Brazilian legislation considers the degree of association with caves as a decisive attribute to preserve them, it is important to clarify the characteristics are sufficient and necessary for a species to be classified as cave-dependent.