Subterranean Fishes of the World

7075

2026

Southeastern Naturalist

24(4): N64-N74

Shelta Cave in metropolitan Huntsville, Madison County, AL, has been recognized as a global cave biodiversity hotspot historically; however, the cave community suffered catastrophic decline due to multiple anthropogenic threats in the late 1960s into early 1970s and has yet to recover. Several aquatic and terrestrial species have not been observed in several decades at Shelta Cave. The rediscovery of Cambarus sheltae (Shelta Cave Crayfish) in 2019 brought hope that other taxa may be rediscovered in the future. We report the first confirmed observation of Gyrinophilus palleucus (Tennessee Cave Salamander), a top predator of the aquatic food web, at Shelta Cave in 57 years during a biosurvey of the cave system in March 2025. We discuss the slow possible recovery of the aquatic community at Shelta Cave and the rarity of the salamander in the metropolitan Huntsville area in general. Our rediscovery highlights the importance of continued monitoring of historical sites for extirpated taxa and the resilience of some cave ecosystems under long-term anthropogenic threats

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