Karst areas of Portugal occupy a considerable part of the territory and harbor more than 2,000 known caves. The complex biogeographical history of the Iberian Peninsula allowed the survival of several relict arthropod refugees in the subterranean environment. The knowledge about cave-dwelling fauna from karst areas increased significantly in the last six years. The cave-dwelling fauna of main karst areas of Portugal is presented.
Reference:
Reboleira A.S.P.S., Gonçalves F. & Oromí P. (2013). Cave-dwelling fauna from karst areas of Portugal. In: Filippi M., Bosák P. (Eds), 2013. Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Speleology, July 21–28, Brno. Volume 1, p. 409-412. Czech Speleological Society. Praha. [pdf]