Status of vertebrate species in Danial Cave, northern Iran

Abstract

<p>Cave biodiversity and ecosystems are underexplored. To guide conservation needs for visitor management, we surveyed the 2,158 m long Danial Cave in northern Iran for vertebrate fauna. We identified four mammalian and two amphibian species in the cave: the greater horseshoe bat <i>Rhinolophus ferrumequinum</i>, Blasius’s horseshoe bat <i>Rhinolophus blasii</i>, the lesser mouse-eared myotis <i>Myotis blythii</i>, the Hyrcanian field mouse <i>Apodemus hyrcanicus</i>, the Hyrcanian wood frog <i>Rana pseudodalmatina</i> and the Eurasian marsh frog <i>Pelophylax ridibundus</i>. Considering the increasing tourism pressures at Danial Cave, information on cave fauna is imperative for the conservation management of unique and endemic cave species.</p>