Biodiversity in the cueva del viento lava tube system (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

Abstract

Cueva del Viento and Cueva de Felipe Reventón are lava tubes located in Tenerife, Canary Islands, and are considered the volcanic caves with the greatest cave-dwelling diversity in the world. Geological aspects of the island relevant to the formation of these caves are discussed, and their most outstanding internal geomorphological structures are described. An analysis of the environmental parameters relevant to animal communities is made, and an updated list of the caveadapted species and their way of life into the caves is provided. Some paleontological data and comments on the conservation status of these tubes are included.