At the edge of darkness and light: macrozoobenthic assemblages of streams in the entrance zone of caves in the Western Caucasus
Journal: Subterranean Biology
Year: 2025

A study was conducted on the macrozoobenthos fauna of 15 watercourses flowing through the caves of the Duripshski, Gumistinsko-Panavskiy and Dzhalski speleo districts in Abkhazia (Western Caucasus). Assemblages inhabiting the inner part of caves, entrances and surface biotopes are described. A total of 84 species of aquatic invertebrates were identified in the surveyed streams, with 23 species belonging to the ecological group of stygobionts, 17 classified as stygophiles, and 44 stygoxenes. The