Loc. Stiffe- S. Demetrio ne' Vestini
L'Aquila (Italy)


[under construction]



The cave is located 21 km from L' Aquila, along the road to Molina Aterno, in the territory of S. Demetrio ne' Vestini (L' Aquila). The cave entrance is excavated in rocks walls of a "forra". Inside the cave flows an underground river, whose waters come from the numerous "inghiottitoi" of the overhanging plateau of the Rocche. The cave is partially rich of stalactites, stalagmites and other limestone concretions. Small lakes, fast and high cascades can be observed.



BIOLOGY


Inside the cave a remarkable aquatic fauna is found, particularly turbellarians, nematods, oligochaetes, gastropods, water mites, ostracods, copepods and amphipods.


  • Dendrocoelum (Eudendrocoelum) beauchampi del Papa,1953

  • Bythinella sp.

  • Niphargus gr. orcinus Joseph,1869

  • Eucyclops serrulatus (Fischer, 1851)

  • Paracyclops fimbriatus (Fischer, 1853)

  • Acanthocyclops gr. robustus-vernalis

  • Diacyclops languidoides s. l. (Lilljeborg, 1901)

  • Canthocamptus staphylinus (Jurine, 1820)

  • Elaphoidella cf. phreatica (Chappuis, 1925)

  • Attheyella (Attheyella) crassa (Sars, 1863)

  • Attheyella (Mrazekiella) cf. paranaphtalica Pesce & Galassi, 1988

  • Bryocamptus (Rheocamptus) pygmaeus (Sars, 1863)

  • Bryocamptus (Bryocamptus) zschokkei (Schmeil, 1893)

  • Bryocamptus (Limocamptus) echinatus (Mrazek, 1893)

  • Parastenocaris sp.


    Also, among the terrestrian fauna some interesting species live inside the cave, such as the coleopteran Duvalius battonii and the pseudoscorpion Neobisium battonii



    | FOTO |


    LINKS


  • www.webaq.it/grotte_stiffe
  • Oltre il Gran Sasso per raggiungere le Grotte di Stiffe



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