SURVEY OF THE TERRESTRIAL ARTHROPODS FOUND IN THE CAVES OF GHANA T. KEITH PHILIPS 1 * ,CHRIS S. DEWILDT 1,2 ,HENRY DAVIS 3 , AND ROGER S. ANDERSON 3 Abstract: The first biological inventory of the caves of Ghana was conducted during January 2006 with some subsequent work in June 2007 and July 2008. Seventy species or morphospecies of insects, as well as amblypigids, phalangids, and diplopods were dis‐ covered in sixteen caves. All taxa appear to be either troglophilic or accidental and the most abundant and richest insect faunas were found in caves with resident bat popu‐ lations. Insect diversity in caves consists mainly of species of cockroaches, cave crickets, tenebrionid beetles, reduviid assassin bugs, and ants. All caves surveyed are briefly de‐ scribed, coordinates documented, and a list of all the arthropods discovered is also given. INTRODUCTION The caves of Ghana have never been sampled for their biodiversity; no faunal survey, list of taxa, or other scientific publication on any aspect of the invertebrate cave fauna of this country exists. In stark contrast and surprisingly, cave research has been conducted in every one of the surrounding countries, including Burkina Faso, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as Guinea (Juberthie and Decu, 2001), and has resulted in novel discoveries. For example, a cave in Burkina Faso produced a new species of dytiscid beetle (Bourgies and Juberthie, 2001). In a Guinean cave, a new genus and species of blaberid cockroach was discovered and described (Roth and Naskrecki, 2004). Outside of West Africa, several publications by Villers (1953, 1973, 1976) described the Reduviidae fauna of African caves, including one new genus, in the Belgian Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Kenya, and South West Africa (Namibia). The apparent lack of research on Ghana caves was the incentive for conducting this study as a contribution to the knowledge of cave biodiversity found worldwide. This research is also part of an effort in surveying the threatened insect fauna found in the Upper Guinean Forests of West Africa (Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, n.d.; Conser- vation International, n.d.), as well as that found in the drier savannah bush in the central and northern regions. The Guinean forests of West Africa are one of approximately 35 regions that have been recognized as global biodiversity hotspots. These hotspots make up only 2.3 % of the total land area on the planet but hold an estimated 44 % of plants and 35 % of the land-vertebrate species (Harrison and Pearce, 2001). In contrast, the invertebrate fauna is poorly known. Hence, as part of an overall insect fauna survey of this country and the larger hotspot and to support conserva- tion efforts, all of the known caves of Ghana were sampled for their insect faunas, as well as other arthropods. One should note that the caves of this region are not extensive in length or depth, and none of the invertebrate fauna collected are likely either cave-limited or cave-adapted species known as troglobites; all appear to be either troglo- philes or accidentals (Howarth, 1983), and it is possible that all species we report can be found outside of cave habitats. Further, no maps for any of these caves are known to exist. Regardless, this list is a first effort to put on record the insects found in Ghanaian caves and to more broadly encourage research on the relatively neglected and highly threatened insect fauna of this region. MATERIALS AND METHODS Some of the caves sampled for study were known to scientific contacts in Ghana. Other caves were discovered by asking villagers in many locations about the possible presence of any caves in the vicinity and by searching the World Wide Web. Insects and other arthropods were collected throughout the various subterranean habitats in the caves by searching and hand-collecting using various tools, including aspirators and forceps. The four co-authors continued their investigation in each cave until available habitats, such as under rocks and wood or on walls or in crevices, were gleaned and no additional species could be found. On two occasions pitfalls baited with peanut butter were set in caves for about 24 hours to further sample the fauna. Fieldwork took place during an extensive three- week survey in January 2006, with smaller surveys in June 2007 (a repeat of the Shai Hills, Sayu Cave) and July 2008 (never-before-sampled Tengzu Caves). Throughout most of Ghana, June–July and September–October are the rainy seasons, with the former the wettest. In the north, the rain- fall increases from January through to a peak in September, with a steep decline through the rest of the year. In Ghana, January is a period of low seasonal rainfall throughout the country, and in some areas sampled in 2006 several species of deciduous trees had lost their leaves. Cave descriptions * Corresponding author: keith.philips@wku.edu 1 Systematics and Evolution Laboratory, Department of Biology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green KY 42101-3576, USA 2 Current Address: 5762 S. Lady Slippery Pl., Tucson AZ 85747, USA 3 Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science, University of Ghana, P.O. Box 67, Legon, Accra, GHANA T.K. Philips, C.S. DeWildt, H. Davis, and R.S. Anderson – Survey of the terrestrial arthropods found in the caves of Ghana. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, v. 78, no. 2, p. 128–137. DOI: 10.4311/2015LSC0120 128 . Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, August 2016