16 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 64, Supplement 1 
Packard noted that California contained two cave-adapted species in his national checklist of the 
cave animals of North America (Packard 1888). 
In 1878, a local explorer, J.A. Richardson, descended the pit inside Potter Creek Cave, Shas¬ 
ta Co., via a rope ladder and found a bear skull. He sent the specimen to Edward Cope, who in 1879 
described it as a new but extinct species — the giant short-faced bear, Arctodus simus, which has 
since been found in many North American caves. In 1901, John Merriam, a paleontologist at U.C. 
Berkeley, initiated the first systematic study of California caves with a focus on caves in the Shas¬ 
ta Lake and Mother Lode cave regions, which contained rich paleontological deposits. Many 
prominent scientists collaborated with Merriam in the cave surveys, which had generous funding 
from the Hearst Family (Munthe 1975). In 1902, Eustace Furlong (Merriam’s assistant) rediscov¬ 
ered the entrance to Potter Creek Cave, and over the next year the U.C. Berkeley team excavated 
the pit, which had accumulated organic sediments to a depth of 7.6 m over the millennia. This ani¬ 
mal and sediment trap yielded thousands of bones and fragments, of which 4,600 uniquely identi¬ 
fiable vertebrate specimens were recovered. Over 50 undescribed animal species were discovered, 
at least 21 of which were extinct (Sinclair 1904). The Princeton paleontologist William Sinclair 
described many of these Ice Age species, and while visiting Potter Creek Cave, discovered five 
undescribed extant species: the Potter Creek Cave spider ( Nesticuspotterius), a crab spider {Xysti- 
cuspunctatus ), Kofoid’s cave isopod ( Ligidium kofoidi ), a cave centipede ( Meinertophilus califor- 
nicus), and the troglobitic japygid, Occasjapyx kofoidi (Sinclair 1904; Silvestri 1928; J.C. Cham¬ 
berlin 1930; Maloney 1930; R.V. Chamberlin 1933). In 1911, the Shasta Sideband Snail ( Monade- 
nia troglodytes) was discovered in Potter Creek Cave (Hanna and Smith 1933). 
Potter Creek Cave also yielded human artifacts, such as bone tools, flaked stone, mussel shells, 
and charcoal. The anthropologist Frederick Putnam, along with U.C. Berkeley’s Anthropology 
Department, was very interested in studying these northern California caves to determine “the 
antiquity of man . . . when man first appeared in this region ” (Munthe 1975). The nearby Samwel 
Cave yielded similar troves of Ice Age animal bones, as well as human remains. A specimen of the 
Sierra ground sloth, Megalonyx sierrensis Sinclair, was uncovered in Mercer’s Cave (Calaveras 
Co.) while the Berkeley anthropologists searched for ancient human remains. Hawver Cave (El 
Dorado Co.) was studied in 1906 by Furlong; extensive vertebrate deposits were uncovered, and 
an article on the amazing assortment of bird specimens recovered was published later (Furlong 
1907). This cave survey program started by John Merriam was abruptly discontinued in 1913 when 
the massive fossil deposits in the Rancho La Brea tar pits were excavated. 
Discoveries of new cave invertebrates continued sporadically during the early twentieth cen¬ 
tury. In the 1910s, Phyllis’ false scorpion (Saetigerocreagris phyllisae ) was discovered in Eaton’s 
Cave, Los Angeles Co., and the troglobitic springtail, Plutomurus californicus, was discovered in 
Palser Cave, Santa Clara Co. (Folsom 1913; J.C. Chamberlin 1930). In the 1920s and 1930s, Har¬ 
vard invertebrate zoologist Ralph Chamberlin described many arachnids and myriapods from caves 
in California and other cave regions (R.V. Chamberlin 1930, 1933, 1951, 1953a-b; R.V. Chamber¬ 
lin and Ivie 1942,1943). His nephew, Joseph Chamberlin, a Stanford graduate, continued these tax¬ 
onomic labors, but focused on pseudoscorpions, and described many species from California caves 
(J.C. Chamberlin 1930; 1952; 1962; J.C. Chamberlin and Malcolm 1960; Judson and D.D. Cham¬ 
berlin 1998). 
By this time, mines were starting to be studied biologically, and the Argus Mountains desert- 
snail, Eremarionta argus, was discovered in Iron Cap Copper Mine (Inyo Co.) circa 1910; in 1928, 
the Sidewinder shoulderband snail, Helminthoglypta crotalina, was discovered in Sidewinder 
Mine, San Bernardino Co. (Edson 1912; Pilsbry 1939). In 1922, H. Barber, a USD A entomologist, 
explored Sunnyside Mine and discovered a remarkable assemblage of millipedes, including four 
