The extent of occurrence (EOO) is 2470 km² and area of occupancy (AOO) is 32 km².

Lusitanipus alternans is recorded from eight localities: in d’el Rey, Soprador do Carvalho, Arrifana, Cerâmica, Corujeiras, Fonte Grande and Buraco da Moura caves and in the mesovoid shallow substratum from Poios Valley in Sicó karst massif (Reboleira and Enghoff 2015). The northernmost locality is Gruta d'El Rey in Portunhos, Cantanhede Municipality, Outil-Cantanhede karst massif. The easternmost locality is Buraco da Moura, in Lapa do Dinheiros, Serra da Estrela massif. All other localities are within Sicó-Condeixa and Alvaiázere karst area.

A decline in EOO is inferred because of the anthropogenic impact in the Soprador do Carvalho and Buraco da Moura caves. These caves show degradation signs, caused by the recreational visitation activities.

A decline in AOO is inferred due to the vulnerability of two of the caves.

Lusitanipus alternans occurs in eight locations in subterranean habitats, caves and mesovoid shallow substrate, in central Portugal (Reboleira and Enghoff 2015). It is recorded in Outil-Cantanhede massif, in caves and in the mesovoid shallow substrate thoughout the Sicó-Condeixa and Alvaiázere karst chains, down to Abrigo de Tomar I Cave in Ourém. It was recently found also in Serra da Estrela massif, in a cave formed by overlapping blocks of granite, the Buraco da Moura Cave.

In caves, it is more abundant in d’el Rey Cave in Outil-Cantanhede karst area. It is also quite abundant in some caves of Sicó-Condeixa and Alvaiázere karst chains, such as Soprador do Carvalho, Arrifana, Corujeiras I and Fonte Grande caves, while in Cerâmica Cave, only juveniles have been collected (Reboleira and Enghoff 2015). In Sicó, it is also found in great numbers in the mesovoid shallow substratum (MSS) in scree slopes of Poio Valley. A disjunct population was recently found living in Buraco da Moura Cave in Lapa dos Dinheiros, Serra da Estrela massif.

Lusitanipus alternans is known from subterranean habitats. It lives in temperatures ranging from 12ºC in Buraco da Moura Cave up to 16.4ºC in Cerâmica Cave (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014a).

Lusitanipus alternans is considered a troglophile species, i.e. a species whose presence is frequent in caves, but does not show specific adaptative morphologic traits to the subterranean lifestyle (Reboleira and Enghoff 2015). No information is available about old specimens collected or existence of type material (Reboleira and Enghoff 2015) and all efforts to retrieve surface speciments in their distribution area did not retrieve any specimens at the surface. Most specimens are highly infected with two species of ectoparasitic/ectobiont fungi of the order Laboulbeniales: Diplopodomyces lusitanipodos Santam., Enghoff & Reboleira, 2014 which can be mainly found on the legs, but also all along the body and D. veneris Santam., Enghoff & Reboleira, 2014, found exclusively on male gonopods and around female gonopores of L. alternans (Reboleira and Enghoff 2015). This species builds a moulting chamber composed of processed sediment reinforced with silk; it takes up to 35 days inside the moulting chamber before emerging and walking again in the cave floor (Reboleira and Enghoff 2016). These structures can be seen in the caves where the species occurs. The white secretions released by the ozopores from the defensive glands of L. alternans when disturbed, produce a very intense smell. The white secretions composed of p-cresol are characteristic for Callipodida and have antibacterial, antibiofilm and antifungal activity (Ilić et al. 2019). Therefore, their presence in caves is easily recognised by the typical odour in the cave's substrate.

D‘el Rey Cave is located in an urbanised area, 600 m from a landfill, 1 km from a quarry and 1.2 km from highway A14. Arrifana Cave is located 190 m from a road, 370 m from the nearest village and 900 m from a quarry. Cerâmica Cave is surrounded by Eucalyptus intensive plantations and is located 270 m from a road, 550 m from an animal farm, 1.6 km from the closest village and 3.6 km from a quarry. Soprador do Carvalho Cave is surrounded by agricultural lands and is located 67 m from the closest house and 1.4 km from a quarry. This is a touristic cave, severely affected by anthropogenic activities (Ribera and Reboleira 2019). The subterranean stream that flows inside the Soprador do Carvalho Cave has urban wastewater run-off (Reboleira et al. 2011b). Corujeiras Cave is located 63 m from the closest house, 500 m from the warehouse complex of a transportation and shipping company and 700 m from the closest village. Fonte Grande Cave is located in an intensive agricultural area, 240 m away from the closest house, 500 m from a metalwork construction company and right beside the main road from where the construction material is transported, located 480 m from the closest village. Buraco da Moura Cave is located 127 m from a fluvial beach, 530 m from a hydroelectric power station and 1.2 km from the closest village and is under anthropogenic disturbance due to frequent touristic visits (Reboleira and Eusébio 2021).

Of the eight locations, only three are inside the “Rede Natura 2000” areas (Directive 1992, ICNB 2000). Measures should be taken to prevent infiltration of wastewaters from villages and quarries into the subterranean ecosystems and to minimise the effects of anthropogenic threats on the habitats and consequently for this species. The mesovoid shallow substratum where the species occour, i.e. in Sicó massif, should be also protected, to ensure the stabilisation of the populations. Molecular approaches are needed to understand populations structure and degree of isolation in the subterranean ecosystem.

Both the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are 4 km².

Sireuma nobile is known only from a single cave, the Algar de Santo António in the Estremoz-Cano karst massif (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014c).

Sireuma nobile occurs in a single cave (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014c).

Algar de Santo António is the only known location for this species. Therefore, the trend in number of locations is stable.

Fifteen specimens have been collected from the type location (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014c).

Algar de Santo António Cave is composed of two entrances that connect at the base of the first pit and it has a a maximum depth of -52 m, currently ending in rubble blocks. Sireuma nobile specimens were collected at -20 and -52 m. Inside the cave, humidity levels reach 100% and temperature ranges from 17.7ºC up to 18.9ºC at the soil level (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014c).

Sireuma nobile is a troglobiont species, depigmented and anophthalmic (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014c). It shares habitat with other subterranean detritivores, like the terrestrial isopods Trichorhina anophthalma Arcangeli, 1936 and Cordioniscus lusitanicus Reboleira & Taiti, 2015, several unidentified species of Collembola, new species of Zygentoma from the genus Coletinia, new Anillini beetle of the genus Geocharis and histerid beetles (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014c).

Algar de Santo António Cave is located in the middle of an urbanised area of a village, under a building and right by a road. It has a building on top of the main entrance and its distance is 27 m from the nearest house. The location is surrounded by agricultural fields. There is a massive quarry located 3 km from the cave entrance, where stone is extracted and prepared in slabs for retail.

This cave is located out of the “Rede Natura 2000” areas (Directive 1992, ICNB 2000), within the village of Alandroal. The cave should be protected in order to prevent extinction of this single cave endemic. It is essential to carry out new research to better understand its potential distribution, ecology and evolution, which support the preparation of a conservation plan for the species. In addition to the regular monitoring of its population, it is also recommended to prospect other areas of potential occurrence, including the deep soil layers around the cave. There should be a concerted effort by the competent authorities to mitigate the negative impacts of threats in the species' occurrence zones by limiting anthropogenic disturbance.

The extent of occurrence (EOO) is 25896 km² and the area of occupancy (AOO) is 12 km².

Scutogona minor is known from three caves located in the Sicó karst massif, in central Portugal: Santa Maria da Estrela, Cerâmica and Arrifana caves (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013a).

Scutogona minor occurs in three locations, three caves within the Sicó karst area (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013a).

It was found in higher numbers in Arrifana Cave, in the winter season, followed by Santa Maria da Estrela Cave (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013a) and by Cerâmica Cave, where several specimens have been sampled more recently.

The maximum distance of the known distribution is of 18 km between the three caves. Specimens were only collected in the deepest parts of the caves and they were collected live through active search. All caves have high humidity levels (up to 100%) and at soil level, temperature ranged from 15.3ºC to 16.4ºC (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013a).

Scutogona minor is the smallest species of its genus. It is a troglobiont species, depigmented, lacks eyes and is endemic from caves in the Sicó massif (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013a). It shares habitat with several cave-adapted species, such as the terrestrial isopods Trichoniscoides sicoensis Reboleira & Taiti, 2015, Miktoniscus longispina Reboleira & Taiti, 2015 and Porcellio cavernicolus Vandel, 1946 (Reboleira et al. 2015, Reboleira et al. 2022) and the dipluran Podocampa cf. fragiloides Silvestri, 1932 (Sendra and Reboleira 2020). These caves are also inhabited by cave-adapted predators, the pseudoscorpions Roncocreagris blothroides (Beier, 1962), R. borgesi Zaragoza & Reboleira, 2013 (Reboleira et al. 2013) and Occidenchthonius vachoni Zaragoza & Reboleira, 2018 (Zaragoza and Reboleira 2018) and the rove beetle Domene lusitanica Reboleira & Oromí, 2011 (Reboleira et al. 2011a, Reboleira and Eusébio 2021).

Arrifana Cave is located 190 m from a road, 370 m from the nearest village and 900 m from a quarry. Cerâmica Cave is surrounded by Eucalyptus intensive plantations and is located 270 m from a road, 550 m from an animal farm, 1.6 km from the closest village and 3.6 km from a quarry. Santa Maria da Estrela Cave is located 80 m from a road, 86 m from a touristic site, 220 m from agricultural fields, 230 m from the Nossa Senhora da Estrela viewpoint, 250 m from the closest urbanised area and 2.6 km from two quarries. All caves have geocaches inside, which means that their entrances are frequently visited by geocachers.

This species has a very reduced distribution, confined to three caves in the Sicó Karst Massif and face several threats. It is important to define an undisturbed surface area to ensure that no contaminants, such as pesticides from agriculture and effluents from farms do not infiltrate and impact these populations. Geocaches should be removed from the caves to prevent their use by tourists. Biological prospection in other caves within the area of distribution have the potential to expand the currently-known populations of Scutogona minor.

Both the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are 4 km².

Boreviulisoma barrocalense occurs in Vale Telheiro Cave, in the Algarve karst massif, southern Portugal (Reboleira and Enghoff 2013).

Boreviulisoma barrocalense occurs in one location (Reboleira and Enghoff 2013).

Vale Telheiro Cave is the only known location for this species. Therefore, the trend in number of locations is stable.

Five specimens have been collected from the type locality (Reboleira and Enghoff 2013).

Vale Telheiro Cave, is currently the most biodiverse cave in terms of troglobiont species in Portugal (Reboleira & Enghoff 2013), accounting now for more than 25 species, which turns it into a world hotspot for subterranean biodiversity. It has high humidity levels and very stable environment conditions (Reboleira et al. 2017), as well as reduced levels of oxygen in its deeper parts.

Boreviulisoma barrocalense is a troglobiont species (Reboleira and Enghoff 2013), endemic to the Vale Telheiro Cave. This cave is located 240 m a.s.l. in Algarve, the southernmost province of Portugal and has a very stable temperature, ranging from 17.1 up to 17.4°C (during the entire 2020). This species shares habitat with other several cave-adapted species, such as the pseudoscorpions Occidenchthonius algharbicus Zaragoza & Reboleira, 2018 and Titanobochica magna Zaragoza & Reboleira, 2020 (Reboleira et al. 2010bZaragoza and Reboleira 2018), the spiders Harpactea stalitoides Ribera, 1993 and Teloleptoneta synthetica (Machado, 1951) (Reboleira 2012), the millipede Acipes machadoi Enghoff & Reboleira, 2013 (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b), the terrestrial isopods Cordioniscus lusitanicus Reboleira & Taiti, 2015 and Trogleluma machadoi (Vandel, 1946) (Reboleira et al. 2015, Reboleira et al. 2022), the dipluran Litocampa mendesi Sendra & Reboleira, 2010 (Reboleira et al. 2010a, Sendra and Reboleira 2020), the zygentoma Squamatinia algharbica Mendes & Reboleira, 2012 (Reboleira et al. 2012) and the beetle Speonemadus algarvensis Reboleira, Fresneda & Salgado, 2017 (Reboleira et al. 2017, Reboleira and Eusébio 2021).

Vale Telheiro is located 290 m from the closest house and 745 m from the closest urbanisation. The immediate surface of the cave has recently been subject to landfills and the closest road has been enlarged and tarred, facilitating the access to the cave area.

Vale Telheiro Cave, where these single cave endemics occur must be protected. As the terrain where the cave is located was acquired by the Loulé Town Hall in order to establish a protected area, it is possible to foresee more conservation efforts in the near future. The surface area should be maintained with its natural vegetation cover and cave visitation should be limited. Efforts should be made to understand the spacio-temporal dynamics and life cycle of this species, also the population trends should to be monitored. This species, together with the cave-adapted millipede Acipes machadoi, inhabits the richest cave for troglobiont species in Portugal and protecting this species implies the protection this important habitat.

Both the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are 4 km².

Cylindroiulus julesvernei is endemic from São Vicente Cave, in the Madeira Archipelago (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

A decline in EOO is inferred due to the anthropogenic impact on the cave, as the visitors directly trample on the cave substrate.

The decline of AOO is inferred due to current threats to the habitat.

Cylindroiulus julesvernei occurs in one location (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

São Vicente Cave is the only known location for this species. Therefore, the trend in number of locations is stable.

All three known specimens have been collected from the type locality (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

São Vicente Cave is a lava tube, formed 890 thousand years ago after a volcanic eruption at Paul da Serra (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

This species is a troglobiont species, blind and depigmented (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

This is a show cave, opened since 1996 to the public and can be visited by tourists through a route of 700 m. The cave has artificial light and, as a consequence, lampenflora proliferate around the light sources. This cave is located at the centre of an urbanised area, close to roads.

This cave is a show cave and is not protected under legislation by the “Rede Natura 2000” (Directive 1992, ICNB 2000). Seeing that this species is an island single cave endemic, its protection is of grave importance.

Both the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are approximately 4 km².

Cylindroiulus oromii occurs in Landeiros Cave, in the Madeira Archipelago (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

Cylindroiulus oromii occurs in one location (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

Landeiros Cave is the only known location for this species. Therefore, the trend in number of locations is stable.

All known specimens have been collected from the type locality (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

Landeiros Cave is a lava tube, located within the volcanic complex of São Roque/Paúl (SRP), in the Santo da Serra lava flow. The mean temperature inside the cave is 16ºC to 17ºC (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

C. oromii is bilnd and depigmented and shares habitat with the troglobiont carabid beetle Thalassophilus pieperi Erber, 1990 and several troglophile species, like the snail Oxychilus draparnaudi (Beck, 1837), the mites Veigaia uncata Farrier, 1957 and Uroseius acuminatus (Koch, 1847), the spider Steatoda grossa (Koch, 1838), the terrestrial isopod Soteriscus sp., the centipede Lithobius sp., two species of springtails from the genus Onychiurus Gervais, 1841, the carabid beetle Trechus fulvus Dejean, 1831 and several Phoridae and Psychodidae dipterans (Reboleira and Enghoff 2014b).

Landeiros Cave is located below agricultural terrains and right by urbanised areas and roads, in the island of Madeira.

The only known locality for this species is a non-protected cave; therefore, C. oromii is a single cave endemic living in a Darwinian island. The cave and its respective surface should be priority targets for conservation, in order to prevent infiltration from pesticides and insecticides used in agriculture. More research is needed to understand the life cycle of this species.

Both the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are 4 km².

Cylindroiulus villumi occurs in the Algar do Pena Cave, located in the Santo António Plateau, the central sub-unit of the Estremenho karst massif (Reboleira and Enghoff 2018).

Cylindroiulus villumi occurs in a single cave (Reboleira and Enghoff 2018).

This species only occurs in Algar do Pena Cave; therefore, the trend in number of locations is stable.

Eleven specimens have been collected from the type locality (Reboleira and Enghoff 2018), all having been found in rotten wood pieces under the entrance pit, while its presence is not registered for the rest of the cave, despite intensive monitoring.

This species was collected from the largest underground chamber of Portugal, where relative humidity close is up to saturation and temperature is very constant at 13ºC (with a variation of ± 1ºC). Specimens were collected inside a piece of decaying wood, at the base of the entrance pit of the cave, 33 m depth (Reboleira and Enghoff 2018).

Cylindroiulus villumi is a small to medium-sized blind and depigmented millipede species. Both the holotype and a juvenile male paratype had fungi present on the head and antenna (Reboleira and Enghoff 2018). This species shares habitat with the the springtail Onychiurus confugiens Gama, 1962, the dipluran Podocampa cf. fragiloides Silvestri, 1932, the spider Domitius lusitanicus (Fage, 1931), the terrestrial isopod Trichoniscoides meridionalis Vandel, 1946 and the ground beetle Trechus gamae Reboleira & Serrano, 2009 (Reboleira et al. 2009Reboleira and Ortuño 2011Reboleira et al. 2015).

Algar do Pena is located 300 m from a quarry, where intense quarry activity is currently ongoing, being a source of residues' infiltration and uncontrolled dust release.

The habitat of this single cave endemism is inside the Serra de Aire e Candeeiros; however, the species lacks protection status. Measures need to be taken in order to prevent the infiltration of residues from the nearby quarries into the cave. The cave hosts a laboratory for research and has a stainless steel platform that allows touristic visits. Measures to prevent contamination of the cave are already in place (Popova 2022). More research is needed on the life cycle of this species, to estimate total population size and to better comprehend its potential distribution.

Both the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are 4 km².

Acipes machadoi occurs in Vale Telheiro Cave, in the Algarve karst massif, southern Portugal (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Acipes machadoi occurs in one location (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Vale Telheiro Cave is the only known location for this species. Therefore, the trend in number of locations is stable.

Only one specimen has been collected from the type locality (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Acipes machadoi was collected on the walls of the cave, in the area where roots were hanging from the ceiling. In this cave, humidity levels reach 100% and temperature varies 1ºC throughout the year, with an average of 17.4ºC (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Acipes machadoi is a blind and depigmented troglobiont millipede and it is a detritivore species, occupying a basal position in the cave's trophic chain (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Vale Telheiro is located 290 m from the closest house and 745 m from the closest urbanisation. The immediate surface of the cave has recently been subject to landfills and the closest road has been enlarged and tarred, facilitating the access to the cave area.

As the terrain where the cave is located was acquired by the Loulé Town Hall in order to establish a protected area, it is possible to foresee more conservation efforts in the near future. The surface area should be maintained with its natural vegetation cover and cave visitation should be limited. More knowledge on the biology of this species is needed. This species inhabits the richest cave for troglobiont species in Portugal, protecting this species implies the protection this important habitat.

Both the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) are 4 km².

Acipes bifilum occurs in Senhora Cave, in the Algarve karst massif (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Acipes bifilum is known from one single cave location (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Senhora Cave is the only known location for this species. Therefore, the trend in number of locations is stable.

Two specimens have been collected from the type locality, despite recurrent sampling efforts, no further specimens have been observed since its description.

Senhora Cave is located in the Cerro da Cabeça Mountain in Moncarapacho, Algarve, the southernmost province of Portugal. Acipes bifilum was collected on the cave soil, where humidity levels range between 98 and 100% and has an average temperature of 17.7ºC (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Acipes bifilum is a blind and depigmented troglobiont millipede (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b). Its type locality, Senhora Cave, is considerably rich in cave-adapted fauna in the national context, harbouring 14 troglobiont species (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b). The specimens were collected on the cave soil, where humidity levels range between 98 and 100% and has an average temperature of 17.7ºC (Enghoff and Reboleira 2013b).

Senhora Cave is located 168 m from the closest house and 900 m from an intensive agricultural complex, where strawberries and raspberries are mass-produced. It was subject to profound changes in a failed attempt to transform it into a show cave in the past century, metal and concrete are now in the vertical opening of the cave. This entrance is also used to dump garbage.

The only locality known for this species, the Senhora Cave, is not protected and this single cave endemic millipede lacks protection status.