Exploring Spanish Wells Cave. One of Austin lesser known and forgotten caves.

Spanish Wells Cave is one of the lesser known secluded caves of Austin, Texas. Not too much information can be found out about Spanish Wells Cave. This news article will explain what Spanish Wells Cave is.

Spanish Wells Cave is a 20 foot wide cave with an upper level and a lower level. Water is located in the lower level of this cave. There are two entrances to this cave. One which extends to a depth of 22 feet in length before hitting a pool of water. Spanish Wells Cave extends towards a depth of 50 feet before hitting a narrow crawlspace. (Ref: ftp://ftp.austintexas.gov/GIS-Data/WCD/WCD/Req/The_Caves_of_the_Balcones_Conservation_Plan.pdf)


Here is the history of Spanish Wells Cave.

Bill Russell explored Spanish Wells Cave on the date of October 6, 1963 in search of subterranean amphipod stygonectes. Bill Russell was the first person known to have ever explored Spanish Wells Cave. (Ref: https://books.google.com/books?id=jH47AQAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA97&lpg=RA1-PA97&dq=%22Balcones+Sink+Cave%22&source=bl&ots=0GFY4Keo-U&)

According to The Caves of the Balcones Conservation Plan, Bill Russell was the first person known to have explored and dug through Spanish Wells Cave sometime during the 1960s. He drafted a sketch map of Spanish Wells Cave sometime during the 1960s. Here he discovered a species of insects called the Sphalloplana kutscheri which is a troglobitic planarian. (Ref: ftp://ftp.austintexas.gov/GIS-Data/WCD/WCD/Req/The_Caves_of_the_Balcones_Conservation_Plan.pdf)

Four new species of the genus Sphalloplana were discovered from caves in Central Texas in August 1969, one of which was the Sphalloplana kutscheri from Spanish Wells Cave. (Ref: https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2346/72420/ttu_icasal_000169.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)

The exact location of Spanish Wells Cave is not known. The reason for this is because karst experts have not visited Spanish Wells Cave since the 1970s. Spanish Wells Cave is believed to contain 17 unprotected karst features. (Ref: https://www2.traviscountytx.gov/commissioners_court/agendas/2011/08/backup/eagenda_packet_20110830.pdf)

Travis County came up with the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan to protect the environmental integrity and nature of 27 caves in 1996. Spanish Wells Cave was one of the 27 caves Travis County going to preserve the environmental integrity of. Spanish Wells Cave had a plant species of concern. Spanish Wells Cave had a species of concern which was a species of worm called Sphalloplana kutscheri. The Spanish Wells Cave population was described a S. kutscheri. Karst specialists consider S. kutscheri as a distinct species from S. mohri. (Ref: https://books.google.com/books?id=cTc3AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PP2&lpg=RA1-PP2&dq=%22spanish+wells%22+caves+of+balcones&source)

 

 

Travis County purchased a 500 acre land tract, which Spanish Wells Cave is located on, in the year of 2015. This was done to proceed the land from destruction. (Ref: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=250167)


Not only is Spanish Wells Cave home to a species of worm called Sphalloplana kutscheri. Spanish Wells Cave is home to several animals and species of insects such as the Black-capped Vireo, Golden-cheeked Warbler, and Texabama Croton. (Ref: http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=250167)

Spanish Wells Cave is also home to Stygonectes spp. too. Stygonectes spp. belong to a group of subterrainean Phipods. Stygonectes spp. from Spanish Wells Cave are closely related to S. balconis but differ principally in having more spines on peraeopods 3-5 and in a lack of concavity in the palmar margins of the propodi of the gnathopods. Specimens from Balcones Sink Cave are somewhat similar to those from Spanish Wells Cave but appear to be mostly immature. (Ref: http://www.nativefishlab.net/library/textpdf/19878.pdf)

What also inhabits Spanish Wells Cave are Cicurina varians and Cryptachaea porteri. All of which were discovered and researched by Gertsch & Mulaik. (Ref: https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/6095/)