trogloxene

A trogloxene is an organism that regularly uses caves for shelter or roosting but cannot complete its life cycle entirely within the cave environment; it must leave the cave to feed or carry out essential activities elsewhere. The term combines the Greek roots troglo- meaning cave and xenos meaning guest. In cave ecology, trogloxenes are distinguished from troglobionts (or troglobionts), which are obligate cave dwellers unable to survive outside, and troglophiles, which can complete their life cycle in caves but also live outside.

Trogloxenes typically rely on the cave for protection, stable temperatures, or access to crevices, while their feeding or reproduction occurs outside. This behavior makes them important connectors between surface and cave ecosystems, contributing energy and nutrients to cave habitats and influencing nutrient cycles.

The best-known trogloxenes are bats, which roost in caves during daylight and shelter but obtain their food on the surface. Other mammals and birds that may use caves intermittently or seasonally for shelter—such as raccoons or some bears—are sometimes described as trogloxenes in certain contexts, though classifications can vary. Invertebrates and other cave-associated species may also be labeled trogloxenes if they rely on surface environments for part of their life cycle while using caves for shelter.

See also cave ecology, troglobiont, troglophile.