In the previous news, we described the importance of the Ribnica gorge and why we explored this area. Now we move on to how we conducted the research and what were the most significant results. First, the existing literature was researched, and then the field work of citizen scientists and experts was carried out, from August to November 2023. The field work included the Ribnica river gorge, with a special emphasis on 15 localities, which proved to be very rich in wildlife, especially strictly protected, protected and new species. In addition to the river bed itself, the field work included caves, surrounding forests and water sources. Field work was carried out during the day and at night, in order to cover the greatest diversity of the living world.
29 citizen scientists and 13 experts from the field of biological sciences (Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade) participated in the project. As a result of the research, the following were found:
- 944 species found
- 12 new species for Serbia
- 1 new genus for Serbia
- 6 new species for science
119 species found have the status of protected and strictly protected species according to national legislation.
The coordinator of the expert team, Dr. Dalibor Stojanović from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Belgrade, gives us an interpretation of these extraordinary discoveries: “The three new species are centipedes.” Two are from the group of predatory centipedes – hylopoda, and one is from the group of adder’s combs. All found species of centipedes new to science are troglomorphic forms, i.e. they are adapted to life in complete darkness. In addition to new species of centipedes, the findings of two types of stygobiont snails (adapted to living conditions in underground water) are extremely interesting. These are snails of relatively small dimensions (up to 2-3 mm). In addition to the forms associated with the underground way of life, in the gate of the Ribnica monastery, a new species of beetle (insect from the Homoptera order) flew to the light trap for collecting nocturnal insects. The biology of the newly discovered species is still unknown, i.e. the host plant with which it is associated is unknown».
All newly discovered species are in the process of being described by the relevant experts. Until the discovery of new sites, they are considered local endemics of the Ribnica river gorge. The research was carried out as part of the project “Citizens for SDG 15.1” financed as part of the 1st IMPETUS’ acceleration program (EU Horizon project no. 101058677).
