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Volume 13 (2020)

Anniversaries

The occasion of a great jubilee – 125 years since the founding of the Natural
History Museum in Belgrade – merits highlighting certain historical
circumstances, important events and personalities, as well as significant
research and activities from the first 80 years of its existence. The fact that
this paper will not be covering the modern period of the Museum is a
consequence of the author’s desire to have that time period reviewed and
interpreted by other researchers – those who are still active witnesses. Extensive
archive materials and the photo library of the Museum were used in the process
of preparation, together with the reports on the work of the Museum, documents
from the personal legacy of the first director Petar Pavlo­vić, and memoirs of
antecedent museologists Petar Stevanović and Sergei Matveyev.

KeywordsNatural History Museum in Belgrade, historical context, important events, personalities, research and activities

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Geology

Badenian sediments are found for the first time in the surroundings of the Krčedin village. They represent remnants of the Central Paratethys marginal sea. The sediments are represented by a basal conglomerate unit overlain by pure and sandy marl. Foraminifera and rare ostracods are present, limited to the marls. Normal gradation and the prevalence of planktonic foraminifera suggest a rapidly deepening basin.

Key words: Krčedin, Badenian, Central Paratethys, foraminifera

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Biology

Biodiversity of Ascomycota fungi in Serbia is still scarcely known although mostly phytopathogenic literature data can be found from the last decade, including previous checklists for classes Leotiomycetes and Pezizomycetes. This paper presents data on the new findings of fungal species of the classes Leotiomycetes and Pezizomycetes in Serbia, found mainly in the period from 2016 to 2020. Only those species whose presence is not mentioned in the existing checklists are included in the presented list.

Key words: Ascomycota, Serbia, Leotiomycetes, Pezizomycetes

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Niketić, M., Tomović, G., Anačkov, G., Bartula, M., Djordjević, S., Djordjević, V., Djordjević-Milošević, S., Duraki, Š., Gavrilović, M., Janaćković, P.,  Kabaš, E., Kuzmanović, N., Lakušić, D., Lazarević, P., Perić, R., Randjelović, V., Savić, D., Stanković, M., Stevanoski, I., Stojanović, V., Vasić, O., Vukojičić, S., Zlatković, B., Stevanović, V.
Material on the Annotated Checklist of Vascular Flora of Serbia. Nomenclatural, taxonomic and floristic notes II

The paper propose nine new nomenclature combinations and indicate eight new synonyms. There are 13 taxa (species and subspecies) of vascular flora which are new for the flora of Serbia (of which 10 are autochthonous and three allochtonous plants). An old or unreliable literature records for two autochthonous and one allochthonous plant in the flora of Serbia has been confirmed. Eight plant taxa are a novelty for proper Serbia, Vojvodina, or Kosovo and Metohija, and for three plants, presence in certain administrative units in Serbia has been proved. The last part of the paper contains information on eight taxa whose presence in Serbia or in its territorial units has been refuted.

Key words: vascular flora, checklist, nomenclature, taxonomy, Serbia

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This article presents the third part of data on selected new and noteworthy taxa ensuing from the revision of Herbarium collection of the Institute for Nature Conservation of the Vojvodina province (PZZP). Selected taxa include 11 species, three subspecies, three varieties, one infraspecific taxon with indetermined status [stat. indet.] and one nothospecies placed within seven genera (Filago L., Ludwigia L., Luzula DC., Lycopus L., Lythrum L., Phlomis L. and Silene L.). Two varieties (Luzula campestris subsp. campestris var. elata, Silene flos-cuculi subsp. flos-cuculi var. latifolia) and one infraspecific taxon with indetermined status (Luzula multiflora subsp. multiflora [stat. indet.] b. uliginosa) are new for a flora of Serbia. Additionally, one species (Ludwigia palustris) and one nothospecies (Lythrum ×scabrum) are confirmed for Serbia.

Key words: botanical collections, flora, chorology, Serbia

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Identification and revision of specimens from genus Psallus in the Study Collection of Heteroptera at the Natural History Museum in Belgrade revealed presence of 14 species, including five new species for Serbia: Ps. henschi, Ps. anaemicus, Ps. lentigo, Ps. lucanicus and Ps. pardalis.

Key words: Heteroptera, Miridae, Phylinae, Psallus, Serbia

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Four, morphologically similar species of crested newts (genus Triturus) meet and hybridize in Serbia, making a complex system with several hybrid zones. The puzzling and rapidly changing taxonomic status of crested newts has been a major issue in getting hold of their distribution. We provide an overview of the current knowledge on Triturus taxonomy and compile available faunistic data into a distribution map, highlighting the species contact and hybrid zones. At the present state of faunistic and genetic research, the north-western, north-eastern, eastern and south-eastern parts of Serbia transpire as areas that are exceptionally important for the diversity of crested newts.

Key words: distribution map, faunistic data, hybrid zones, Triturus

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Urošević, A., Tomović, Lj, Crnobrnja-Isailović, J., Krizmanić, I., Ajtić, R., Labus, N., Anđelković, M., Nikolić, S., Jović, D., Krstić, M., Maričić, M., Simović, A., Paunović, A., Žikić, V., Ćorović, J., Vučić, T., Čubrić, T., Džukić, G.
Distribution of the slow worm (Anguis fragilis complex) with possible species delimitation in Serbia

In this study, we present an updated distribution data of Anguis fragilis complex species in Serbia. The dataset consists of literature and Internet records, coupled with previously unpublished distribution data gathered in the field. Of the two species of the complex, Anguis fragilis is present in the western and southern parts of the country while Anguis colchica is present in the northeastern and eastern parts of the country. There is an absence of both species in the northernmost parts of the country, due to the lack of adequate habitat. The field records tend to be more abundant in the Mountain-valley altitudinal region, and scarcer and more scattered in the Peripannonian and Pannonian altitudinal regions, which can partly be attributed to the sampling bias. The location and width of the contact zone are still poorly known. It’s hypothesized to follow the Velika Morava river valley to the south and then the boundary between the Carpathian-Balkan and Rhodope mountain ranges in the southeast, but the hybrid zone could be situated more to the west. There is a certain discrepancy, in the literature, between the contact zone proposed by morphological data, and the one proposed by molecular sampling. That stresses the need for thorough sampling in the region and further analyses. Finally, since the taxonomic split between the cryptic slow worm taxa was not yet recognized in our national nomenclature, this paper also presents the official Serbian names for the two species. The species Anguis fragilis will keep the standard Serbian name “Slepić”, while for the species Anguis colchica we propose the name “Istočni slepić”. Key words: Distribution, Anguis, zoogeography, hybrid zone

Diversity of reptile fauna, as well as threat factors were investigated during April and May 2019 in the settlement Mareza. Field methodology included active searching and visual observation of species along defined transects. In total, 20 reptile species were recorded, what comprises about 55 % of reptile fauna known for Montenegro. According to obtained results, area of Mareza can be considered as important reptile diversity hotspot in Montenegro. First finding of Xerotyphlops vermicularis in this area contribute to knowledge of its distribution range. Three identified species (Emys orbicularis, Testudo hermanni and Elaphe quatuorli­neata) are listed on Annex II of the Habitat Directive. None of identified species are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered, upon the IUCN Red List. Almost all identified species are protected on national level. Main threat factors for reptile fauna in the area of Mareza are: urbanization, habitat fragmentation and destruction, fires, illegal landfills, direct killing by locals and road killing.

Key words: reptile fauna, biodiversity hotspot, Mareza, threat factors

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In Memoriam

Vasić, O., Niketić, M.
Miroslav Jovanović (1967–2020)