Of the Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria)
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Opiliones 167 Beron P., Popov A. (eds). Biodiversity of Bulgaria. 2. Biodiversity of Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria and Greece). Pensoft & Nat. Mus. Natur. Hist., Sofia Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) of the Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria) Plamen MITOV Mitov P. 2004. Harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) of the Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria). – In: Beron P., Popov A. (eds). Biodiversity of Bulgaria. 2. Biodiversity of Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgar- ia and Greece). Pensoft & Nat. Mus. Natur. Hist., Sofia, 167-179. Abstract. The work summarizes the data on the harvestmen-fauna of the Eastern Rhodopes Mountains, a relatively poorly known territory of Bulgaria. The faunistic list includes 24 species altogether (from 18 genera and 5 families), or roughly 45% of the opilionid species recorded so far from Bulgaria. Eleven species are new to the fauna of the Eastern Rhodopes and new chorological data are added for six species and subspecies. A comparison between the faunas of the Eastern and the Western Rhodopes is presented, and a zoogeographical characterization of the opilionid fauna of the latter region is furnished. Some comments on endemism, expected number of species, and the conservation status of the studied animal group in the investigated area are provided. Key words: Opiliones, harvestmen, faunistic, zoogeographical notes, Rhodopes, Bulgaria Introduction The Rhodopes Mountains (GULUBOV et al., 1956; GEORGIEV, 1985, 1991), as a part of the Rila-Rhodopes massif, stretch throughout the southern parts of the Balkan Pen- insula and possess a relatively high average altitude (785 m). Based on morphohydrographic traits, the Rhodopes massif is usually subdivided into two main parts - western part (area: 8061 sq. km) and eastern part (area: 4172 sq. km). In contrast to the Western Rhodopes, the eastern part is more hilly and has a relatively lower average altitude (330 m). The Eastern Rhodopes are predominantly influenced by the Mediterranean climate, but due to their specific geographical configuration (i. e. the mountain chains are widely open northwards), the cooler continental airflow is also felt, especially in the winter. Despite that, the winter is relatively mild; the snow cover is not so long lasting, the mean monthly temperatures do not drop below 0°C, and the average annual rainfall is relatively high (600-1000 mm). The summer is dry, the maximum average temperatures reach 31°C (in the area of Kardjali) (GEORGIEV, 1985; GRUEV, 1988). As a result, a significant climatic differentiation may be observed in the area of the Eastern Rhodopes - the transitional continental and the transition- al Mediterranean climate, combining with some elements of the temperate continental and mountain climate (above 1000 m), are manifested in the region (GEORGIEV, 1985, 1991). 168 P. MITOV In the past the Rhodopes massif existed for a long time as a compact land massif (development of the current relief began at the beginning of the Neogen), and so it is geologically the oldest land in Bulgaria. All this, together with the fact that the mountain was ice-free during the glaciations periods, has permitted many relict species to persist on its territory (GULUBOV еt al., 1956). Additionally, many expansive Mediterranean taxa have reached the mountain (GRUEV, 1988). So the Eastern Rhodopes, as a part of the territory of the South Bulgarian biogeographical region - a zone that has acted as an impor- tant refuge, supporting the survival of several thermophilous floral and faunal elements during the Pleistocene (see GRUEV, 1988), represent an area of significant interest for both faunists and zoogeographers. Review of previous investigations The opilionid fauna of the Eastern Rhodopes is much less known compared to the fauna of the Western Rhodopes (Table 1). Until now they have not been a subject of special research. Only 13 species (belonging to 11 genera and 3 families) have been reported from the area so far (ŠILHAVÝ, 1965; STARĘGA, 1976; BERON, 1994; BERON & MITOV, 1996; KARAMAN, 2002; MITOV, 1986b, 2002, 2003). Hence the present work aims at summarizing both the published and unpublished data on the opilionid fauna of the Eastern Rhodopes (respectively of the Rhodopes as a whole), zoogeographically analyzing the resulting data, and estimating the conservation status of this animal group. It is clear that the work on revealing the species composition and the distribution of the representatives of the order Opiliones - an ancient and perfectly suitable for zoogeo- graphical investigations animal group (see EMELYANOV, 1974; GUÉORGUIEV, 1992) - will contribute significantly towards a better and more extensive characterization of this relatively poorly investigated region in Bulgaria. Material and methods The present work is based on material collected during the fieldtrips of many Bul- garian zoologists who visited the territory of the Eastern Rhodopes during the period 1982-2003. The material is deposited in the arachnological collection of the author and in the National Museum of Natural History, Sofia (NMNHS). The classification and nomencla- ture follow MARTENS (1978) and STARĘGA (1981) with one exception – the correct spelling “Zachaeus” (after CRAWFORD, 1992) is used instead of “Zacheus”. To facilitate a future comparison of the phenological data on the Opiliones from the Eastern Rhodopes with those from other regions, for every species data is given about the body length and the number of eggs in the egg reservoir (uterus internus). For comparative purposes the following new records for the Western Rhodopes are also included here: – Opilio dinaricus Šilhavý, 1938: Western Rhodopes: in the region of Peshtera, Dobra Voda Hut, 705-884 m, B. Petrov leg. – 1 ‡ (L: 5.7 mm); in the region of Trigrad, locality Trigradsko Zhdrelo, 1200 m, 16.8.1991, B. Petrov leg. – 1 †. Opiliones 169 T a b l e 1 The opilionid fauna of Rhodopes Mts. (Bulgaria) Species and subspecies Endemism In Westеrn In Eastern Rhodopes 1 Rhodopes 2 Siro sp. BG, ?BE ••• Paranemastoma radewi (Roewer, 1926) BE •• Paranemastoma aurigerum ryla (Roewer, 1951) BE • ? Paranemastoma aurigerum aurigerum (Roewer, 1951) BE • ? Mediostoma stussineri (Simon, 1885) BE ? • Pyza bosnica (Roewer, 1919) BE • ? Histricostoma drenskii Kratochvíl, 1958 BG, ?BE •• Carinostoma ornatum (Hadži, 1940) BE ••• Dicranolasma scabrum (Herbst, 1799) ••• Dicranolasma thracium Staręga, 1976 BE ? •• Trogulus tricarinatus (Linnaeus, 1758) ••• Trogulus nepaeformis (Scopoli, 1763) ••• Platybessobius singularis Roewer, 1940 BE ? • Phalangium opilio Linnaeus, 1758 ••• Opilio parietinus (De Geer, 1778) ••• Opilio saxatilis C.L. Koch, 1839 •• Opilio ruzickai Šilhavý, 1938 •• Opilio dinaricus Šilhavý, 1938 •• ? Graecophalangium atticum Roewer, 1923 BE • ? Rafalskia olympica bulgarica (Staręga, 1963) BE •• Rafalskia cretica (Roewer, 1923) BSE ? • Rilaena balcanica Šilhavý, 1965 BE ••• Rilaena cf. serbica Karaman, 1992 BE •• ? Eudasylobus beschkovi Staręga, 1976 BG, ?BE •• Lophopilio palpinalis (Herbst, 1799) • ? Zachaeus crista (Brullé, 1832) •• Zachaeus cf. anatolicus (Kulczyński, 1903) BSE ? •• Egaenus convexus (C.L. Koch, 1835) •• Lacinius horridus (Panzer, 1794) •• Lacinius dentiger (C.L. Koch, 1848) ••• Odiellus lendli (Sørensen, 1894) •• Mitopus morio (Fabricius, 1779) • ? Leiobunum rumelicum Šilhavý, 1965 BE • ? Total: 18 endemics 28 24 BG = Bulgarian endemic, BE = Balkan endemic, BSE = Balkan subendemic, •• = newly recorded 1After ROEWER (1956), KRATOCHVÍL (1958), GUÉORGUIEV & BERON (1962), ŠILHAVÝ (1965), BERON & GUÉORGUIEV (1967), STARĘGA (1963, 1976), MARTENS (1978), BERON (1994), BERON & MITOV (1996), KARAMAN (2002), MITOV (1986a, 1986b, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2003). 2After ŠILHAVÝ (1965), STARĘGA (1976), BERON (1994), BERON & MITOV (1996), KARAMAN (2002), MITOV (1986b, 2002, 2003). – Rilaena cf. serbica Karaman, 1992: Western Rhodopes: in the region of Velingrad, locality Ostrets, 1000 m, Quercus leaf litter, 15.6.1965, P. Beron leg., (NMNHS: inv. No. 172). – 1 ‡ (L: 7.5 mm). Abbreviations used: inv. No. = museum inventory number; juv. = juvenes; L = body length; NMNHS = National Museum of Natural History, Sofia; subad. = subadultus. 170 P. MITOV Results Among the 182 specimens of Opiliones that were examined (32 ††, 43 ‡‡, 107 juv.), 11 new species for the fauna of the Eastern Rhodopes (marked with an asterisk in the text) were discovered (see Table 1). The following, already recorded by ŠILHAVÝ (1965), STARĘGA (1976), KARAMAN (2002), and MITOV (1986b, 2003) species and subspecies were con- firmed: Histricostoma drenskii, Paranemastoma radewi, Lacinius horridus, Opilio saxatilis, Rafal- skia olympica bulgarica, Zachaeus crista, and Egaenus convexus; for the four latter species new chorological data are provided. As a result, the opilionid fauna of the Eastern Rhodopes includes so far 24 species (included in 18 genera and 5 families) (see Table 1), or roughly 45% of the species currently known from Bulgaria (MITOV, 2003). The actual species list of the Rhodopes as a whole includes 33 species and subspecies (22 genera and 5 families) (ROEWER, 1956; KRA- TOCHVÍL, 1958; GUÉORGUIEV & BERON, 1962; ŠILHAVÝ, 1965; BERON & GUÉORGUIEV, 1967; STARĘGA, 1963, 1976; MARTENS, 1978; BERON, 1994; BERON & MITOV, 1996; KARAMAN, 2002; MITOV, 1986a, 1986b, 1988, 1995, 2002, 2003)1. Nineteen species are common for the eastern part of the Rhodopes (24 spp.) and the western part (28 spp.) of the mountain (Table 1). List of species SIRONIDAE * Siro sp. Material: District Djebel: Kremen, near the Zlatnata Yama cave, 250 m, 23.10.2003, B. Petrov & P.