Historia naturalis bulgarica, 23: 109-118, 2016 Endemics and relicts in the high-mountain fauna of Bulgaria Petar Beron Abstract: The orophyte zone in Bulgarian mountains is about 1.37% of Bulgarian territory in eight mountains higher than 2000 m). Rila and Pirin are the only mountains higher than 2400 m and most of the relicts and endemics are centered in these mountains. Key words: Endemics, relicts, high-mountain fauna, Bulgaria The orophyte zone in the Bulgarian mountains uted greatly to the knowledge of these animals (several starts usually at 1900 – 2200 m a.s.l. This is the up- groups). Most animals living on the top of Bulgarian per limit of the closed high forest (the mountain fur (and other) mountains could be considered as neoen- excluded). This high mountain (orophytic) zone demics. of Bulgaria consists of 1.37% of Bulgarian territo- ry (above 2000 m are 1.05% of the total surface of Development of the high mountain environment Bulgaria, the land above 2500 m – 0.18%.) in eight in Bulgaria mountains (Rila – 2925 m a.s.l., Pirin – 2914 m, Stara The development of the fauna is closely related planina – 2386 m, Vitosha – 2290 m, Ossogovska with the development of the plant communities and planina – 2261 m, Slavyanka – 2212 m, Rhodopes – is indeed determined by it. It is justified to consider 2191 m, Belassitsa – 2029 m). Particularly important here only the changes of the vegetation in the last are the mountains exceeding 2400 m a.s.l. (Rila and 15 000 years (the Glacial and Postglacial time, or Pirin). Here are represented the ‘’true” high-moun- the end of the Pleistocene and the entire Holocene). tain dwellers, excluding the inhabitants of the eco- According to Palamarev (1982), “The conifer- tone and the carried – away specimens. ous forests become dominant formation in Rila, If we consider as high-mountain fauna the Pirin and Rhodopes between 1000 and 2000 m by animals living higher than 1900 m a.s.l., in the eight the end of the Subboreal and the beginning of the Bulgarian mountains exceeding 2000 m at least 2300 Subatlantic phase. In the same time above the timber species of terrestrial Metazoa have been recorded line there have been developed groups of mountain above 1900 m (Beron, 1999, with supplements). pines and alpine herbaceous communities”. The ma- The highest mountains (Rila and Pirin) have been jority of our knowledge on the history of the high- glaciated, but at present there are no glaciers. These mountain flora in the Rila and Pirin Mountains we mountains contain the highest number of glacial rel- owe to Dr E. Bojilova (Božilova) and her associates. icts, but such relicts are found also on the territory of According her (Božilova, 1995), our information Vitosha, Central Balkan (Stara planina), Ossogovska about the changes of the upper forest line in the planina and Slavyanka Mountains. Rila Mountains goes to the end of the last glaciation The glacial relicts in Bulgaria were firstly sum- (10 500 years ago). In the arid climatic conditions marised first by Buresch & Arndt (1926), than during the Glacial periods forest vegetation has not Beron (1969) collated a list of “boreoalpine” species been developed in the mountains of South Europe. in Bulgaria. Recently several detailed studies of the The present-day upper forest line (formed by Pinus fauna of Rila, Pirin and Central Balkan (Sakalian V. , sylvestris, P. peuce and Picea abies) has taken shape Ed., 1997; Sakalian M., Ed., 2000a, 2000b) contrib- only in the Subatlantic time (less than 7000 years 110 Petar Beron ago). With the beginning of the Atlantic phase (8000 Fam. Scutacaridae: Scutacarus pirinicus Dobrev years BP) domination of Pinus sylvestris and P. peuce – Pirin, Stara planina Mountains starts. By contrast with Stara planina, in the Rila Fam. Trombiculidae: Neotrombicula monticola Mountains the beech (Fagus) has never reached the Kolebinova – Pirin upper forest limit. About 4000 years ago the upper Fam. Erythraeidae: Erythraeus rilensis Beron, E. forest line has been fixed already at the present day bulgaromontanus Beron – Rila level of 2000 m a.s.l. Oribatida Fam. Carabodidae: Carabodes pirinensis Kunst Endemism. Here as endemics are considered – Pirin taxa which are found only on the Balkan Peninsula Fam. Eremaeidae: Eremaeus valkanovi Kunst or have a more restricted areal (usually recorded Pauropoda only on one or several of its mountains). Fam. Pauropodidae: Allopauropus doryphorus Endemism above 1900 m a.s.l. Remy – Rila Oligochaeta. From the nine species of Chilopoda Oligochaeta known from above 1900 m three are Lithobiomorpha endemics: Dendrobaena balcanica (Černosvitov), Fam. Lithobiidae: Lithobius (L.) borisi Verhoeff D. hrabei (Černosvitov), and D. rhodopensis – Pirin (Černosvitov). L. (L.) electron Verhoeff – W. Rhodopes Gastropoda. From the 31 species, found above L.(L.) glaciei Verhoeff – Ossogovo 1900 m, endemic for the higher parts of the Pirin Fam. Geophilomorpha Mountains are two species of Wladislawia: W. polin- Fam. Geophilidae skii (Wagner) and W. sztolcmani (Wagner). Geophilus rhodopensis Kaczmarek – W. Arachnida. Endemics or relicts that have Rhodopes, Vitosha been recorded above 1900 m a.s.l. are found among Diplopoda Araneae and Acariformes. Iulida Araneae. Endemism is high among the high- Fam. Iulidae: altitude spiders. From 192 species living above 1900 Leptoiulus borisi Verhoeff – Rila, Vitosha, Pirin m, 12 (6,2 %) are Bulgarian and local endemics: Megaphyllum glossulifer (Schubart) – Rila Fam. Zodariidae: M. rhodopinus (Verhoeff) – Rhodopes, Zodarion pirini Drenski – Pirin, Rhodope, Rila Slavyanka, Pirin and Vitosha Mountains. Chordeumatida Fam. Linyphiidae (incl. Erigonidae) Fam. Anthroleucosomatidae: Bulgarosoma su- Araeoncus clivifrons Deltshev – Rila and Pirin, perficiei Strasser – Vitosha not found below the upper border of the forest Insecta s.l. (Deltshev). Collembola. In the pot holes of the higher parts Erigone pirini Deltchev – Pirin, Rila, Stara of Pirin we have collected some species, described planina. as new and so far considered endemic (Pomorski, Diplocephalus altimontanus Deltshev – Pirin. 2006). Metopobactrus orbelicus Deltshev – Pirin and Rila. Fam. Onychiuridae Antrohyphantes rhodopensis (Drenski) – Pirin, Rila. Onychiuroides bojani Pomorski, O. peteri Drepanotylus pirinicus Deltchev – Pirin. Pomorski, O. pirinicus Pomorski – Pirin Mountains Cеntromerus paucidentatus Deltchev – Pirin Orthoptera. The endemism in the mountain and Rila. species of Orthoptera from Bulgaria has been out- Mughyphantes lithoclasicolus (Deltchev) – Pirin lined by Peschev (1987). Most of the species, enu- and Rila. merated as “paleoendemics” or “neoendemics”, are Tenuiphantes drenskii (Helsdingen) – Rila. not distributed above 1900 m. All the “paleoen- Mansuphantes rectilamellus (Deltshev) – Pirin. demic” species and the high-mountain “neoendem- Fam. Lycosidae: Pardosa drenskii Buchar – ics” are Poecilimon spp. from Pirin. According to Vitosha, Pirin, Rila, Stara planina Mountains. Popov (1997b), the species of Orthoptera from the Acari Pirin National Park could be considered as endemics Acariformes. (neoendemics). However, only five of them are re- Prostigmata. Currently some terrestrial corded above 1900 m a.s.l.: Poecilimon harzi Peshev Prostigmata are considered endemic: (1500-2400 m, endemic for Pirin), P. m. mistshenkoi Endemics and relicts in the high-mountain fauna of Bulgaria 111 Peshev (1250-2000 m, endemic for Pirin), P. orbelicus tles (Carabidae) in Bulgaria has been studied by Panč. (900-2400 m, Balkan endemic), Metrioptera Guéorguiev in Sakalian & Guéorguiev (1997). arnoldi Ramme (1200-2200 m, Balkan endemic), According to these authors among the 756 species and Pholidoptera aptera karnyi (Ebner) (950-2400 and subspecies of Carabidae in Bulgaria 125 species m, Balkan endemic). and subspecies, belonging to 34 genera, are Balkan In the Rila National Park six species are con- endemics (some of them Bulgarian or local endem- sidered as Balkan endemics by Popov (in Hubenov ics). “The lowest level of endemism diversity has et al., 2000a) as Balkan endemics, four of them liv- been observed in the orophyte zone: 32 (34.04%). ing above 1900 m. Three of them coincide with Although as few as eight endemic carabid taxa occur the endemics recorded in the higher parts of Pirin in Bulgaria only within this zone, as many as seven Mountains: Poecilimon orbelicus Panč., Metrioptera of them, or 19,44% of the total local endemics, are arnoldi Ramme and Pholidoptera aptera karnyi confined to the orophyte belt, this share being the (Ebner). The fourth is Psorodonotus fieberi Friv. (re- highest among Bulgaria’s local epigean endemics – corded from the Rila, Rhodope, Belassitsa, and Stara (p.33-34). planina Mountains). In Central Balkan National Park Our analysis has shown that above 1900 m in five Balkan endemics were recorded so far (Popov, Bulgaria 30 species and 17 subspecies of endemic in Hubenov et al., 2000b), including four living ground beetles have been found. They belong to 15 above 1900 m. Again three species are found also in genera‚ as follows: the high parts of Rila: Metrioptera arnoldi Ramme, Duvalius (Paraduvalius) klimai Janák et Moravec Pholidoptera aptera karnyi (Ebner) and Psorodonotus – Bulgarian endemic fieberi Friv. The fourth species is Isophya obtusa D. (Paraduvalius) kuboni Janák et Moravec – Br.-W. As local endemics is described the subspecies Bulgarian endemic Isophia pravdini bazyluki Peshev. Carabus violaceus azurescens Dejean – Balkan Altogether, from 44 species of Orthoptera, found endemic