In Memoriam ISSN 2336-9744 (Online) | ISSN 2337-0173 (Print) the Journal Is Available on Line At
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In memoriam ISSN 2336-9744 (online) | ISSN 2337-0173 (print) The journal is available on line at www.biotaxa.org/em Prof. Dr. Božidar Ćurčić (1946-2015) Prof. Dr. Boţidar Ćurĉić was born on 3rd July 1946 in Belgrade, where he after completing his elementary and secondary education enrolled to the Faculty of Science (Biology) in 1966. Soon after graduation in 1969 he was posted in the Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Science (Biology), University of Belgrade, where he spent his university career teaching and conducting his fruitful scientific research. During 45 years spent at the Faculty of Biology (Science) Prof. Ćurĉić lectured several courses both on graduate and post-graduate levels (Animal Development, Systematics and Phylogeny of Invertebrates, Human Embryology, Pedozoology) in the Institute of Zoology and became the Head of the Department of Animal Development, position which he held successfully for nine years. Ecol. Mont., 5, 2016, 99-127 99 In memoriam. Prof. Dr. Boţidar Ćurĉić Apart from lecturing, Prof. Ćurĉić held many important professional positions at the Faculty of Biology and the University of Belgrade. He was the Director of the Institute of Zoology; Head of the Department of Animal Development; President of the Trade Union, Faculty of Biology; Vice- President, Academic Council, Faculty of Biology; President of the Council, Vice-Dean, President, Executive Council of the Faculty; member of the Council on Biology and Genetics, Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology; expert advisor, Federal Ministry of Development, Science and Environment; President, Council of Biological Sciences, University of Belgrade. In the course of his prolific teaching career Prof. Ćurĉić was the author or co-author of 28 textbooks (both for secondary education and university level). He was the mentor (supervisor) of 23 master and PhD theses. Prof. Ćurĉić devoted a great deal of his time in support and assistance to his numerous younger associates especially in the early phases of their scientific and teaching careers. He unselfishly shared his broad knowledge and experience with his younger associates and helped them whenever his help was needed. His constructive criticism and encouragement meant a lot to them. Throughout the years they became experts in the field of their scientific research (pseudoscorpions, myriapods, spiders, springtails, beetles) in Serbia and the Balkan region. Prof. Ćurĉić was a fellow and a member of numerous domestic and foreign scientific societies – Royal Entomological Society, American Arachnological Society, Russian Arachnological Society, British Arachnological Society, Japanese Arachnological Society, Council of the European Association of Arachnologists, Swiss Zoological Society, Serbian Biological Society, Entomological Society of Serbia, etc. He was the President of the Serbian Biological Society and the Entomological Society of Serbia. His inexaustible energy enabled him to successfully conduct the position of the editor-in- chief of the Archives of Biological Sciences and the Monographs, Institute of Zoology. Owing to him the Archives of Biological Sciences entered the SCI list. Being an expert, he was a member of editorial boards of several domestic and international scientific journals (Acta zoologica bulgarica, Journal of Science – Sofia, Acta entomologica serbica, Proceedings of the Geographical Institute “Jovan Cvijić” of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts). Fifteen years ago, Prof. Ćurĉić was elected as a foreign member to the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia. Prof. Ćurĉić was the chairman of the MAB (Man and Biosphere) Committee, Commission of Serbia for UNESCO. During his university career Prof. Ćurĉić was the founder and leader of several domestic and foreign scientific projects sponsored by the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Macedonian Ministries of Culture and Ecology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Pseudoscorpions (arachnology) were the main object of Prof. Ćurĉić's scientific research. His investigations included the study of many different aspects of these taxa (systematics, taxonomy, developmental biology, teratology, evolutionary biology, biogeography and biospeleology). The result of these studies throughout the years of his scientific work was the erection of numerous genera and species, both epigean and cavernicolous, new to science from Serbia (Yugoslavia), Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Israel, USSR, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Vietnam, Philippines and the USA. Prof. Ćurĉić was a keen biospeleologist and investigated many caves in Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bulgaria. Being well aware of the importance of cave protection and conservation, Prof. Ćurĉić was the founder of the Center for Biospeleology, Faculty of Biology and NGO Center for Biospeleology of SE Europe. In collaboration with his colleagues from the Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, he explored many caves mainly in Serbia and erected numerous cavernicolous pseudoscorpion species new to science. These investigations shed new light on the richness of the biodiversity of these taxa in underground habitats in Serbia and the region. As a scientist of broad interests, Prof. Ćurĉić had interest in the study of other groups of arthropods as well (diplopods, spiders, springtails, coleopterans). Ecol. Mont., 5, 2016, 99-127 100 Together with his younger colleagues he erected many new genera and species new to science (seven genera and 32 species of coleopterans, six genera and 16 species of diplopods, one genus and 13 species of springtails). His younger colleagues as a token of recognition of his contribution to zoology – arachnology named several new taxa (mainly arthropods) after him (Curcicia, Neobisium bozidarcurcici, Svarogosoma bozidarcurcici, Schizmohetera curcici, Belgrandiella bozidarcurcici, Serbiella curcici, Magdelainella bozidarcurcici). Several years before his retirement (in 2008) “Advances to Arachnology and Developmental Biology – Papers Dedicated to Professor Boţidar P. M. Ćurĉić” was published, a monograph that contains scientific papers by eminent zoologists in recognition of four decades of Professor Ćurĉić's scientific research and teaching activity. Bibliography of Prof. Ćurĉić contains more than 600 scientific papers, 18 monographs and 28 textbooks. He attended many domestic and foreign congresses (arachnological, zoological, biospeleological) and gave notable lectures. Prof. Ćurĉić lectured at many universities and scientific institutions in many cities worldwide (Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Skoplje, Athens, Thessaloniki, Bucharest, Sofia, Paris, Geneva, Florence, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Frankfurt am Main, Boston, Cambridge). In the course of his investigations devoted to the study of pseudoscorpions, Prof. Ćurĉić visited and spent time in research in many scientific institutions such as: CNRS (Moulis); Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Barro Colorado, Panama); Museum of Natural History (Paris); Museum of Natural History (London); Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow); Institute of Zoology, BAN (Sofia), to name a few. Although deeply devoted to his scientific research Prof. Ćurĉić managed to find time for his other interests (art, literature, languages, music, ethnology). He was especially interested and well versed in ancient (Greek, Roman, Slavic) mythology. His broad knowledge enabled him to name many new to science pseudoscorpion species after various gods and deities. Although not with us anymore, Prof. Ćurĉić and his opus will continue to inspire younger associates. Those who had luck to work with him will always remember him as a devoted and hard-working scientist, a person willing to share his broad knowledge and experience and a multifaceted person of versatile interests. And to me a trustful friend above all. Prof. Dr. Rajko N. Dimitrijević Institute of Zoology Faculty of Biology University of Belgrade Belgrade Ecol. Mont., 5, 2016, 99-127 101 In memoriam. Prof. Dr. Boţidar Ćurĉić Invertebrate taxa named after Prof. Dr. Božidar Ćurčić Genera Classis Insecta, order Coleoptera, family Carabidae Curcicia Ćurčić & Brajković, 2003 Species Classis Gastropoda, order Neotaenioglossa, family Hydrobiidae Belgrandiella bozidarcurcici Glöer & Pešić, 2014 Classis Arachnida, order Pseudoscorpiones, family Neobisiidae Neobisium bozidarcurcici Dimitrijević, 2009 Classis Diplopoda, order Chordeumatida, family Anthroleucosomatidae Svarogosoma bozidarcurcici Makarov, Mitić & Ćurčić, 2003 Classis Diplopoda, order Chordeumatida, family Neoatractosomatidae Schizmohetera curcici Makarov, 2001 Classis Insecta, order Collembola, family Sminthuridae Serbiella curcici Lučić, 2001 Classis Insecta, order Coleoptera, family Leiodidae Magdelainella bozidarcurcici Ćurčić & Brajković, 2002 Scientific papers, chapters in monographs, and communications 1968 Ćurĉić, B.P.M. (1968) Scorpiones from the collection of Dr. Milutin Radovanović. Archives of Biological Sciences, 20, 73– 78. Ćurĉić, B.P.M. (1968) Scorpionides from the collection of Dr. Milutin Radovanović. Archives of Biological Sciences (English edition), 20, 85–90. 1969 Ćurĉić, B.P.M. (1969) In memoriam. Prof. Dr. Gábor Kolosváry. Archives of Biological Sciences, 21, 81–84. Ćurĉić, B.P.M. (1969) On some distributional characteristics of Araneae found in the caves of North-Eastern Serbia – The Iron Gates Region. Abhandlungen V Internationaler Kongress für Speläolologie,