New records of endemic species of earthworm the Allolobophora mayeri (Mršić, 1990) (Lumbricidae) in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

The earthworm fauna of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been sparsely researched and the knowledge on earthworm fauna is largely based on old literature. Identifying the earthworm material recently collected from of Bosnia and Hercegovina (Cincar Mountain), resulted in a new record of the endemic species Allolobophora mayeri. The Cincar Mt. is part of the Dinaric mountain range located in the southwestern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Allolobophora mayeri is a Bosnian endemic species, so far been found at only one locality Čajniče near Goražde (narrow range of Balkan endemism) in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. After almost thirty years, our research indicated that All. mayeri is still present in the in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nevertheless, taking into account the new locality, it is evident an extension of the distribution of this species to the west. Further, the new localities from Cincar Mt. represent the westernmost limit of the species’ natural range for now. Our research has shown that this species belongs to a broad range of Balkan endemism. This paper reports the new record of species All. mayeri in Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus improving the knowledge of its distribution area