A new record of Dendrobaena Serbica karaman, 1973 (Clitellata; Lumbricidae) from Serbia

Abstract

The new records of the little-known Balkan endemic species Dendrobaena serbica Karaman, 1973 from Kopaonik Mountain, Serbia, are reported. So far, the species has been recorded at four localities: three localities in Serbia (Čakor, Kragujevac, Niš) and one locality in Montenegro (Prokletije Mountain). The first records were from 1973 from the locality in southwestern Serbia (Čakor, Prokletije). A review of the geographical distribution of D. serbica is presented. The confirmed geographical distribution of the species includes only the territories of the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro. Also, its distinction from the taxonomic similar congeners Dendrobaena illyrica (Cognetti de Martiis, 1906), Dendrobaena sasensis Šapkarev 1983 and Dendrobaena vejdovskyi (Černosvitov, 1935) is discussed. Further, the habitats of this species are restricted to the uppermost litter layer in forest soil and humid forests near stream banks. This paper summarized the knowledge of the taxonomy, ecology, and distribution of a little-known Balkan endemic species D. serbica.