Participation in the 3rd BALKAN SPELEOLOGICAL CONFERENCE and a "repatriation"...

Kaloust Paragamian, Director of the HELLENIC INSTITUTE OF SPELEOLOGICAL RESEARCH and cave habitat expert of LIFE GRECABAT, participated in the 3rd Balkan Conference of Speleology, in Sofia, where he gave a presentation on the Maronia Cave, focusing on its biodiversity, its importance and the challenges for its management. In the framework of LIFE GRECABAT, the fauna of Maronia cave was studied, the status of the habitat was assessed and management needs were prioritized in order to effectively protect the habitat and species.

The conference was organised in the context of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Balkan Speleological Association and was an opportunity to meet and interact with important scientists from different fields of speleology (archaeology, palaeontology, palaeontology, chiroptera, biospeleology, exploration - management - protection of caves).

On the occasion of the conference, the repatriation of the type and paratypical of the troglodyte species of phallagus 𝐶𝑦𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑖 Karaman, 2009.

The two specimens had been collected in 1996 & 1997 from Selinitsa Shelter Cave and the species was included in 2009. Today we brought the valuable specimens from the Biological Department of the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) and they will be deposited in the next days in the Natural History Museum of Crete of the University of Crete.

KARAMAN, I. M. (2009). The taxonomical status and diversity of Balkan sironids (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) with descriptions of twelve new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 156(2), 260–318. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00446.x

https://database.inspee.gr/.../Cyphophthalmus%20paragamiani  

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