Sciency Thoughts: Montenegro

Showing posts with label Montenegro. Show all posts

Friday, 6 October 2017

Chaetonotus antrumus: A new species of Gastrotrich from Obodska Cave in Montenegro.

Gastrotrichs are a phylum of minute animals, generally less than a millimetre in length, found in interstitial spaces in sediments (a phylum is the highest classification of organisms below that of kingdom; other animal phyla include Molluscs and Arthropods, the Vertebrates only have the status of a subphylum within the Phylum Chordata, which also includes animals such as Sea Squirts and Lancets). Their small size meant that they went unnoticed until the event of microscopy, with the group not being discovered until the 1860s.These animals appear to be almost ubiquitous in marine and freshwater ecosystems, as well as semi-terrestrial ecosystems such as bogs and swamps. However they have been studied better in some areas than others; the group has been best studied in Europe, with about 225 freshwater and 100 marine species known; but of those 100 freshwater and 35 marine species come from Poland, with no species at all described from Portugal, The Netherlands or any Balkan country other than Romania.

In a paper published in the European Journal of Taxonomy on 28 September 2017, Małgorzata Kolicka of the Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology at Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, Piotr Gadawski of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology at the University of Łódź, and Miroslawa Dabert of the Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory at Adam Mickiewicz University Poznan, describe a new species of Gastrotricj from the Obodska Cave in southern Montenegro.

The Obodska Cave is a limestone cave beneath Pecki Hill, through which the River Crnojevica flows, and which also contains a natural spring. The cave is 350 m in length, with five levels in three compartments connected by two siphons. The presence of the spring and river creates a humid microclimate within the cave.

The new species is placed in the genus Chaetonotus, and given the specific name antrumus, which derives from 'antrum', the Latin word for 'cave'. It has a slender body 91.2 to 129.7 μm in length with a five-lobed head separated from the body by a distinct neck.

Chaetonotus antrumus, schematic drawings. (A) Dorsal body view. (B) Internal body view. (C) Ventral body view. Kolicka et al. (2017).

Saturday, 27 August 2016

Glossiphonia balcanica & Dina prokletijaca: Two new species of Leech from the Balkan Peninsula.

Leeches, Hirudinida, are highly specialised Annelid Worms, related to Oligochaetes (Earthworms), or possibly a highly specialised group within the Oligochaeta. They are best known for the habit of sucking blood from Vertebrate animals, but many are carnivores, hunting and consuming Invertebrate prey. Most Leeches are found in freshwater environments, though marine and terrestrial forms are also known; many show remarkably sophisticated parental care for Annelid Worms. All Leeches, regardless of their diet, can be distinguished by the presence of two suckers, one at each end, and by their internal segmentation, which, unlike the segmentation seen in other Annelids, does not match the external segmentation.

In a paper published in the journal Ecologica Montenegrina on 10 July 2016, Clemens Grosser of Elstertrebnitz in Saxony (Germany), Vladamir Pešić of the Department of Biology at the University of Montenegro, Violata Berlajolli of the University of "Haxhi Zeka" and Bogić Gligorović, also of the Department of Biology at the University of Montenegro, describe two new species of Leech from Montenegro and Kosovo.

The first new species is placed within the Family Glossiphoniidae, flattened Leaches with reduced forward suckers that live in freshwater and typically feed on the blood of aquatic Vertebrates, assigned to the genus Glossiphonia and given the specific name balcanica, in reference to the Balkan Peninsula, where it was found. These are small almost disk-shaped Leeches, reaching 10 mm in length and 8 mm in width, amber in colour and having three pairs of eyes arranged in two rows. The species was found in fast-running waters in both Kosovo and Montenegro, being most abundant on the Mediterranean side of Montenegro.

Glossiphonia balcanica in dorsal view (inset: eyes). Grosser et al. (2016).

The second new species described is placed within the Family Erpobdellidae, elongate freshwater Leeches that hunt aquatic invertebrates rather than sucking blood, assigned to the genus Dina and given the specific name prokletijaca, after the Prokletije Mountain Range of the Western Balkan Peninsula, that runs from northern Albania to Kosovo and eastern Montenegro. These are small stocky |Leeches, reaching 23 mm in length and 4.5 mm in width. The are grey in colour with two dark stripes on their dorsal surface, and have greatly reduced eyes. The species was found around natural springs in deciduous Beech forests in the Prokletije Mountains of Kosovo.

Dina prokletijaca in (A) dorsal and (B) lateral views. Grosser et al. (2016).

Sunday, 15 March 2015

Two new species of cave-dwelling Leptodirine Beetles from Montenegro.

Beetles of the Leptodirine genus Anthroherpon, are known from cave systems across the Dinaric Mountain Range of the Balkan Peninsula, an area considered a global biodiversity hotspot for cave-dwelling animals. The genus shows a high level of specialization to this habitat, with very long limbs and appendages and an elongate head and forebody.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 4 February 2015, Iva Njunjić of the Department of Biology and Ecology at the University of Novi Sad and the Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Michel Perreau of the Université Paris and Dragan Pavićević of the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia describe two new species of Anthroherpon from cave systems in northern Montenegro.

The first new species is named Anthroherpon sinjajevina, in reference to Mount Sinjajevina, the specimens from which the species is described having been collected from Blažova pećina cave, 1470 m above sea-level on Mount Sinjajevina, close to the village of Rudanca. The species is described from 13 male and 22 female specimens. These are 5.6-5.9 mm in length and lack eyes and wings. The antennae of the males are slightly longer than those of the females.

Anthroherpon sinjajevina, male specimen in dorsal view. Scale bar is 1 mm. Njunjić et al. (2015).

The second species is named Anthroherpon cecai, in honour of Aleksandar Milosavljević-Ceca, a speleologist from Belgrade who discovered the first specimens of this species. The species was found in Crna jama pit, at an altitude of 1900 m on Mount Durmitor, close to the village of Mala Crna Gora. The species is described from three male and three female specimens, 6.59-7.00 mm in length and lacking eye and wings. The antennae of the males are slightly longer than those of the females.

Anthroherpon cecai, male specimen in dorsal view. Scale bar is 1 mm. Njunjić et al. (2015).

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Magnitude 4.6 Earthquake in southern Montenegro.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.6 Earthquake at a depth of 28.5 km, roughly 4 km to the south of the town of Spuž in southern Montenegro, slightly after 7.30 pm local time (slightly after 6.30 pm GMT) on Tuesday 10 December 2013. People close to the epicenter of this quake reported feeling shaking and hearing a roaring sound for 10-15 seconds, but there are no reports of any damage or injuries arising from this event.

The approximate location of the 10 December 2013 Spuž Earthquake. Google Maps.

The coastal region of Montenegro, and the other states of the western Balkan Peninsula, forms the eastern margin of the Adriatic Plate, a piece of the African Plate that has broken away and is now wedged into the southern part of the Eurasian Plate. This is being squeezed by the impact of Africa into Europe from the south, which is pushing western Italy, which sits on the Eurasian Plate, to the east, and Greece and Turkey, which sit on the Aegean and Anatolian Plates, to the west. This squeezing leads to uplift around the margins of the Adriatic Plate, in the Apennine Mountains of central Italy and the mountain ranges of the west Balkan Peninsula.

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Friday, 29 March 2013

Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake in Montenegro.

On Thursday 28 March 2013, slightly before 5.15 pm local time (slightly before 4.15 pm GMT) the United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 4.1 Earthquake at a depth of 9.1 km, roughly 3 km north of the coastal resort of Budvar. This small enough that serious damage or casualties are unlikely, but large enough to have been felt over a large area.

The location of the 28 March 2013 Earthquake. Google Maps.