SPIDERS IN SERBIA
The knowledge about spiders in Serbia is very poor although it would be very interesting for biogeographical reasons. In cooperation with the University EDUCONS in Sremska Kamenica, several research projects could be done in nature reserves. Our contact person is Gordana Grbic, who completed her master degree and dissertation as part of this cooperation.
Gordana Grbic collected spiders in protected areas in Zasavica, Fruska Gora, Deliblato and Subotica. All species where the determination was too difficult for a beginner and all species that were new for the Serbian fauna were checked by Ambros Hänggi, curator at the Natural History Museum Basel.
In her master thesis Gordana Grbic investigated a dry meadow with adjacent protected woods. The aim of the study was to show, that not only the forests but especially the meadow should be protected because of the special spider fauna. With a subsidy of the English based Rufford Foundation another project was conducted at Deliblato, the largest inland dune area in Europe.
For her PhD thesis, Gordana Grbic worksed in the Subotica Nature Protection area. Also in this project conservational questions, based on the populations of the spiders, were the main topics. She documented differences in the composition of the spider fauna as a result of land/forest use and developed nature conservation issues. Samples of more than 60 species that represent first findings for Serbia as well as samples for other species not yet present in the Basel collection were integrated in the museum collection.
At the same time, we work on the updating of the Serbian Spider Checklist. Since the publication of a first catalogue in 2003, more than 80 species new for Serbia have been documented.
