[Results of the biospeleological research at the Kamena Gora Mt. [Serbia]] | Резултати биоспелеолошких истраживања на Каменој гори Србија

Kamena Gora is situated in the furthermost southwest part of Serbia, along the border of The Republic of Montenegro, representing a part of Starovlah-Ras plateau of Dinaric Serbia. As local people estimate, within wider area of Kamena Gora there is between 100 and 150 caves and pits. Biospeleological research of the mentioned area dates back to 1933 when a French team of biologists, lead by P. Remy, researched not only caves in Pešter and near Berane, but also one cave situated in the northwest direction from Pljevlja (Bjeloševačka cave) in Montenegro and one cave near Prijepolje (Popova cave) in Serbia. Two species of troglobitic beetles found in these caves were described by Rene Jeannel in 1934, as new species of Proleonhardella genus. 47 years later professor Guido Nonveiller, one of the biospeleology doyens in former Yugoslavia, visited Popova cave near Prijepolje where he collected both species of troglobitic beetles described by Jeannel. However, professor Nonveiller never published the results of his research on the above mentioned cave. In August 2008 a team of speleologists and biospeleologists from the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia began systematic research on speleological sites, for the purpose of drafting the Study on protection of Kamena Gora, the study title being Landscape of Exceptional Quality Kamena Gora. This study was finished in 2009, nevertheless, biospeleological research carried on in 2010, within the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia’s project called Biospeleological Research on Subterraneous Sites in Serbia. During the period from 2008 till 2010, 19 subterraneous sites, nine caves and ten pits were researched. Most of these sites were visited on several occasions in order to collect additional samples of arthropods necessary for the exact specie determination. The collected material was of high scientific value and the discovery of even nine, for Serbian fauna new, species of insects and one spider, was of particular importance. Research has shown that trogloxenic species of arthropods are the most distributed in caves and pits of wider area of Kamena Gora, whereas troglophile and troglobitic are rare.