Three new species of the springtail genus Onychiurus Gervais (Collembola, Onychiuridae) from Macedonia

Abstract

Background and Purpose: This study is a serious contribution to the knowledge of biodiversity of endemic collembolans in Macedonia. Materials and Methods: The analysed samples come from several caves in Macedonia, the fauna of which contains many other invertebrates new to science. The type material is deposited in the collections of the Institute of Zoology in Belgrade and the National Museum of Natural History in Skopje, respectively. Results: The samples of endemic collembolans yielded three species of the collembolan family Onychiuridae: Onychiurus (Onychiurus) n. sp., Onychiurus (Protaphorura) boskovae n. sp., and Onychiurus (Protaphorura) karadzicae n. sp., otherwise new to science. Conclusions: The Macedonian Dinarids (= Hellenids) represent a great refugium of the remnants of once existing fauna of the Tertiary age and origin. The new forms, therefore, belong to the descendants of an old, probably tropic fauna.