Paralola
Paralola buresi Kratochvil, 1951
Order Opiliones
Family Phalangodidae
Conservation status: in Bulgaria: Critically endangered CR [B2a, b (ii)(iv)(v); C2a (i)].
General distribution. Bulgaria.
Distribution and abundance in Bulgaria. A local endemic occurring in the caves Temnata dupka, Zidanka, Svinskata and Kozarskata, in the area of the railway station of Lakatnik, the Western Stara Planina Mountains [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. There are no data of its numbers.
Habitats. Caves.
Biology. A troglobiont with an unstudied biology. It inhabits the clay floor in wet places under lumps of clay and calcareous fragments, mainly on the bottom of the caves.
Similar species. None.
Negative factors. The use of the caves for industrial purposes; illegal tourism; treasure-hunting; uncontrolled gathering by collectors.
Conservation measures taken. None.
Conservation measures needed. Declaring the caves where the species is known protected sites; research activities for clarifying the biology and ecology of the species.
References. 1. Kratochvil, 1951; 2. Kratochvil, 1958; 3. Gueorguiev & Beron, 1962; 4. Beron & Gueorguiev, 1967; 5. Starega, 1976; 6. Gueorguiev, 1977; 7. Beron, 1994; 8. Beron & Mitov, 1996; 9. Deltshev et al., 2005.
Author: Plamen Mitov
