4th Dinaric Symposium on Subterranean Biology

The 4th Dinaric Symposium on Subterranean Biology was held from 11 to 12 October 2025 at SPELEON – Centre of subterranean heritage in Nova Kršlja, Croatia.

The symposium brought together 60 participants from 11 European countries who presented the latest achievements in research, biodiversity and conservation of subterranean ecosystems through 22 oral and 9 poster presentations.

In addition to the rich scientific program, participants also enjoyed an evening of socializing with good food and drinks, which was a perfect opportunity for informal conversations and networking in a less formal atmosphere.

The symposium was jointly organized by the Croatian Biospeleological Society and the Public Institution Barać Caves.

The book of abstracts can be found on the official Symposium website.

See you in three years at the 5th Dinaric Symposium!

We would like to thank all participants, organizers and our donors and sponsors: BAREDINE d.o.o., Society for Experimental Biology and Mala tvornica.

: Everything is ready for the start (photo: D. Kermek)

: Beautiful building of SPELEON – Centre of subterranean heritage (photo: T. Rožman)

: Jana Bedek gives a welcome speech (photo: D. Kermek)

: Tihana Oštrina, director of the Public Institution Barać Caves (photo: D. Kermek)

: Mihovil Bićanić, Mayor of the Municipality of Rakovica (photo: D. Kermek)

: Vuković, Oštrina: Management of protected areas in the Dinaric Karst – Barać Caves (photo: D. Kermek)

: Baković, Popović, Jakovljević, Kušan, Matočec, Samardžić, Vuković: Preliminary data on lampenflora and associated organisms in Gornja Baraćeva Cave (Rakovica, Croatia) (photo: D. Kermek)

: Prekrasna zgrada SPELEONA – Centra podzemne baštine (photo: T. Rožman)

: Kuharić, Bedek, Čupić, Ćukušić, Delić, Dražina, Hlebec, Komerički, Pavlek, Polak, Rožman, Tvrtković: Overlooked biodiversity of the subterranean habitats in the Plitvice Lakes National Park (photo: D. Kermek)

: Antić, Vesović, Ćurčić, Karaman, Horvatović, Stojanović, Grujić, Makarov: Towards the Red Book of terrestrial cave-dwelling arthropods in Serbia (photo: T. Rožman)

: Zagmajster, Balázs, Biró, Bucur, Chauveau, Collard, Delić, Fišer, Flot, Haidau, Herczeg, Iepure, Kermek, Kos, Lippert, Lunghi, Mantoiu, Moldovan, Ruscsák, Sambor, Sitar, Stoch, Zakšek, Weber, Weig: Sub-BioMon project – setting the schemes to monitor subterranean biodiversity in karst (photo: T. Rožman)

: Discussion (photo: T. Rožman)

: Pischiutta, Pavlek: Genetic and morphological diversity of Stalagtia hercegovinensis species complex (photo: T. Rožman)

: Kermek, Recknagel, Trontelj, Zakšek: Genetic diversity of Istrian olms (Proteus anguinus) (photo: T. Rožman)

: Hlebec, Enguídanos García, Machata, Arnedo: Genomic insights into the evolution of two highly troglomorphic pseudoscorpions from the Dinarides (photo: T. Rožman)

: Kos, Delić, Komerički, Kos, Stojanović, Zagmajster: Lithobiidae (Chilopoda: Lithobiomorpha): the most diverse centipede family in the caves of the Dinaric Karst (photo: T. Rožman)

: Delić, Milošević, Polak, Jalžić, Trontelj, Zagmajster: Patterns of variation in the ”Crown Jewel” of the Dinaric Karst: the cave beetle Leptodirus hochenwartii (photo: T. Rožman)

: Grego: Proposal for stygozoogeographic division of the Balkan Peninsula with respect to stygobiotic gastropod diversity (photo: T. Rožman)

: Maleš, Rnjak G, Grozić, Hodak, Rnjak D: Application of infrared sensor cameras for bat monitoring in the Jamina underground roost (photo: T. Rožman)

: Zrnčić, Smith, Budinski, Hargreaves, Damant, Schofield: Shining a light on bats: UV fluorescence in lesser and Blasius’s horseshoe bats (photo: T. Rožman)

: Hamidović, Rnjak G, Maleš, Hodak, Grozić, Janeš, Zrnčić, Rnjak D: Revision of the internationally important underground sites for bats according to UNEP/EUROBATS Agreement in Croatia (photo: T. Rožman)

: We carefully followed the lectures (photo: T. Rožman)

: Presetnik, Zamolo, Podgorelec: What can we learn about the state of the Alpine-Dinaric ecosystems in Slovenia from two decades of bat monitoring in caves? (photo: T. Rožman)

: Polak: Palaeospeleobiology: a new perspective (photo: T. Rožman)

: Lukić: Diversity of genus Tritomurus (Tomoceridae, Collembola) in the Dinaric Karst and its unusual, controlled jumping behavior (photo: T. Rožman)

: Premate, Bračko, Delić, Fišer Ž, Kogej, Kos, Pekolj, Rexhepi, Zagmajster, Fišer C: Life-history traits in Niphargus balcanicus (photo: T. Rožman)

: Elverici: Functional trait divergence and morphological heterogeneity in a common troglophile Lepthyphantes leprosus (Araneae: Linyphiidae) across epigean and subterranean habitats (photo: T. Rožman)

: Băncilă, Sarbu, Brad, Niţescu, Ştefan Maraun: Resource transfer from aquatic to terrestrial food webs in a sulfidic subterranean ecosystem (photo: T. Rožman)

: Tommasi, Spoto, Restaino, Bruschi, Burja, Mezgec, Morel, Rozman, Giulianini, Pallavicini, Manfrin: Hidden connections: tracing subterranean biodiversity of the Reka–Timavo River through eDNA (photo: T. Rožman)