Project
Inventory of cave fauna and development of Biospeleological cadastre of caves in Kostrena Municipality
Cooperation between Kostrena Municipality Tourist Office, Speleological club Estavela and Croatian Biospeleological Society started in 2007. when two caves were explored: Bunetova jama cave and cave Špilja u uvali Predpeć. During 2008. in cooperation with Kostrena Municipality cave Špilja u uvali Svežanj were also explored. After discovery of some very interesting species in these caves CBSS in cooperation with Kostrena Municipality and Kostrena Municipality Tourist Office started the above project in 2009.
Altogether 9 caves were explored during fieldtrips in 2009. With the help of our guide mr. Bruno Puharić we have discovered some forgotten caves in Kostrena like cave Mali Štumbur or pit Karlova jama. Future speleological exploration of some of these caves are yet to come. During biospeleological explorations cave fauna was collected and photographed, air humidity, soil, water and air temperature and some other chemical parameters of water have been measured. The most famous cave in Kostrena, cave Urinjska špilja has been visited also. This anchialine cave has big underground lake where diver B. Jalžić took some biological samples.
Numerous interesting species have been recorded. Some of the most interesting are: probably new species of centipede from the genus Lithobius have been discovered, cave prawn Troglocaris anophthalmus, and falsescorpion Chthonius ischnocheles reductus. All material collected during 2009. is still in the process of identification. Biologists that are working on identification are: J. Bedek, T. Dražina, S. Gottstein, B. Jalžić, A. Komerički, M. Lukić, R. Ozimec and M. Pavlek.
Result of research until the 2009. is presented at the lecture Biospeleological research in the Kostrena Municipalitiy on the congress Znanstveno-stručni skup “Život, kultura i povijest Kostrene” on the 29th October 2008. Paper Preliminary speleological and biospeleological research in the Kostrena Municipality (authors: M. Lukić , R. Reš, R. Ozimec, J. Bedek, D. Reš, I. Markanjević) is published in the Proceeding of the same congress.
Future work and continuation of the project is planned for the 2010. Most interesting caves will be biospeleologicaly explored once more to collect more biological samples, and cave aquatic and terrestrial fauna will be filmed. Education tables and leaflets about cave fauna will be made.
Project executers: Marko Lukić (project leader), Jana Bedek (project assistant), Mr. sc. Roman Ozimec, Helena Bilandžija, Martina Pavlek i Branko Jalžić.
Fieldwork staff: Petra Bregović, Hrvoje Cvitanović, Tamara Čuković, Anđela Čukušić Lana Đud, Dajana Hmura. Special thanks to our guides Mr. Bruno Puharić and Mr. Karlo Franelić.
