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First records of Cecilioides tumulorum (Bourguignat, 1956) in Bulgaria were reported: 1. deposits of Karabayska River, near village of Sladun, Sakar Mountain; 2. deposits of Stara Reka River, near Peshtera town, Western Rhodopes Mountain; 3. deposits of Byala Reka River, near village of Mandritza, Eastern Rhodopes Mountain; 4. Ivaylovgrad town, Eastern Rhodopes Mountain. After this report, the known species from the genus Cecilioides in Bulgaria are: C. acicula, C. janii, C. spelaeus and C. tumulorum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There were a total of 12 localities of fossil Alpine Ibex (Capra ibex) in Bulgaria till now, all of Late Pleistocene. Most of them were from the West part of Stara Planina Mountain. The paper reports the easternmost cave locality of this species from the Pchena Cave (Tvardishki Balkan area, Stara Planina Mnt.), near the town of Tvarditsa. The find represents a cranial fragment, bearing the horn shafts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bear bones were reported for first time in four Bulgarian caves: Mazata (near Hristo Danovo village, Stara Planina Mnt.) - Ursus cf ingressus, Ursus sp., Kokalenata (near Bulgarka hut, Stara Planina Mnt.) - Ursus cf ingressus, Kiliykite (near Stanchov Han village, Stara Planina Mnt.) - Ursus sp. and Vodnata Modarska (near the Lilkovo village, Western Rhodopes Mnt.) - Ursus spelaeus species complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New data on the species diversity and ecology of some snail species occurring in the island of Samothraki (north Aegean Greece) is presented. This island's malacological aspect has not been studied since 1988. Considering the results from previous molluscan studies on the island, our newly acquired data, and recent taxonomic changes, it was observed that a total of 38 species live on the island. The humid habitats in lowland plan (Platanus orientalis) forests with presence of artificial calcium sources were the richest in snail species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excavations (area of 50 x 50 cm and 20 cm depth) at about 15 m from the cave entrance revealed various vertebrate fauna. As individual numbers the mammals and the frogs predominated as bone remains. All other taxa were with low percent of occurrence. The trogloxenic species dominated than the troglophilic. Considering the cave characteristics and the taxonomical identity of the bones we proposed two main ways of bone accumulation in this cave in recent times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats of the Upper Thracian valley in southern Bulgaria were poorly studied, and the information on urban fauna in the Balkan Peninsula was scarce. Therefore, our study was aimed at the two largest towns of this region -- Plovdiv and Stara Zagora. Nine bat species were newly recorded in Plovdiv (Myotis emarginatus, M. daubentonii, Plecotus spp., Nyctalus leisleri, Pipistrellus pygmaeus, P. nathusii, Hypsugo savii, Vespertilio murinus, Tadarida teniotis) and four in Stara Zagora (Myotis myotis/Myotis blythii, Myotis daubentonii, Nyctalus leisleri, Tadarida teniotis), respectively. Species diversity and habitat use were studied using a variety of methods (ultrasound detectors, mist netting and searching for roosts and dead individuals). Most of the species were found in areas between blocks of flats covered by tree vegetation and in dense park woods with low anthropogenic pressure. Most of the species roosted inside inhabitable buildings, a group of species was also found in crevices in the facade of these buildings and only one species (Nyctalus noctula) was found in tree hollows and in crevices in bridges. Habitat use was studied using a bat detector during the warm period of 2007. The most important habitats with the highest flight activity of bats were reservoirs with banks covered by dense park woods, a small river in a wooded area and a canal situated near a block of flats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]