B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 38. 2007 (Budapest, 2007)

Papp, Beáta; Erzberger, Peter: Contributions to the bryophyte flora of Western Stara Planina Mts (E Serbia)

further south. The species newly reported for Serbia are also mainly montane species known as subarctic, alpine elements, or boreal, montane taxa. The base of Babin Zub with vertical faces of shaded, moist, sandstone rocks and fissures, the sandstone outcrops in the alpine meadows and wind-swept ridges of sandstone rock maintain a very special bryoflora. Mainly these are the substrates for the mosses discussed here as new records and redlisted species. Conservationally, it is very important to preserve the forests and montane habitats by leaving them intact around Babin Zub and down to the eastern slope towards Topli Do village. Because the shaded, moist microhabitats, essential for the bryophyte flora living there, can be sustained only this way. Unfortunately, we observed active forestry operations in the area, in spite that it is a nature reserve well marked with signs. The survival of this truly valuable bryoflora requires more effective and very strict protection. The Midzor region should be considered as a hot-spot of bryophyte diversity on the Balkans and it would deserve declaration of a trans-border Important Bryophyte Area. * * * Acknowledgements - The authors gratefully thank the Institute for Protection of Nature of Serbia and the Forest Service of the Stara Planina Mts, Serbia, for their support of our field surveys. Many thanks are due to Duska Dimovic, Belgrade, for her essential help in organizing the field trip. We are also indebted to E. Maier (Geneva), F. Müller (Dresden),]'. Klawitter (Berlin), W. Schröder (Ludwigsstadt-Ebersdorf) and J. Vána (Prague) for confirmation, identification or revision of some specimens and to L. Lőkös for his help in the fieldwork. Many thanks are expressed to R. Natcheva (Sofia) and M. Sabovljevic (Belgrade) for the valuable comments and other forms of assistance in the completion of the manuscript. REFERENCES BLOCKEEL, T. L., ARTS, T., BRUGGEMAN-NANNENGA, M. A., BRUSA, G, HEDENÄS, L., NOVOTNY, L, OCHYRA, M. S., SABOVLJEVIC, M. S. and TOWSEND, C. C. (2003): New national and regional bryophyte records, 6. -/. Bryol. 24(4): 329-332. BLOM, H. H. (1996): A revision of the Schistidium apocarpum complex in Norway and Sweden. - Bibl. Bryophyt. 49: 1-333.