Acta Entomologica Serbica

THE FIRST RECORD OF CARABUS (PROCERUS) SCABROSUS OLIVIER, 1790 (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE) IN SERBIA: PRESENT IN THE COUNTRY FOR OVER A DECADE

Nikola Vesović — 2026-04-14

Here we report the first verified record of the huge violet ground beetle Carabus (Procerus) scabrosus Olivier, 1790, one of Europe’s largest insects, from Serbia. A single adult male was collected in 2015 along the Nišava River near the village of Gradinje, close to the Bulgarian border. This finding represents an important faunistic contribution to the knowledge of Serbian entomofauna and provides evidence of a notable westward range expansion within the Balkans, where the species had previously been recorded only in Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. Recent observations on citizen science platforms from areas (Dimitrovgrad and Pirot) west of the confirmed site suggest that the species is already more widely distributed across southeastern Serbia. Potential pathways for the arrival of this new Serbian faunal element are also discussed. Finally, the study highlights the need for targeted field surveys to assess the species’ population status in Serbia and to consider its conservation under national legislation.

MOLECULAR CONFIRMATION OF STETHORUS (STETHORUS) PUSILLUS (HERBST, 1797) IN NORTHERN SERBIA

Ivana Jovičić — 2026-04-14

Stethorus (Stethorus) pusillus (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), one of the most effective biocontrol agents against harmful mites in horticultural crops, was recorded for the first time in Sremska Mitrovica, northern Serbia, in August 2022. Molecular analyses confirmed the morphological identification. This Holarctic species primarily preys on mites on many cultivated plants. While the specimens in this study were found on peach (Prunus persica L.) leaves, the presence of mites was not documented at the time of sampling.

PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF INVASIVE MOSQUITO SPECIES (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) AT TWO ALTITUDINAL LEVELS IN THE VALJEVO MUNICIPALITY OF SERBIA

Jelena Tripković — 2026-04-20

Although invasive mosquito species such as Aedes albopictus and Aedes japonicus are expanding their distribution across Europe and invading many areas in the Balkans, data on their presence and population dynamics in some regions of Serbia remain limited. This study implemented active surveillance in the municipality of Valjevo, western Serbia, to assess the occurrence of invasive Aedes species across urban and rural habitats at two altitudinal levels. In the urban area (city of Valjevo), only Ae. albopictus was detected, with a total of 2,389 eggs collected during the one-month sampling period at approximately 275 m a.s.l. However, both Ae. albopictus and Ae. japonicus were present in the rural village of Leskovice, where 3,500 eggs were collected at higher altitudes of 773–777 m a.s.l. The mean number of Ae. albopictus eggs per five traps, collected across four sampling events, was higher in the rural area (700.00±442.82) compared to the urban site (477.80±211.37). These findings contribute to the current knowledge of invasive mosquito populations in western Serbia.