Biodiversity and Conservation 13: 17811790, 2004.

# 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

Bryophyte Red List of Serbia and Montenegro

M. SABOVLJEVIC*, T. CVETIC and V. STEVANOVIC
Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Takovska 43,
11000 Belgrade, Serbia; *Author for correspondence (e-mail: marko@bfbot.bg.ac.yu)
Received 7 April 2003; accepted in revised form 26 June 2003

Key words: Bryophytes, Liverworts, Mosses, Red List, Serbia and Montenegro
Abstract. The bryophyte Red List of Serbia and Montenegro comprises 254 species (212 mosses and 42
liverworts). Serbia and Montenegro have 39.50% of threatened bryoflora. One moss species is considered
as extinct (Encalypta serbica Katic). In the threatened categories there are 20 critically endangered (CR),
35 endangered (EN) and 100 vulnerable (VU) bryophyte species. Seventy-two species are considered to
be of low risk, and 36 are too data deficient to place them in any category, but potentially with further
investigation will enter one of the threat categories in the Red List.

Introduction
The bryophyte flora of Serbia and Montenegro (Yugoslavia) contains 524 mosses
and 119 hepatic species (separately 80 hepatics and 371 mosses in Montenegro and
79 liverworts and 427 mosses in Serbia) (Sabovljevic 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002;
Sabovljevic and Stevanovic 1999, 2000a,b; Sabovljevic and Cvetic 2002; Sabovljevic et al. 1999; Blockeel et al. 2000, 2003; Papp and Sabovljevic 2001, 2002;
Dragicevic et al. 2001; Milikic et al. 2001).
The evaluation of a species under threatened status should be done in a global
context concerning its whole area of distribution. However, areas of distribution are
most often politically divided, and therefore local or regional Red Lists are important in implementation of the protection of organisms and conservation by
national and / or local authorities.
For the purpose of global protection and international (interregional) efforts in
protection of some organisms, Red Lists should be compiled by the same criteria in
every region, to make them comparable and easy to use at the local level.
The region of South Eastern Europe is bryologically scarcely known (Sabovljevic et al. 2001), but the imperative of nature and native resource use within
the region highlight concern for all the organisms. None of the SE European
countries have a Red List for bryophytes and only few have any regulations for
bryophyte protection (Sabovljevic et al. 2001). Within the region there is no or little
financial support for bryophyte investigation or for the purposes of conservation.
This paper proposes a Red List of Bryophytes for the territory of Serbia and
Montenegro based on 8 years of field investigation and literature data and on the
revised IUCN threat categories (IUCN 1994).
It is to be hoped that the provision of this list will stimulate further research and
the conservation of bryophytes.

1782
Material and methods
The application area is Serbia and Montenegro (the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), central part of SE Europe and the Balkan peninsula, comprising 102,173 km2.
The list gives the presence up to date of each species for the two territories. If any
of the species, as a result of further investigations, appears in one of the territories
where it was not present up to date, the local unit should treat it in the same
threatened category as listed for the whole application area.
The revised IUCN Red List (1994) categories and criteria were applied following
guidelines proposed by Hallingback (1998) and Hallingback et al. (1995, 1998).
The Gardefors (1996) criteria of downgrading the threatened category were applied
when studied taxa were common or abundant in neighboring areas. The Red List
(Table 1) includes the Threatened taxa (Critically endangered CR; Endangered
EN; and Vulnerable VU). Those taxa qualified as Lower Risk (LR near
threatened) and Data Deficient (DD) were also added. Species data were retrieved
from literature and from the official herbarium of Belgrade University (BEOU)
the only bryophyte collection within the country.
Table 1. Bryophyte Red List of Serbia and Montenegro (total 254 species). A plus shows territory
presence. S Serbia, M Montenegro.
Species
Mosses (subtotal 212)
Extinct
1
Encalypta serbica
Critically endangered
1
Acaulon muticum
2
Aloina obliquifolia
3
Andreaea rothii
4
Anoectangium hornschuchianum
5
A. sendtnerianum
6
Buxbaumia viridis
7
Meesia triquetra
8
Orthotrichum scanicum
9
Phascum piptocarpum
10
Pterygoneurum compactum
11
P. lamellatum
12
Schistidium rivulare
13
Splachnum ampullaceum
14
S. sphaericum
15
Trochobryum carniolicum
Endangered
1
2
3
4
5
6

Amblystegium saxatile
Anomodon rugelii
Buxbaumia aphylla
Callicladium haldanianum
Entostodon hungaricus
Hilpertia velenovskyi

EX

Threat status

CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
CR
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN

1783
Table 1. (continued).
Species

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

Orthotrichum philibertii
Pohlia longicollis
Pterygoneurum subsessile
Pyramidula tetragona
Tayloria froelichiana
Timmiella anomala
Tomentypnum nitens
Zygodon forsteri

Vulnerable
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40

Anomodon rostratus
Barbula bicolor
B. enderesii
Bryum cyclophyllum
B. gemmiferum
Calliergon giganteum
Campylium elodes
C. polygamum
Campylopus atrovirens
C. flexuosus
C. fragilis
C. setifolius
Cynodontium bruntonii
Dicranella humilis
Dicranum viride
Drepanocladus sendtneri
Encalypta ciliata
Ephemerum recurvifolium
E. serratum
E. sessile
Fontinalis hypnoides
Funaria microstoma
Funariella curviseta
Grimmia caespiticia
Hypnum andoi
Kiaeria falcata
Leptobarbula berica
Meesia uliginosa
Neckera pennata
Oligotrichum hercynicum
Orthotrichum obtusifolium
Paraleucobryum longifolium
P. sauteri
Philonotis rigida
Physcomitrium sphaericum
Polytrichum sexangulare
P. strictum
Pseudobryum cinclidioides
Pseudoleskea saviana
Pterygoneurum ovatum

Threat status
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU

1784
Table 1. (continued).
Species

Threat status

41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79

Rhizomnium magnifolium
Schistidium agassizii
Scorpidium scorpioides
S. turgescens
Seligeria paucifolia
S. pussilla
Sphagnum angustifolium
Tortella densa
Ulota bruchii
U. calvescens
Weissia squarrosa
W. triumphans
Amphidium mougeotii
Archidium alternifolium
Sphagnum capillifolium
S. centrale
S. contortum
S. cuspidatum
S. dentatum
S. fallax
S. flexuosum
S. fuscum
S. girgensohnii
S. magellanicum
S. molle
S. obtusatum
S. palustre
S. papilosum
S. platyphyllum
S. rubellum
S. russowii
S. squarrosum
S. subnitens
S. subsecundum
S. teres
S. warnstori
Tetraphis pellucida
Tetraplodon mnioides
Timmia bavarica

VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU

Low risk
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Acaulon triquetrum
Amblystegium fluviatile
A. humile
A. tenax
Andreaea rupestris
Anomobryum julaceum
Brachythecium geheebii
B. oxycladum
Bryum canariense

LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR

1785
Table 1. (continued).

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58

Species

B. weigelii
Cirriphyllum cirrosum
Coscinodon cribrosus
Crossidium crassinerve
C. laxelamentosum
Cryphea heteromalla
Cynodontium polycarpon
Dicranella grevilleana
D. palustris
Dicranodontium asperulum
Dicranum bonjeanii
D. flagellare
D. fuscescens
D. majus
Diphyscium foliosum
Ditrichum pallidum
D. pusillum
Ducranum montanum
Encalypta alpina
Entostodon obtusus
Fontinalis antipyretica
Funaria muhlenbergii
Homalia lusitanica
Isopterygiopsis pulchella
Leptobryum pyriforme
Myurella julacea
M. tenerrima
Oncophorus virens
Orthotrichum patens
O. pulchellum
Paraleucobryum enerve
Physcomitrella patens
Physcomitrium pyriforme
Plagiobryum zieri
Pseudoleskea radicosa
Ptilium crista-castrensis
Rhizomnium pseudopunctatum
Racomitrium sudeticum
Rhodobryum ontariense
R. roseum
Rhynchostegiella jaquinii
R. teesdalei
Scleropodium touretii
Seligeria recurvata
Stegonia latifolia
Syntrichia papillosa
Timmia austriaca
T. norvegica
Tortula norvegica

Threat status
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR

1786
Table 1. (continued).
Species
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66

T. obtusifolia
T. sinensis
T. virescens
Ulota drummondii
Weissia levieri
W. longifolia
W. rostelata
Zygodon viridissimus

Data deficient
1
Amblystegium confervoides
2
Amphidium lapponicum
3
Anacamptodon splachnoides
4
Anomodon longifolius
5
Barbula crocea
6
Blindia acuta
7
Brachythecium reflexum
8
B. starkei
9
Bryum algovicum
10
B. creberrimum
11
Campylium longicuspis
12
Cheilothela chloropus
13
Cyrtomnium hymenophylloides
14
Dicranella schreberiana
15
Dicranum bergeri
16
D. spurium
17
Didymodon ferrugineus
18
Encalypta afnis
19
Epipterigium tozeri
20
Fabronia pusilla
21
Fissidens algarvicus
22
F. exilis
23
Hygrohypnum ochraceum
24
Hypnum fertile
25
H. imponens
26
H. lindbergii
27
Neckera pumila
28
Philonotis arnelii
29
P. caespitosa
30
Pohlia camptotrachela
31
P. lum
32
Racomitrium elongatum
33
Tortula lingulata
34
T. marginata
35
T. mucronifolia
Liverworts (subtotal 42)
Critically endangered
1
Athalamia hyalina
2
Calypogeia muelleriana

Threat status

LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR

DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD
DD

CR
CR

1787
Table 1. (continued).
Species

3
4
5

Frullania fragilifolia
Mannia androgyna
Sauteria alpina

Endangered
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Bazzania tricrenata
B. trilobata
Calypogeia integristipula
C. suecica
C. ssa
Jungermannia gracilima
Mannia fragrans
Scapania aequiloba
S. lingulata
Trichocolea tomentella

Vulnerable
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19

Cephalozeilla turnerii
Cephalozia catenulata
C. lacinulata
Cephaloziella rubella
C. stellulifera
Cololejeunea minutissima
C. rossettiana
Lophozia ascendens
L. badensis
L. bantriensis
L. heterocolpos
L. turbinata
Lopozia collaris
Marchantia paleaceae
Marsupella funckii
Nowellia curvifolia
Porella obtusata
Scapania calcicola
S. paludosa

Low risk
1
2
3
4
5
6

Anastrophyllum minutum
Barbilophozia floerkei
B. hatcheri
Cephaloziella calyculata
Cololejeunea rossetiana
Mannia triandra

Data deficient
1

Porella baueri

Threat status

CR
CR
CR

EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
EN
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
VU
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
LR
DD

1788
Table 2. Number of threatened bryophytes in Serbia and Montenegro. In brackets are the percent of
total Serbian and Montenegrian bryophyte flora.
IUCN category

Extinct (EX)
Critically endangered (CR)
Endangered (EN)
Vulnerable (VU)
Low risk (LR)
Data deficient (DD)

Serbia

Montenegro

Mosses

Hepatics

Mosses

Hepatics

1
11
12
62
48
22

0
2
9
14
5
1

0
5
6
32
36
25

0
3
1
6
3
0

(0.19)
(2.17)
(2.37)
(12.25)
(9.49)
(4.35)

(0)
(0.39)
(1.78)
(2.77)
(0.99)
(0.19)

(0)
(1.11)
(1.33)
(7.09)
(7.98)
(5.54)

(0)
(0.67)
(0.22)
(1.33)
(0.67)
(0)

Discussion
Considering the fact that there are few local bryologists, it is not easy to monitor the
threatened population. The first step towards good protection that could be easily
done, is official protection by the political authorities. This step would at least
oblige companies and legal enterprises to pay attention. The second step is identifying hot spots of bryophytes, especially those Red listed, and creating reserves or
microreserves. The third step is ensuring active protection by preventing construction of any kind within and around the region of high bryological interest. This
could be a help to sustainable tourism in the native reserves and natural parks, etc.
The final, but most complicated step in good bryophyte protection, is reintroduction of rare and threatened species back to native habitats and introduction
to the potential new habitats.
One of the ways to reach all these points can be through networking and including young students, professional and amateur bryologists in bryophyte protection and conservation. It would be even better if the networking started
regionally (SE Europe), considering that there are no big states within the region
and that populations and species do not know political borders or responsibilities.
These activities are already underway, albeit very slowly, through the Bryological
Association of South Eastern Europe. In Serbia, a pilot project on micropropagation
of some bryophytes in vitro in the laboratory and in vivo ex situ under greenhouse
conditions is being carried out. These steps are urgently needed in the near future,
because of recent economic development within the region that is damaging and
will damage nature. The fact that nearly 40% of the flora is threatened is a strong
signal that something should be done. For the exact number of species threatened in
Serbia and Montenegro see Table 2.

Conclusions
The Union of Serbia and Montenegro (common territory) has 39.50% threatened
bryoflora (254 bryophyte species). Mosses are generally better known than hepatics
and 40.46% are threatened, while in hepatics 35.29% of all hepatic species in the

1789
common territory are threatened. Separately, the situation is as follows: Serbia has
36.92% of threatened bryophytes, of which 36.53% are mosses and 39.24% are
hepatics; Montenegro has 25.94% of threatened bryoflora, of which 28.03 and
16.25% are Montenegrian moss and hepatic species, respectively. For the exact
number of species threatened in Serbia and Montenegro see Table 2.

Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge Professor Sir Ghillean Prance (Dorset, UK) for
revising our English and for helpful comments on earlier drafts of the paper.

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