Species on an excursion – Mammals and other faunistic records from 16 years of zoological field trips to the Šumava Mountains and South Bohemia (Czech Republic) under the direction of Hynek Burda

Abstract

Between 2001 and 2016, 31 zoological excursions of the Department of General Zoology of the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany) took place in South Bohemia (Czech Republic), mainly in the the Šumava Mountains south of Sušice. Under the leadership of Professor Hynek Burda and his colleagues, more than 170 vertebrate species (including 37 mammals) were sighted, heard or confirmed in another way in the visited region during this time. In addition, we found about 60 arthropod species. This report lists all these species in a summary table. Particularly noteworthy finds include Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) and several microchiropterans like Bechstein’s bat (Myotis bechsteinii), lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) or Nathusius’ pipistrelle (Pipistrellus nathusii). Other interesting records are hazel grouse (Tetrastes bonasia), Eurasian three-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) and common adder (Vipera berus).