A new spider species, Eratigena mirusha, has been formally described and published in the internationally recognised scientific journal Zootaxa, marking an important contribution to biodiversity research in Kosovo.
The species was discovered near Mount Koznik, in the area of the Mirusha Waterfalls, and is named after the Mirusha River—one of Kosovo’s most distinctive natural assets.
The discovery stems from a project funded by the Open Rivers Programme (ORP) and implemented by Ecopana, in collaboration with professors from the Faculty of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at the University of Prishtina, with scientific support from the University of Graz and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
The study is based on detailed morphological and genetic analyses and significantly strengthens the scientific documentation of Kosovo’s rich biodiversity.
This finding underscores the exceptional biological value of Kosovo’s freshwater ecosystems and reinforces the importance of sustained research and conservation efforts to protect them.
