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Dr Petar Beron, zoologist, biospeleologist, leader and participant to many expeditions and travels in more than 80 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, New Guinea, etc. Photo: (c) S. Abadjiev
Dr Petar Beron, zoologist, biospeleologist, leader and participant to many expeditions and travels in more than 80 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, New Guinea, etc. Photo: (c) S. Abadjiev

Petar Beron

(Professor Emeritus DSc)
phone: (+359 2) 9885116 (ext. 633); e-mail:

Born: 14 March 1940, Sofia.
Education: University of Sofia ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’, Faculty of Biology, Geology and Geography, 1963; biologist (1963—1969), scientist (1969—1978), PhD (1975), Associate Professor (since 1978).
Speciality: zoologist.
Specialisations: biospeleology in France (1967), parasitology in Prague (1970).
Employment: Institute of Zoology (1963—1979), National Museum of Natural History, Sofia — director (since December 1993).
Fields of research: acarology, arachnology, biospeleology, parasitology, zoogeography. Special interest in the cave fauna, the fauna of high mountains of the world, bats and their ectoparasites, history of zoology, etc.; creation and maintaining of museum collections and expositions.
Expeditions: leader and participant to many expeditions and travels in more than 80 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, New Guinea, etc. From 1976 to 1979 — Conservation Officer in charge of National parks in Nigeria.
Teaching: lecturer in zoogeography (Faculty of Biology, University of Sofia) and acarology (University of Plovdiv).
Other activities: President (since 1985) of Bulgarian Federation of Speleology, Member of Parliament (1990—1991 and 2005—2009), Chairman of the Union of Democratic Forces and of it’s Parliamentary Group (1990). Vice-chairman of the Patriotic Union ‘Zashtita’.


Current projects


1. Cave fauna of Bulgaria.
2. Cave fauna of Greece.
3. High mountain fauna of Bulgaria.
4. Cave fauna of South Asia.
5. Descriptions of new taxa of mites of the families Erythraeidae, Smarididae, Anystidae, Teneriffiidae, etc.
6. Acarorum Catalogus — volumes about Listrophoroidea, Myobioidea, Cheyletoidea, Psoroptoidea, etc. of the world.
7. Fauna bulgarica — 2 volumes, ca. 23 families of parasitic mites.

Most recent publications


Beron, P., Petrov, B., Stoev, P., 2011. The invertebrate cave fauna of the Western Rhodopes (Bulgaria and Greece). — In: Beron, P. (ed.). Biodiversity of Bulgaria, 4. Biodiversity of Western Rhodopes (Bulgaria and Greece). Pensoft & Nat. Mus. Natur. Hist., Sofia, 583—661. [PDF]

Beron, P., 2009. Zoological Results of the British Speleological Expedition to Papua New Guinea 1975. 12. Acariformes: Erythraeidae (Caeculisoma Berlese). — Historia naturalis bulgarica, 20.

Beron, P., 2008. Acarorum catalogus. I. Acariformes: Calyptostomatoidea (Caliptostomatidae), Erythraeoidea (Smarididae, Erythraeoidae). — Pensoft & NMNH—Sofia, 271 pp.

Beron, P., Jalov, A., Daaliev, T., 2006. Caves and Speleology in Bulgaria. — Pensoft & NMNH—Sofia, 507 pp.

Beron, P., 2005. Biodiversity of the cave fauna of Bulgaria. — In: Petrova, A. (ed.), Actual state of the biodiversity in Bulgaria — problems and perspectives. Drakon, Sofia.

Beron, P., 2005. Biodiversity of Acari in Bulgaria. — In: Petrova, A. (ed.), Actual state of the biodiversity in Bulgaria — problems and perspectives. Drakon, Sofia.

Beron, P., 2005. Terrestrial cave animals in Bulgaria. — In: Fet, V., Popov, A. (eds). Monographiae biologicae, 82: 493—526.

Beron, P., Petrov, B., Stoev, P., 2004. The invertebrate cave fauna of the Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria and Greece). — In: Beron, P., Popov, A. (eds). Biodiversity of Bulgaria. 2. Biodiversity of Eastern Rhodopes (Bulgaria and Greece). Pensoft & Nat. Mus. Natur. Hist., Sofia, 791—822. [PDF]

Берон, П., 2004. Живот ли бе да го опишеш — II. Изд. — ‘Гея либрис’.

Берон, П., 2003. Живот ли бе да го опишеш — I. Изд. — ‘Гея либрис’.


More complete list of publications — section e-Natura | Staff publications