Researchers of the Institute of Zoology participated in the International Congress of Zoology organized by the "Grigore Antipa" Museum, Bucharest

On 6-9 November 2024, the researchers of the Institute of Zoology participated in the 11th edition of the International Congress of Zoology (ZoologyCon 2024) organized by the "Grigore Antipa" Museum in collaboration with the Romanian Academy and the University of Bucharest. The Congress took place at the University House of Bucharest. The event was attended by cor.mem. ASM Laurenția Ungureanu, dr.hab. Galina Bușmachiu, dr.hab. Svetlana Bacal, dr. Daria Tumanova, dr. Liubovi Lebedenco, dr. Oxana Munjiu, dr. Olga Garbuz, dr. Natalia Dibolscaia and dr. Livia Calestru. It is important to highlight that Mrs Laurenția Ungureanu, director of the Institute of Zoology, was a member of the scientific committee of the congress.

ZoologyCon 2024 brought together researchers in the field of zoology both from Romania and around the world: Republic of Moldova, Austria, China, Georgia, Azores Islands, Turkey, Belgium, Czech Republic, Lithuania, India, Iran, Cuba etc. Presentations at ZoologyCon2024 were made in the form of oral presentations or posters on the following topics:
1. Paleozoology;
2. Faunistics and Zoogeography;
3. Systematics and Taxonomy;
4. Evolution, Phylogeny, Phylogeography;
5. Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation;
6. Valorization of Zoological Collections;
7. Citizen Science.

Researchers of the Institute of Zoology participated in the International Congress as follows:

Plenary lecture - Laurenția UNGUREANU, Victoria NISTREANU, Galina BUȘMACHIU, Dumitru BULAT, Ion TODERAȘ - Actual status and limiting factors of rare animal species in the Republic of Moldova

Oral presentation - Galina BUȘMACHIU, Oxana MUNJIU - Odonata (Insecta) from the Prut River Basin, Republic of Moldova

Posters
1. Denis ZAKHAROV - Suidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the Early Pliocene locality Priozernoe in the Dniester valley 
2. Denis ZAKHAROV - Priozernoe - largest Early Pliocene locality remains of primates of the genus Dolichopithecus (Colobidae, Primates) in the Northern Black Sea region
3. Liubovi LEBEDENCO - Taxonomic diversity of zooplankton communities in the Dubasari Reservoir (Republic of Moldova)
4. Galina BUȘMACHIU - Three new species of dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata) from the Plaiul Fagului Reserve, Republic of Moldova
5. Svetlana BACAL, Galina BUȘMACHIU, Oana Paula POPA – DNA barcoding of Coleoptera (Insecta) from the Republic of Moldova
6. Svetlana BACAL, Galina BUȘMACHIU, Oana Paula POPA, Andrei-Sasha SCOTNIȚCHI, Oana Alina BOIU-SICUIA, Inna RASTIMEȘINA, Olga POSTOLACHI - Cucujus cinnaberinus (Scopoli, 1763) and Mesosa curculionoides (Linnaeus, 1761) larvae and their associated fungi in Plaiul Fagului Reserve, Republic of Moldova
7. Olga GARBUZ, Ion TODERAȘ, Roman RUSNAC, Nadejda RAILEAN, Victor TSAPKOV, Aurelian GULEA - Toxicity and biological activities of a Copper(II) Thiosemicarbazone Complex
8. Oxana MUNJIU - Macroinvertebrates of the Low Prut River lakes (Republic of Moldova)
9. Daria TUMANOVA, Liubovi LEBEDENCO, Laurenția UNGUREANU - Species of phytoplankton and zooplankton as indicators of water quality in the Dubasari Reservoir, Republic of Moldova
10. Natalia SOCHIRCĂ - Synanthropization process of bird species in Chișinău municipality, Republic of Moldova
11. Victoria NISTREANU - New data on shrew (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) reproduction in the Republic of Moldova 
12. Alina LARION, Victoria NISTREANU, Vladislav CALDARI, Natalia DIBOLSCAIA - New important bat roost – Parcani limestone mines from the northern part of the Republic of Moldova
13. Natalia DIBOLSCAIA - Comparative analysis and anthropic adaptation of bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) in Chișinău Municipality (Republic of Moldova)
14. Elena ENCIU, Livia CALESTRU, Valeriu DERJANSCHI - The insects (Insecta: Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera) from the entomological collection of the “Codrii” Reserve Museum (Republic of Moldova) 
15. Livia CALESTRU, Victoria BELOVA - Coleopteran species (Coleoptera: Megalopodidae, Orsodacnidae, Chrysomelidae) from the collection “R. Stepanov” housed in the Entomological Museum of the Institute of Zoology, MSU
16. Cristina ȚUGULEA - Diurnal butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) from the “R. Stepanov” Entomological Collection housed at National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History of the Republic of Moldova

The participants were invited on November 6, 2024 to attend the opening of the temporary exhibition "First Polar Night's Dream - Belgica - the 1897 - 1899 Antarctic Expedition" in the premises of the 'Grigore Antipa' National Museum of Natural History in Bucharest. On November 9, 2024, a documentary excursion took place to Târgoviște Royal Court and The Museum of Printing and Old Romanian Book. Here we had the opportunity to see Dimitrie Cantemir's writings „The History of the Growth„ and „Decay of the Othman Empire and Description of Moldavia”. Later we visited the “Neagra” Bison Reservation from Bucșani, Dâmbovița county.

Researchers of the Institute of Zoology would like to thank the organizers for the opportunity to participate in such an important event, congratulate with the successful organization of ZoologyCon2024 and wish all the best in the future!

Livia CALESTRU, dr., assoc.prof.