Novi podaci o rasprostranjenosti riba Phoxinellus alepidotus (Heckel, 1843) i Aulopyge huegelii (Heckel, 1841)

This paper presents recent found localities for species Phoxinellus alepidotus (Heckel, 1843) and Aulopyge huegelii (Heckel, 1841) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Found localities are at the highest altitude ever detected and the locality for the species A. huegelii Hec. is the first ever for the Black Sea basin. The species P. alepidotus Hec. and A. huegelii Hec. were probably unintentionally introduced to the Šatorsko Lake during the 1970s and 1980s while other species of trout were being introduced.U radu se navode nedavno otkriveni lokaliteti za vrste Phoxinellus alepidotus (Heckel, 1843) i Aulopyge huegelii (Heckel, 1841) u Bosni i Hercegovini. Ti lokaliteti nalaze se na najvećoj nadmorskoj visini dosada, a lokalitet za A. huegelii je prvi za crnomorsko slivno područje. Vrste P. alepidotus Hec. i A. huegelii Hec. vjerojatno su slučajno unesene u Šatorsko jezero tijekom sedamdesetih i osamdesetih godina 20. st., za vrijeme unošenja drugih vrsta pastrva

Environmental factors affecting mayfly assemblages in tufa-depositing habitats of the Dinaric Karst

Remarkably, unlike other parts of Europe, the ecology of mayflies in the southeastern regions is still poorly known. Here we present the first comprehensive study of Ephemeroptera in the tufa-depositing habitats of the Dinaric Karst. The study was conducted in Plitvice Lakes National Park monthly during a one-year period (2007–2008) in different types of habitats (springs, streams, mountainous rivers, tufa barriers). The aims of the study were to determine mayfly composition, abundance, spatial distribution and habitat preferences, and to examine the environmental factors important for the structuring of mayfly assemblages in Plitvice Lakes National Park. The mayfly fauna of tufa-depositing habitats was composed of 14 species (20 taxa). Water temperature, pH and ammonium concentration were the most important environmental variables explaining mayfly assemblages. Mayfly assemblages grouped according to habitat type. Generally, the most favourable habitat type was mountainous stream, tufa barriers were less favourable, and the least favourable were springs. Our results confirmed that mayflies are a powerful tool as descriptors of their environment, as the presence or absence of certain mayflies was strongly influenced by physico-chemical water properties

Mayfly ecological traits in a European karst spring: species, microhabitats and life histories

Despite the recent increase in the number of mayfly studies in karst freshwater habitats, their biology and ecology in springs are still poorly characterized. Therefore, we studied mayfly assemblages in a European karst rheocrene spring at five microhabitats monthly over a one-year period. Three species were recorded: Baetis alpinus (Pictet, 1843), Baetis rhodani (Pictet, 1843) and Rhithrogena braaschi (Jacob, 1974). The latter species represents a new record for the fauna of Bosnia and Herzegovina. All three species inhabited all studied microhabitats but with varying abundance. Individual species were associated with a specific substrate type and/or water velocity and/or water depth. The grazer/scraper Rh. braaschi was most common at microhabitats with inorganic substrate (cobbles, mixture of pebbles and sand), moderate water velocity and higher water depth. The rheophilic grazer/scraper and gatherer/collector B. alpinus was most common at microhabitats with mosses and highest water velocity. The grazer/scraper and gatherer/collector B. rhodani was recorded at all microhabitats, yet due to its preference for moderate water velocity, the highest number of individuals were collected from cobbles. We recorded movements of mayfly nymphs among the available microhabitats during their life cycles, due likely to their dietary requirements and search for suitable refugia. Baetis alpinus has a bivoltine, B. rhodani polyvoltine and Rh. braaschi univoltine life cycle with a long emergence period. The results presented here contribute to the knowledge of spring and mayfly ecology

Prvi nalaz kritično ugrožene vrste leptira Maculinea alcon (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) u panonskom dijelu Hrvatske

The critically endangered butterfly Maculinea alcon was found at the locality Grubišnopoljska Bilogora in August 2006. That is the first finding of this species in the Pannonian part of Croatia and the second in Croatia as a whole. The biology of this critically endangered species is discussed, as well as some aspects of ecology and protection measures.Kritično ugrožena vrsta leptira Maculinea alcon pronađena je u kolovozu 2006. godine na lokalitetu Grubišnopoljska Bilogora. To je prvi nalaz ove vrste na prostoru panonske regije Hrvatske, odnosno drugi za Hrvatsku. U radu se raspravlja o biologiji vrste, nekim aspektima ekologije kao i potrebnim mjerama zaštite ovog kritično ugroženog leptira u fauni Hrvatske

Ecological divergence of Chaetopteryx rugulosa species complex (Insecta, Trichoptera) linked to climatic niche diversification

Climate is often considered to be an important, but indirect driver of speciation. Indeed, environmental factors may contribute to the formation of biodiversity, but to date this crucial relationship remains largely unexplored. Here we investigate the possible role of climate, geological factors, and biogeographical processes in the formation of a freshwater insect species group, the Chaetopteryx rugulosa species complex (Trichoptera) in the Western Balkans. We used multi-locus DNA sequence data to establish a dated phylogenetic hypothesis for the group. The comparison of the dated phylogeny with the geological history of the Western Balkans shows that lineage formation coincided with major past Earth surface and climatic events in the region. By reconstructing present-day habitat conditions (climate, bedrock geology), we show that the lineages of C. rugulosa species complex have distinct climatic but not bedrock geological niches. Without exception, all splits associated with Pliocene/Pleistocene transition led to independent, parallel split into ‘warm’ and ‘cold’ sister lineages. This indicates a non-random diversification on the C. rugulosa species complex associated with late Pliocene climate in the region. We interpreted the results as the diversification of the species complex were mainly driven by ecological diversification linked to past climate change, along with geographical isolation