Nalazi Meheljevog potkovnjaka (Chiroptera) u Hrvatskoj u prošlom stoljeću su bile pogreške u identifikaciji

Personal notes discovered in the papers of Croatian mammalogist Professor Beatrica Đulić were used to assess the reliability of the identification of the findings of Rhinolophus mehelyi Matschie, 1900, in Croatia from 1952 to 1968. Because no voucher specimens exist, analysis of the original description of caught specimens, measurements from Đulić’s field notebook, together with published data (Đulić, 1959, 1961), were compared with recent data on two morphologically similar species from the same genus. It is established that there is no evidence to confirm the finding of R. mehelyi in Croatia: in all cases, dubious specimens belonged, with a high degree of certainty, to another species, R. euryale. The reason for the wrong determination was insufficient knowledge of the variability of the two morphologically similar species in the years when the findings were published.Bilješke koje su nađene u ostavštini hrvatskog mamaloga prof. dr. Beatrica Đulić pomogle su da se rasvjetli vjerodostojnost nalaza vrste Rhinolophus mehelyi Matschie, 1900 u Hrvatskoj u razdoblju od 1952 do 1968 godine. Kako dokazni primjerci ove vrste nisu sačuvani, analizom originalnog opisa nađenih primjeraka i njihovih mjera zapisanih u terenskoj bilježnici kao i onih publiciranih (Đulić, 1959, 1961), te usporedbom s danas poznatim karakteristikama dvije slične vrste istog roda utvrđeno je da nema dokaza da se radilo o nalazima R. mehelyi u Hrvatskoj, nego da su sporni primjerci s velikom sigurnošću pripadali vrsti R. euryale. Razlog krive determinacije je bilo nedovoljno poznavanje varijabilnosti ovih morfološki sličnih vrsta u doba publikacije nalaza

Impact of the introduced small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) on abundance and activity time of the introduced ship rat (Rattus rattus) and the small mammal community on Adriatic islands, Croatia

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species (IUCN 2000). It has negative impacts on several small mammals on islands where it was introduced. We assess the abundance of small mammal populations and the activity time of introduced ship rats (Rattus rattus) on three mongoose-infested and three mongoose-free islands in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia. We set up three transects on each island with a trapping system consisting of 30 small live traps to capture small mammals under 30 grams and 30 larger traps to capture ship rats and mongooses, on each transect. Our results support an already large but mostly speculative literature that suggests inability of the small Indian mongoose to reduce high abundances of introduced R. rattus. Further, we suggest that the low abundance of native small mammals is probably not solely caused by the mongoose but also by high R. rattus populations on all six islands. In addition, we provide evidence that R. rattus has changed its activity time to become more nocturnal on mongoose-infested islands, possibly to avoid predation by the mongoose. As R. rattus became more nocturnal, the diurnal mongoose may have become the main predator on amphibians, reptiles, and poultry

Močvarni okaš (Coenonympha oedippus F.) je ipak član faune danjih leptira Hrvatske

The discovery of the butterfly False Ringelt (Coenonympha oedippus F.) in two localities in Istria, between Marušići, Vranjak and Šterna (VL02, VL03) and in the valley of the Mirna Valley near Buzet (VL12) has reconfirmed this species as a member of the fauna of Croatia. At the same time, a review of the collection of the Croatian Natural History Museum has shown that specimens catalogued as C. oedippus from Mt Velebit are either not from Croatia or belong to the species Aphantopus hyperantus. There is an urgent necessity to establish the precise range and size of the population and the degree of threat to it, and to undertake legislative and active measures for the conservation of the remaining habitats of this butterfly in Croatia, since it is one of the most endangered animal species in Europe.Otkrićem danjeg leptira močvarnog okaša (Coenonympha oedippus F.) u Istri na dva lokaliteta između sela Marušići, Vranjak i Šterna (VL02, VL03), te u dolini rijeke Mirne uz Buzet (VL12), ova vrsta je potvrđena kao član faune Hrvatske. Istovremeno je pregledom zbirke Hrvatskog prirodoslovnog muzeja za primjerke publicirane kao C. oedippus s planine Velebita utvrđeno da ili nisu iz Hrvatske ili da pripadaju vrsti Aphantopus hyperantus, tako da su naši nalazi prvi dokumentirani nalazi za Hrvatsku. Hitno treba utvrditi točni areal, veličinu i ugroženost populacija, te poduzeti zakonske i aktivne mjere zaštite svih preostalih staništa tog leptira u Hrvatskoj, jer se radi o jednoj od najugroženijih životinjskih vrsta u Europi

Colias caucasica balcanica Rebel, 1901 (Pieridae) u Hrvatskoj – najzapadnija točka rasprostranjenja

The first data on the occurence of the species Colias caucasica balcanica in Croatia are presented. Findings of this species from Mt Dinara (Croatia) in 2010 and 2011 represent the westernmost distribution point. Unlike in the south-eastern Balkans, where the distribution of C. caucasica balcanica is mainly subalpine, in the Dinaric Alps published altitudinal stratification is mostly restricted to the montane belt between altitudes from 1,000 to 1,600 m a.s.l. in grasslands and forest clearings of beech forests. During the investigations the flight period at localities on Mt Dinara was from mid-June till mid-July. A newly found member of the Croatian fauna, C. caucasica balcanica is listed as the 195th butterfly species. With some unpublished data from several museum collections, a review of historical data for the whole of the Dinaric Alps is presented.Objavljuju se prvi podaci o nalazima danjeg leptira Colias caucasica balcanica u Hrvatskoj. Nalazi na planini Dinara godine 2010. i 2011. su najzapadnije točke u rasprostranjenju vrste. Za razliku od jugoistočnog Balkana gdje je rasprostranjenost C. caucasica balcanica uglavnom u pretplaninskom pojasu, većina dosad objavljenih nalaza iz Dinarida je ograničena na gorski pojas, odnosno na travnjake i šumske čistine unutar pojasa bukovih šuma na nadmorskim visinama između 1.000 i 1.600 m n/m. Tijekom istraživanja leptiri su na planini Dinari opažani od sredine lipnja do sredine srpnja. Ovim nalazom broj poznatih danjih leptira u Republici Hrvatskoj je povećan na ukupno 195 vrsta. Prikazan je i pregled povijesnih podataka za čitavo područje Dinarida uz neke još neobjavljene podatke iz muzejskih zbirki