Diversity of Molluscs in the Danube river (1269-863.5 rkm) and taxonomic analysis of the genera Planorbarius, Radix, Physella and Ferrissia (Pulmonata: Basommatophora)

Analiza slatkovodnih mekušaca razmatrana je kroz tri zone glavnog toka Dunava (1260 - 863,5 rkm) kao i plavnoj zoni, na levoj obali reke, od 1082 do 1085 rkm. Uzorci su prikupljeni sezonski (april, jun, septembar i novembar), u tri ponavljanja, uključujući uzorke za analizu fizičkih i hemijskih parametara kvaliteta vode i sedimenta. Ovim istraţivanjima dat je detaljan pregled sastava i distribucije malakofaune istraţivanog dela rečnog toka pri različitim uticajima grupe antropogenih pritisaka. Primenom molekularnih metoda razmatrani su filogenetski odnosi autohtonih i alohtonih vrsta iz reda Basommatophora. Analizom zajednica akvatičnih makroinvertebrata, uočeno je da plavnu zonu reke karakteriše najveća procentualna zastupljenost insekatskih grupa (61,69%) kao i fitofilnih vrsta slatkovodnih mekušaca (15%). Lokalitete rečne, prelazne i jezerske zone karakteriše velika procentualna zastupljenost pre svega Oligochaeta (37,89%, 63,83%, 83,99%), zatim Bivalvia (38,21%, 24,35%, 16,72%) i Crustacea (15,82%, 31,11%, 13,73%), što predstavlja karakteristične odnose u zajednicama makroinvertebrata reka potamon tipa. Analizom zajednica slatkovodnih mekušaca zabeleţeno je 32 taksona iz 28 rodova i 13 familija u okviru dve klase - Bivalvia i Gastropoda. Klasa Bivalvia zastupljena je sa 12 taksona iz četiri familije u okviru redova Veneroida i Unionida. Najveći procenat, 92% od ukupnog broja zabeleţenih taksona iz klase Bivalvia, zabeleţen je na lokalitetima prelazne zone; nešto manji procenat od 75% zabeleţen je u jezerskoj zoni; dok je najmanja zastupljenost zabeleţenih taskona uočena na lokalitetima rečne zone (41%). Klasa Gastropoda zastupljena je sa 20 taksona, iz dve potklase, Prosobranchia (Orthogastropoda) i Pulmonata. Posmatrajući raznovrsnost taksona iz klase Gastropoda na istraţivanim lokalitetima, najmanji broj taksona uočen je u gornjem delu toka Dunava (20%), dok je najveća raznovrsnost zabeleţena u plavnoj zoni gde je naĎeno 55% od ukupnog broja zabeleţenih taksona...Fresh water molluscs analysis was performed through three zones of The Danube main flow (1260-863.5 rkm) as well as flooding zone, on the left river bank from 1080 to 1085 rkm. Samples were collected seasonally (April, June, September and November), in three repetitions, along with samples for physical and chemical analysis of water and sediment quality. This research presents detailed summary of composition and distribution of malacofauna in analysed part of the river flow under different influence of anthropogenic pressure. Molecular methods were used for establishing phylogenetic relationships among native and alien species from Basommatophora order. Analysis of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities showed that river flooding zone is characterized by highest percentage of occurrence for insect groups (61.69%) as well as phytophilic species of freshwater molluscs (15%). Localities from riverine, transitional and lacustrine zone are characterized by large percentage of occurrence of Oligochaeta (37.89%, 63.83%, 83.99%), then Bivalvia (38.21%, 24.35%, 16.72%) and Crustacea (15.82%, 31.11%, 13.73%), which is characteristic for macroinvertebrate communities of potamon river type. Analysis of aquatic molluscs communities showed that 32 taxa from 28 genera and 13 families within two classes Bivalvia and Gastropoda were recorded. Class Bivalvia is represented with 12 taxa from four families within orders Veneroida and Unionida. Highest percentage, 92% from total number of all recorded taxa within class Bivalvia, was found in localities in transitional zone, about 75% in lacustrine zone; lowest percentage of identified taxa was recorded at riverine zone localities (41%). Classis Gastropoda is represented with 20 taxa from two subclasses, Prosobranchia (Orthogastropoda) and Pulmonata..

First report on the non-indigenous triclad girardia tigrina (Girard, 1850) (Tricladida, Dugesiidae) in Serbia, with Notes on its Ecology and Distribution

Girardia tigrina (Girard, 1850) (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Dugesiidae), a native freshwater triclad of North America, is a widespread species, which has been introduced by human activities into various parts of the world, including Europe. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge of this species by presenting its frst record and recent distribution in Serbia. Girardia tigrina was recorded in Serbia in 2008 in the lower stretch of the Kolubara River. After this initial fnding, the species was identifed only a few more times, but with low abundance. Its presence only in the northern part of Serbia, in the Danube River and in its proximity, points to the Danube River and its larger tributaries (the South invasive corridor) as the main route of its spread in the country. Our data suggest that G. tigrina should not be considered an invasive species but as an alien species with a minor impact on native communities

First report on the non-indigenous triclad girardia tigrina (Girard, 1850) (Tricladida, Dugesiidae) in Serbia, with Notes on its Ecology and Distribution

Girardia tigrina (Girard, 1850) (Turbellaria, Tricladida, Dugesiidae), a native freshwater triclad of North America, is a widespread species, which has been introduced by human activities into various parts of the world, including Europe. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the knowledge of this species by presenting its frst record and recent distribution in Serbia. Girardia tigrina was recorded in Serbia in 2008 in the lower stretch of the Kolubara River. After this initial fnding, the species was identifed only a few more times, but with low abundance. Its presence only in the northern part of Serbia, in the Danube River and in its proximity, points to the Danube River and its larger tributaries (the South invasive corridor) as the main route of its spread in the country. Our data suggest that G. tigrina should not be considered an invasive species but as an alien species with a minor impact on native communities

Diversity of Molluscs in the Danube river (1269-863.5 rkm) and taxonomic analysis of the genera Planorbarius, Radix, Physella and Ferrissia (Pulmonata: Basommatophora)

Analiza slatkovodnih mekušaca razmatrana je kroz tri zone glavnog toka Dunava (1260 - 863,5 rkm) kao i plavnoj zoni, na levoj obali reke, od 1082 do 1085 rkm. Uzorci su prikupljeni sezonski (april, jun, septembar i novembar), u tri ponavljanja, uključujući uzorke za analizu fizičkih i hemijskih parametara kvaliteta vode i sedimenta. Ovim istraţivanjima dat je detaljan pregled sastava i distribucije malakofaune istraţivanog dela rečnog toka pri različitim uticajima grupe antropogenih pritisaka. Primenom molekularnih metoda razmatrani su filogenetski odnosi autohtonih i alohtonih vrsta iz reda Basommatophora. Analizom zajednica akvatičnih makroinvertebrata, uočeno je da plavnu zonu reke karakteriše najveća procentualna zastupljenost insekatskih grupa (61,69%) kao i fitofilnih vrsta slatkovodnih mekušaca (15%). Lokalitete rečne, prelazne i jezerske zone karakteriše velika procentualna zastupljenost pre svega Oligochaeta (37,89%, 63,83%, 83,99%), zatim Bivalvia (38,21%, 24,35%, 16,72%) i Crustacea (15,82%, 31,11%, 13,73%), što predstavlja karakteristične odnose u zajednicama makroinvertebrata reka potamon tipa. Analizom zajednica slatkovodnih mekušaca zabeleţeno je 32 taksona iz 28 rodova i 13 familija u okviru dve klase - Bivalvia i Gastropoda. Klasa Bivalvia zastupljena je sa 12 taksona iz četiri familije u okviru redova Veneroida i Unionida. Najveći procenat, 92% od ukupnog broja zabeleţenih taksona iz klase Bivalvia, zabeleţen je na lokalitetima prelazne zone; nešto manji procenat od 75% zabeleţen je u jezerskoj zoni; dok je najmanja zastupljenost zabeleţenih taskona uočena na lokalitetima rečne zone (41%). Klasa Gastropoda zastupljena je sa 20 taksona, iz dve potklase, Prosobranchia (Orthogastropoda) i Pulmonata. Posmatrajući raznovrsnost taksona iz klase Gastropoda na istraţivanim lokalitetima, najmanji broj taksona uočen je u gornjem delu toka Dunava (20%), dok je najveća raznovrsnost zabeleţena u plavnoj zoni gde je naĎeno 55% od ukupnog broja zabeleţenih taksona...Fresh water molluscs analysis was performed through three zones of The Danube main flow (1260-863.5 rkm) as well as flooding zone, on the left river bank from 1080 to 1085 rkm. Samples were collected seasonally (April, June, September and November), in three repetitions, along with samples for physical and chemical analysis of water and sediment quality. This research presents detailed summary of composition and distribution of malacofauna in analysed part of the river flow under different influence of anthropogenic pressure. Molecular methods were used for establishing phylogenetic relationships among native and alien species from Basommatophora order. Analysis of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities showed that river flooding zone is characterized by highest percentage of occurrence for insect groups (61.69%) as well as phytophilic species of freshwater molluscs (15%). Localities from riverine, transitional and lacustrine zone are characterized by large percentage of occurrence of Oligochaeta (37.89%, 63.83%, 83.99%), then Bivalvia (38.21%, 24.35%, 16.72%) and Crustacea (15.82%, 31.11%, 13.73%), which is characteristic for macroinvertebrate communities of potamon river type. Analysis of aquatic molluscs communities showed that 32 taxa from 28 genera and 13 families within two classes Bivalvia and Gastropoda were recorded. Class Bivalvia is represented with 12 taxa from four families within orders Veneroida and Unionida. Highest percentage, 92% from total number of all recorded taxa within class Bivalvia, was found in localities in transitional zone, about 75% in lacustrine zone; lowest percentage of identified taxa was recorded at riverine zone localities (41%). Classis Gastropoda is represented with 20 taxa from two subclasses, Prosobranchia (Orthogastropoda) and Pulmonata..

Haplotype variation in the Physa acuta group (Basommatophora): genetic diversity and distribution in Serbia

The genus Physa (= Physella) includes the most abundant and diverse freshwater gastropods native to North America. Due to their invasive nature, many species occur throughout the world. The most abundant species, Physa acuta, has been introduced to Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia by human commerce and migrating birds. This species is widely distributed throughout Serbia. The aim of this study was to explore the genetic diversity of P. acuta from Serbia, and to determine the evolutionary relationships among native Physidae populations from North America, Mexico and Cuba and populations from Europe, using sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene. The ML (Maximum Likelihood) tree revealed two clades within Physidae, and two clades that correspond to the families Planorbidae and Lymnaeidae. In the Physidae clade there are two separate clades: one includes the species Physa spelunca, and the second includes samples of P. acuta. We determined three different haplotypes within specimens from Serbia. One haplotype is genetically closest to Physa heterostrofa (synonym of P. acuta) from Philadelphia, while the other two are very close to P. acuta specimens from New Mexico. Together with other samples, our findings corroborate the notion that we are dealing with one panmictic population of P. acuta and not with several separate species, despite the high genetic diversity between and among the populations. Our results indicate that in the same population in Serbia, there is high genetic distance between samples. Despite the small number of analyzed samples, our findings point to multiple introductions of P. acuta from different locations in America.Mediterranean Marine Science (2016), 17(1): 292-30

Small Indian Mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus (Herpestidae, Carnivora): an invasive species in Montenegro

Since its first appearance in the second half of the 1980s, the Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) has spread along the entire coastline of Montenegro, from the Croatian border in the north to the Albanian border in the south. Its present range includes an area of 447.3 km(2) and is limited to the narrow coastal zone up to 300 m above sea level. The distribution of this species generally corresponds to the thick Mediterranean maquis and garigue vegetation. The Small Indian Mongoose spread to the territory of Montenegro through natural immigration from neighboring Croatia, where it was introduced in the past. The southward expansion along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea has increased the previously known European range by about 150 km in the last 20 years. The appearance of this species in the "Adriatic triangle", one of the most important European centers herpetofauna diversity, could lead to catastrophic consequences for this fauna.Ministry of Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia [TR20019, 146021

Qualitative study of Mollusca communities in the Serbian Danube stretch (river km 1260-863.4)

First detailed limnological study was performed from April 2003 to June 2008 in a 396.6 km long section of the Serbian Danube (divided in three parts; from 1260 r-km to 863.4 r-km) to examine community composition and spatial distribution of Mollusca with special attention to the expansion of Ponto-Caspian species, propagation of invasive and introduced species and occurrence of endemic species. Mollusca samples were collected at 15 sites in April, June, September and November. We investigated the spatial distributions and calculated the faunistic similarity of localities with respect to the community composition using the Sorensen Quotient of Similarity. Site variation in analyzed qualitative traits was examined using correspondence analysis. Additionally, the obtained Complete Linkage City-block (Manhattan) distances among sites/parts were subjected to UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages) cluster analysis. The class Gastropoda was represented by 18 species from two subclasses (Prosobranchia - six families and Pulmonata - three families).The class Bivalvia was represented by 15 species from four families of order Eulamellibranchiata. Mollusca were represented by 33 species belonging to 17 genera and 13 families. Out of five recorded Ponto-Caspian species in the studied Danube stretch, Lithoglyphus naticoides (Pfeiffer, 1828) and Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) are assumed to be invasive species with the highest occurrence frequency (F = 1, each). Four new species in invertebrate fauna for the Danube, denoted as the introduced species - Neozoa, were identified: Theodoxus fluviatilis (L., 1758), Corbicula fluminalis (Muller, 1774), C. fluminea (Muller, 1774), and Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834). The only endemic species of Gastropoda found in the Danube was Viviparus acerosus Bourguignat, 1862.Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia [146021]; Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development [176018

Qualitative study of Mollusca communities in the Serbian Danube stretch (river km 1260-863.4)

First detailed limnological study was performed from April 2003 to June 2008 in a 396.6 km long section of the Serbian Danube (divided in three parts; from 1260 r-km to 863.4 r-km) to examine community composition and spatial distribution of Mollusca with special attention to the expansion of Ponto-Caspian species, propagation of invasive and introduced species and occurrence of endemic species. Mollusca samples were collected at 15 sites in April, June, September and November. We investigated the spatial distributions and calculated the faunistic similarity of localities with respect to the community composition using the Sorensen Quotient of Similarity. Site variation in analyzed qualitative traits was examined using correspondence analysis. Additionally, the obtained Complete Linkage City-block (Manhattan) distances among sites/parts were subjected to UPGMA (unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages) cluster analysis. The class Gastropoda was represented by 18 species from two subclasses (Prosobranchia - six families and Pulmonata - three families).The class Bivalvia was represented by 15 species from four families of order Eulamellibranchiata. Mollusca were represented by 33 species belonging to 17 genera and 13 families. Out of five recorded Ponto-Caspian species in the studied Danube stretch, Lithoglyphus naticoides (Pfeiffer, 1828) and Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) are assumed to be invasive species with the highest occurrence frequency (F = 1, each). Four new species in invertebrate fauna for the Danube, denoted as the introduced species - Neozoa, were identified: Theodoxus fluviatilis (L., 1758), Corbicula fluminalis (Muller, 1774), C. fluminea (Muller, 1774), and Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834). The only endemic species of Gastropoda found in the Danube was Viviparus acerosus Bourguignat, 1862.Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia [146021]; Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development [176018

Spreading of Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov, 1897) in the Danube River (Serbia)

Detailed limnological investigations of the Serbian Danube stretch at 11 sampling sites in a 396 km long sector of the Danube River (from 1260 r-km to 863.4 r-km) were performed from April 2002 to November 2010. Samples were collected seasonally (April, June, September and November). A Ponto-Caspian element, quagga mussel Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov 1897), was found for the first time in the Serbian Danube stretch in April 2010 at sampling site Veliko Gradiste (1059 r-km). Our furthest upstream finding of this species was at site Ram (1071 r-km). Species identification was done by the morphology of its shells. In addition, a comparison with another dreissenid species Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas 1771) was made based on shell morphology. Population density of quagga mussel was low, with the ratio of D. polymorpha to D. rostriformis bugensis being around 5:1. The finding of D. rostriformis bugensis in the Serbian Danube stretch is evidence that this invasive Ponto-Caspian species moved the limit of its distribution upstream in the Danube River which is one of the main corridors used for its spread from Eastern (Romania, Bulgaria) to Western Europe.Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia [146021]; Serbian Ministry of Education and Science [176018

Spreading of Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov, 1897) in the Danube River (Serbia)

Detailed limnological investigations of the Serbian Danube stretch at 11 sampling sites in a 396 km long sector of the Danube River (from 1260 r-km to 863.4 r-km) were performed from April 2002 to November 2010. Samples were collected seasonally (April, June, September and November). A Ponto-Caspian element, quagga mussel Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov 1897), was found for the first time in the Serbian Danube stretch in April 2010 at sampling site Veliko Gradiste (1059 r-km). Our furthest upstream finding of this species was at site Ram (1071 r-km). Species identification was done by the morphology of its shells. In addition, a comparison with another dreissenid species Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas 1771) was made based on shell morphology. Population density of quagga mussel was low, with the ratio of D. polymorpha to D. rostriformis bugensis being around 5:1. The finding of D. rostriformis bugensis in the Serbian Danube stretch is evidence that this invasive Ponto-Caspian species moved the limit of its distribution upstream in the Danube River which is one of the main corridors used for its spread from Eastern (Romania, Bulgaria) to Western Europe.Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia [146021]; Serbian Ministry of Education and Science [176018