2010
Natura Croatica, Vol. 19 No.1
Abstract
Thladiantha dubia Bunge (Cucurbitaceae) is native to northern China, cultivated in Europe from the second half of the 19th century, then escaped from cultivation and established more or less naturalized populations in Central and SE Europe. In Croatia it was found for the first time in the part of the city of Zagreb called Savica – an area of old backwaters of the Sava River, in nitrophilous, ruderal habitats i. e. antropogenically strongly disturbed stands of floodplain forests of willows and poplars (Salicion albae Soó 1940).
Keywords
Thladiantha dubia, Croatia, Savica, Zagreb, alien species, naturalized species, neo- phyte
Abstract
The species Anredera cordifolia was recorded in the beginning of 20th century as an ornamental plant in gardens and parks in south Croatia. In this paper, it is noted as being naturalised along the roadside in the composition of ruderal vegetation near Ba}ina. The species was established for the first time in 2006, and again at the same locality during the following two years. So far, the species can be characterised as having escaped from culture and become naturalised, but not invasive, the case with this species in other warm parts of the world.
Keywords
neophytes, Basellaceae, Ba}ina, Croatia.
Abstract
The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a foraging specialist, with strong tendency towards herbivory of neritic-stage individuals. Due to lack of data on the feeding ecology of this species in the Mediterranean, we analysed diet composition of one juvenile green turtle with the curved carapace length of 40.0 cm, found dead in the eastern Adriatic Sea (Croatia) in December 2001. The turtle has dominantly feed upon benthic polychaetes Chaetopterus variopedatus (69.8%), while seagrass (Cymodocea nodosa) and algae accounted for 11.1% of the total wet mass. Species composition and their vertical distribution showed that the turtle was in the post-pelagic stage and has foraged in the shallow coastal waters. We discuss our results in the light of recent recoveries of C. mydas juveniles in Albania and Greece, and suggest the existence of an Ionian-Adriatic developmental pathway of green turtles from reproductive habitats in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Keywords
sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, diet, development, Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean
Abstract
This paper presents data on 26 species and two subspecies, which are new in relation to the already existing list of the birds of the [olta Island published two decades ago, and which add up to the knowledge of its ornithofauna to an overall number of 132 species. New data were gathered from various sources: 7 species were recorded during the authors’ own field research on the island, 3 species concern the recovery of ringed birds, 12 species were found in the private collections of J. Purti} and the Vlak family, 2 new species in the catalogue of the ornithological collection of the Natural History Museum in Split, 1 new species from the catalogue of the Bird Collection of the Croatian Natural History Museum in Zagreb and 1 in the older ornithological literature. From the total of 26 species new to [olta Island, 3 are breeding birds, and 23 are migrant or winter visitors birds of the island.
Keywords
ornithofauna, bird collection, bird skin, Adriatic island, Croatia
Abstract
The study was conducted with pellets of the long–eared owls (Asio otus) from two periods (January 2006 and January 2007) in suburban area of Prelog (northern Croatia). A total of 113 pellets with 198 prey items were analysed. The averaged number of prey individuals per pellet was 1.75 (SD = 0.99). Twelve small mammalian species (97.9% in number and 97.1% in biomass) and three bird species (2.1% in number and 2.9% in biomass) were preyed upon. By comparing the number of prey items between 2006 and 2007 no significant differences were found.
Keywords
long-eared owl, Asio otus, winter diet, northern Croatia
Abstract
Two specimens of the holo-planktonic gastropod Janthina globosa Swainson, 1822 (Janthinidae) were collected by M. Legac in the waters around the island of Rab. This constitutes a new finding of this uncommon species in the northern part of the Croatian coast.
Keywords
Gastropoda, Janthinidae, Janthina globosa, Adriatic Sea
Abstract
In this paper we discuss the finding of this rare species in a new locality, which extends the known range of the species in Croatia further to the north east.
Keywords
Zagreb, Vugrovec, Brenthis ino, new record, habitat
Abstract
During March 2010 research was conducted into, so far, uninvestigated rivers and streams in the catchment area of the Sava River. The caddisfly species Ironoquia dubia Stephens, 1837 was found for the first time in Croatia.
Keywords
Trichoptera, Ironoquia dubia, continental part of Croatia ]uk, R. & Vu~kovi}, I.: Ironoquia dubia Stephens, 1837 (Insecta: Trichoptera), nova vrsta
Abstract
The Triassic carbonate platform succession of the Karst Dinarides was deposited at the southern Tethyan realm. The facies analysis and distant correlation suggests that a regional terrestrial phase occurred in that area during the Triassic. Due to its regional extent, this terrestrial phase has been viewed as a product of tectonically induced uplift of the huge platform area, causing an extensive emersion and distinct disruption in depositional regime when disconformity and/or various types of terrestrial depositional intervals were formed. Two geodynamic scenarios are presented; a) regional, contemporaneous tectonic uplift scenario; and b) diachronous and differential tectonic uplift scenario. During Norian, the uplifted, exposed platform area was flooded and covered by tidal flat- -dominated shallow-water carbonates, marking the beginning of wide and long-lasting isolated platform regime.
Keywords
Triassic, Tethys, terrestrial phase, Karst Dinarides, Croatia
Abstract
The effect of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria such as Azotobacter, Bacillus and Pseudomonas was tested separately or in combination in Catharanthus roseus for two consecutive years (2005 and 2006). The combinations of above mentioned PGPR strains significantly increased plant height, root length, root girth and alkaloid content in C. roseus in comparison to the control. In addition, all nutrient contents (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) were also significantly increased as compared to the control. The maximum N, P, K content was obtained from the combination of PGPR treatment. The results of this study suggest that PGPR applied in combination have the potential to increase the plant growth, alkaloid content and nutrient content of C. roseus.
Keywords
Catharanthus roseus, ajmalicine, PGPR, root inoculation
Abstract
The paper provides a list of 546 vascular plant taxa for which 855 new findings for the islands of the [ibenik archipelago (Kaprije, Krapanj, Murter, Obonjan, Prvi}, Zlarin and @irje) were recorded. Of the total number of new findings, 254 refer to 158 taxa which, in the area researched, grow either in cultivation or demonstrate the ability to subspontaneously spread out of the cultivated area. The previously published records of Echium vulgare, Oxalis deppei and Vicia cracca for the islands of [ibenik archipelago are based on a misidentification and actually refer to E. plantagineum, O. articulata and Vicia villosa ssp. varia. Therefore, E. vulgare, O. deppei and V. cracca have to be cancelled from the list of vascular plants occurring on the islands of [ibenik archipelago but E. plantagineum, O. articulata and Vicia villosa ssp. varia have to be included.
Keywords
new findings of vascular plant taxa, [ibenik archipelago islands, Croatia
Abstract
This study presents results of floristic research into the entrances of seven speleological features of @umberak, i.e. of three pits and four caves. One of them lies in Upper Triassic dolostones, three in Upper Cretaceous flysch and carbonate sediments, two in Badenian limestone and one in Quarternary travertine sediments. The flora was inventoried at the entrance areas and at different distances from the entrances into the speleological features. The recorded plants were analyzed both taxonomically and regarding the abundance in the type habitats (pit, cave). Furthermore, similarity between habitats (Sörensen index of similarity), ecological indicatory values and life forms were analyzed as well.
Keywords
@umberak, pit and cave entrances, flora
Abstract
We have undertaken for the first time removal and introduction field experiments with both symbiotic (taken from anemones) and anemone-naïve decapods (taken from somewhere else) and tested defence reactions of putative host anemones. Our findings indicate that decapods go through an individual habituation phase before they become symbionts. Once habituated, they are protected from neighbouring anemones as well.
Keywords
symbiosis, field experiments, sea anemones, decapods
Abstract
Records of five native and one alien gammarid species are reported from fifteen sites along the entire course of the Una River. Samples of gammarids were collected at ten sites in the main course, and at four sites in small left tributaries of the Una River during field studies conducted from 2005 to 2009. Two endemic species formerly known only from the Adriatic Sea drainage area, Echinogammarus acarinatus and Fontogammarus dalmatinus, were collected for the first time in the Black Sea drainage area at the main spring and in the upper course of the Una River. All three Gammarus species that occur in Croatia have been found in the Una River. Only G. balcanicus was recorded at the upper course, while both G. fossarum and G. roeseli were found in the middle and lower river course. With five gammarid species recorded, the Una River has the highest freshwater gammarid species richness among all of the Croatian watercourses. The new record of the invasive Ponto-Caspian gammarid, Dikerogammarus haemobaphes, in the Sava River at the mouth of the Una River is also reported and discussed.
Keywords
Amphipoda, Gammaridae, Pontogammaridae, endemic, invasive species, distribu- tion, Una River @ganec, K., Gottstein, S. & uri}, P.: Rasprostranjenost autohtonih i stranih raku{aca (Crusta-
Abstract
Adult aquatic dance flies were collected in the Plitvice Lakes National Park from 2005 to 2009 using various sampling methods. Sampling was done at 13 sampling sites representing four main types of karst aquatic habitats: spring, stream, tufa barriers and lakes. A total of 22 species were recorded belonging to 6 genera. Four species (Chelifera pyrenaica Vaillant, 1981; Hemerodromia laudatoria Collin, 1927; Clinocera wesmaeli (Macquart, 1835); Wiedemannia (Philolutra) aquilex (Loew, 1869)) are new to Croatian fauna. The highest species richness was recorded for the Bijela rijeka Spring. The cluster analysis showed that sites group together not just by similarity of community composition but as well in similarity of habitat types. Clustering of geographically nearby sites is also observed. This study represents an important contribution to the knowledge of dance flies fauna of Croatia and of various karstic habitats in general.
Keywords
aquatic Empididae, fauna, NP Plitvice, species richness, karst habitats
Abstract
Colonization of aquatic insect larvae was investigated in a second order woodland stream using trays filled with natural substrate. Patterns of colonization differed significantly between seasons in terms of number of taxa, density and biomass of aquatic insect assemblages. Larvae in the first (out of five) size class made up 35.5% of all colonizers during the spring, highest share of 54.1 % during the summer, 40.8% and 17.5% during the autumn and winter, respectively. Many peak values in density during spring and summer matched with single-species mass colonization of first or second size classes, explained by »distributional drift« of newly-hatched insects, or direct oviposition on substrate. Size structure of the community did not change with time of exposition, although it reflected life histories of the aquatic insects, which led to seasonal changes in colonization patterns.
Keywords
woodland stream, seasons, life cycles, dispersal Matoni~kin Kep~ija, R., Serti} Peri}, M., Mili{a, M., [poljar, M., Mihaljevi}, Z., Radanovi}, I.,
Abstract
Machaerites pavleki sp. nov. and M. marjanaci sp. nov., new cavernicolous species of the tribe Bythinini are described from Croatia. The catalogue of all species of the genus placed in two species-groups is provided.
Keywords
Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae, Bythinini, Machaerites, biospeleology, Croatia, taxonomy
Abstract
Scotoplanetes aquacultor n. sp. from the »Vodna jama« pit (Dragaljsko polje near Grahovo, southwest Montenegro), second known species of the genus is described, illustrated and compared with the congeneric species Scotoplanetes arenstorffianus Absolon, 1913. Based on the examination of the holotype, Scotoplanetes arenstorffianus weiratherianus Noesske, 1928 is reconsidered in synonymy to Scotoplanetes arenstorffianus. Data about the taxonomy of this remarkable genus, complemented with the description of habitat and the bionomy are given.
Keywords
Scotoplanetes aquacultor sp. nov., new species, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechinae, tax- onomy, bionomy, subterranean environment, hygropetric, Montenegro
Abstract
Two new genera of cave-dwelling aphaenopsoid Trechini beetles, Jalzicaphaenops gen. nov. poljaki sp. nov. from Dumen~i}a {pilja (cave) near Rakovica (central Croatia) and Acheroniotes gen. nov. mlejneki sp. nov. from pits on Prekornica mountain range (central Montenegro) are described and illustrated. Both new genera are characterized by the presence of posterior pronotal setae, Jalzicaphaenops gen. nov. also by the presence of a pair of setae on pronotal disc. The key to the identification of all hitherto known aphaenopsoid Trechini genera from Dinarids is given. Data on the distribution and ecology of these remarkable genera, complemented with descriptions of the type localities are also provided.
Keywords
Jalzicaphaenops gen. nov. poljaki sp. nov., Acheroniotes gen. nov. mlejneki sp. nov., new genus, new species, subterranean environment, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechinae, taxonomy, Prekornica Mts., Croatia, Montenegro
Abstract
By examination of extensive literature data, a list of the terrestrial snails of Croatia has been compiled. A list of Croatian names for each taxon is also provided for the first time. Croatian endemic species and subspecies are indicated.
Keywords
land snails, Croatia, Croatian names, common names, endemics [tamol, V.: Popis kopnenih pu`eva (Mollusca: Gastropoda) Hrvatske s prijedlogom njihovih