2015
Natura Croatica, Vol. 24 No.2
Keywords
Zagreb Botanical Garden, warm greenhouse conditions, historic plant collections, tem- perate glasshouse collection
Abstract
New localities of two endemic, rare and floristically interesting species in the north-western Dinaric Mountains in Croatia are reported in the paper. Both species are statutorily strictly protected species in Croatia. Aquilegia kitaibelii Schott, as a rare, endemic species, is included in Appendix II of the Habitats Directive (NATURA 2000 Species) and in the IUCN list as a data deficient (DD) species. New localities of A. kitaibelii were found on Mt Obruč and the central and south sections of Mt Velebit, while new localities of Cardaminopsis croatica (Schott, Nyman et Kotschy) Jáv. were discovered on hills in the Gacka Region and the central section of Mt Velebit. In general, both species grow mainly from fissures on rocks together with other petrophilous plant species. It was also noted that A. kitaibelii grows on screes. In Gacka Region C. croatica grows in thermophilous habitats, that is, on rocks with different exposures, together with thermophilous sub-Mediterranean species and with some mountain species of common beech and silver fir forests. In the central section of Mt Velebit, C. croatica also grows in a thermophilous community of forest rocks as well as in anthropogenic habitats, like the edges of gravel roads. These observations suggest the ecological adaptability of this endemic species.
Keywords
Aquilegia kitaibelii, Cardaminopsis croatica, endemic species, NATURA 2000 species, Di- naric mountains
Abstract
Literature data regarding the presence/absence of the land snail Discus rotundatus (O. F. Müller, 1774) in Croatia are discussed, occasioned by its finding on the island of Rab. A second species found on Rab, the freshwater snail Helisoma duryi (Wetherby, 1879), is recorded in this paper for the first time in Croatia.
Keywords
land snails, freshwater snails, Croatia
Abstract
Based on characteristics provided by the genital organs, the presence of the species Cepaea hortensis (O. F. Müller, 1774), reported from Croatia from a single site in the literature, is refuted. According to our current knowledge this species should be deleted from the terrestrial snail fauna of Croatia.
Keywords
land snails, Cepaea hortensis, Croatia
Keywords
Croatia, Dolichopodidae, Rhaphium caliginosum, Medetera jacula, biodiversity
Abstract
During a field trip to southern Dalmatia, a single specimen of Kirinia roxelana was observed north of the village of Osojnik, near Dubrovnik. This is the second record of this species in Croatia, and the first accurate record after the species was mentioned for Pelješac peninsula 120 years ago. The closest known records of the species originate from Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it is also local and rare.
Keywords
southern Dalmatia, distribution, fauna
Abstract
the caddisfly species Beraea dira McLachlan 1875 was recorded for the first time in Croatia in the upper course of the Bistrac river in October 2014.
Keywords
caddisfly, new record for Croatia, Bistrac river
Abstract
The paper discusses the biological and ecological characteristics and distribution of 12 caddisfly species that have been ascertained to be rare, or even discovered for the first time, in Croatia: Rhyacophila palmeni, R. vulgaris, Glosossoma conformis, Wormaldia pulla, Hydroptila forcipata, Plectrocnemia geniculata, Micrasema minimum, Limnephilus graecus, Ceraclea riparia, Oecetis notata, Setodes punctatus and S. bulgaricus. Of these, the species that have been newly established for Croatia are: Plectrocnemia geniculata, Ceraclea riparia, Oecetis notata and Setodes bulgaricus, while the presence of the species Rhyacophila vulgaris, Micrasema minimum and Setodes punctatus has been established with confidence in the Croatian fauna for the first time (precise data of localities).
Keywords
Rhyacophila palmeni, R. vulgaris, Glosossoma conformis, Wormaldia pulla, Hydroptila forcipata, Plectrocnemia geniculata, Micrasema minimum, Limnephilus graecus, Ceralea riparia, Oecetis notata, Setodes punctatus, S. bulgaricus, South Europe Kučinić, M., Cerjanec, D., Vučković, I., Mihoci, I., Perović, F., Kutnjak, H., Ibrahimi, H., Pelić
Abstract
During the last eight years several surveys were undertaken to improve the knowledge of the butterfly distribution in Croatia. In this paper we provide additional data for Mt Velebit for some taxa with poorly known distributions like Pieris (napi) balcana Lorković, 1970 as well as the first records for Carterocephalus palaemon, Gegenes pumilio, Lycaena tityrus, Polyommatus escheri, Neptis rivularis, and Charaxes jasius. with the review of recently published data and our contribution, the number of species found on Mt Velebit has increased to 153 in all, which makes Velebit a mountain with a relatively great diversity of butterfly species. additionally, we include records of some species of conservation concern for the neighbouring area of Lika, for Polyommatus damon, P. ripartii, P. admetus, Lycaena dispar, Phengaris alcon (humid meadow ecotype) and Euphydryas maturna.
Keywords
Dinaric alps, Croatia, butterflies, Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea, hesperioidea
Abstract
this paper presents the results of probably the first rather detailed survey of aquatic molluscs of rab Island. this island belongs among those Croatian islands situated in the northern adriatic sea. altogether 11 species of aquatic non-marine molluscs (9 gastropods, 2 bivalves) were found at 49 sites in 2012-2015. two species recorded, Ecrobia ventrosa and Myosotella myosotis, inhabit brackish waters while the other species belong among freshwater molluscs and were found in springs, wells, ditches, rivulets and small brooks. Kerkia kareli, a species described in 2014 from pag Island which inhabits phreatic waters, was found at one site. the non-native Physella acuta was recorded from many sites and this find is probably the first known occurrence of a non-native aquatic mollusc at least from the northern Croatian islands. the results of this research were compared with aquatic molluscan assemblages of other Croatian islands.
Keywords
mollusca, gastropoda, bivalvia, Kerkia kareli, rab Island, Croatia, faunistics
Abstract
The Ponto-Caspian alien and invasive amphipod, Echinogammarus ischnus (Stebbing, 1899), was found in Croatia at three sites in the lower course of the Drava River and at three sites in the Danube River (Batina, Borovo and Ilok). The most upstream site in the Drava where the species was found is a locality near Donji Miholjac, approximately 82 km upstream from the confluence with the Danube River. At this site as well as at two downstream sites (Osijek and Belišće) in Drava it was found together with the dominant invasive amphipods Dikerogammarus villosus and Chelicorophium curvispinum, while at the Donji Miholjac site it also co-occurs with two native species, Gammarus fossarum and G. roeseli.
Keywords
Amphipoda, Gammaridae, invasive species, large rivers, Danube, Drava
Abstract
macroinvrtebrate drift and streambed material transport are very important for the redistribution of energy sources and habitat-building elements within lotic ecosystems. the objective of the present study was to examine seasonal drift-benthos trends of macroinvertebrates and organic/inorganic matter particles between barrier and pool habitats at a small spatial scale within a karst barrage hydrosystem (Plitvice lakes). benthos and drift were sampled seasonally between November 2006 and July 2007 at four sampling sampling sites representing barrier (b; fast-flow velocity) and pool (P; slow-flow velocity) habitats. During the entire study period, amounts of drifting macroinvertebrates, and organic and inorganic particles were significantly higher at barriers than in pools. In benthos, such barrier trend was found for moss only. Considering seasonal differences, benthos showed no significant trends, whereas in drift we found significantly higher loads of all measured items in autumn and winter than in other two seasons, but such trend was observed at barriers only. the quantities of organisms in benthos and drift greatly followed the respective trends of particulate organic and inorganic matter, especially moss. at both habitat types macroinvertebrate drift mostly presented a smaller proportion of total benthos faunal composition, although there were some taxa that occurred in drift or benthos only. In total (including benthos and drift samples), we found 63 taxa during the study - 5 of them were found only within pools, 38 only at barriers and 20 of them were found at both habitat types. the most dominant in both benthos and drift, were Oligochaeta, cladoceran Alona spp., Copepoda, and larval stages of coleopteran Riolus spp. and dipteran Simulium spp. most of them belong to mobile, epiphytic and/or interstitial detritivores that most likely originated from the submerged aquatic vegetation (i.e., moss), floating leaf litter and/or sediments along our study reach, whereas cladoceran and copepod taxa likely originated from the upstream lake. the observed seasonality in the faunal drift-benthos composition (e.g., Cladocera increase in summer and autumn, ephemeroptera decrease/absence in winter and spring), was likely a consequence of the seasonal food sourcing for individual taxa, and their particular life history traits. Our findings suggest that within the tufa-precipitating Plitvice lakes hydrosystem: a) drift has a very important role in maintaining benthos structure and stability within the barrier and pool habitats; b) tufa barriers are highly dynamic habitats, characterized by pronounced season-specific dislodgement of the benthic organisms and particulate matter, and effective moss-mediated macroinvertebrate dispersal; c) the abundance of macroinvertebrates and the amounts of organic/inorganic particles in drift are influenced not only by flow velocity and the seasonal lake discharges/biocommunity dynamics, but also by the initial distribution of particles/organisms within benthos as well as by the life history traits of the individual benthic organisms.
Keywords
tufa barriers, pools, moss, drift, benthic macrofauna, Plitvice lakes * Corresponding author, e-mail: mirela.sertic.peric@biol.pmf.hr 224
Abstract
the flora of the two islets, Veliki lagan (surface area of 2.16 ha) and Mali lagan (1.04 ha), located along the north-west coast of Dugi otok island, was researched for the first time in 2014. altogether, there were 39 species and subspecies within 37 genera and 21 families. there were 35 and 24 taxa on Veliki lagan and Mali lagan, respectively. therophytes (43.59 %) and plants of the Mediterranean floral element (43.59 %) prevailed on both islets. this highlighted the Mediterranean character of the flora.
Keywords
islets, vascular flora, diversity, halophytes, eastern adriatic, Ne Mediterranean
Abstract
the flora and vegetation of three small islets with surface areas from 1.04 to 3.31 hectares, lying between the mainland and the Pelješac peninsula in south Croatia, were investigated in 2014 and 2015. the floristic data have been used to analyze life-form and chorological spectra and to assess speciesarea relationship, the occurrence of islet specialists and to assess the risk of alien plants invasion. altogether, 126 vascular plant taxa (species and infraspecific units) were recorded on all the islets combined. the richest islet is Gospin Škoj with 72 taxa, followed by srednjak (68) and Goljak (48). a total of five plant associations, one subassociation and two stands within five vegetation classes have been identified on the islets. Benthic cormophyte communities in the eulittoral and infralittoral zones are represented by Posidonietum oceanicae, Cymodocetum nodosae and Nanozosteretum noltii. the halophytic vegetation of the coastal rocks belongs to the proposed new subassociation Limonietum anfracti helichrysetosum italici. shrubland vegetation was composed of the Myrto communis-Pistacietum lentisci and Oleo sylvestris-Pistacietum lentisci associations, macchia with Erica arborea and the Olea sylvestris-Narcissus tazetta community. Clear signs of the degradation of the macchia, due to the high anthropogenic influence, particularly the presence of european rabbit populations have been observed.
Keywords
islets, vascular plants, diversity, phytosociology, new subassociation, eastern adriatic
Abstract
The Neretva river Delta is considered one of the 96 important plant areas of Croatia and as an important wetland is listed as a ramsar site. In this paper we provide data on habitat and floristic diversity recorded during a field study carried out in april 2011. we surveyed 10 localities and identified 18 habitat types, 12 of which are included in annex I of the eu habitat Directive. Out of 458 identified vascular plant taxa, 32 are included in the red Book of vascular flora of Croatia as endangered (5 taxa), vulnerable (10 taxa), and Near threatened (11), while 6 taxa are regarded as Data Deficient. In addition, we recorded two invasive alien species and 12 endemic species for the Dinaric area, and discuss their conservation and biogeographycal importance. we added 160 records from literature sources to our data, which resulted in 618 identified (recorded) taxa for the study region.
Keywords
flora, habitats, nature conservation, Neretva river Delta, Croatia