In this paper, the first record of the nudibranch Felimare picta (R. A. Philippi, 1836) (Gastropoda: Chromodorididae) in Bosnia and Herzegovina is reported. The specimen was observed at 7 m depth on a sandy bottom in Malostonski zaljev Bay and documented using underwater photography, expanding the known distribution of the species in the Adriatic Sea. It also emphasizes the importance of surveys in the relatively understudied marine habitats of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Records of Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774) in Morocco have been scarce and often based on empty shells only. In this study, we report a new occurrence of this species at the Sidi Hrazem thermal spring in north-central Morocco, where high-density populations were recorded. We also provide an overview of its autoecology and reassess its biogeographical status in Morocco and North Africa.

Učka Nature Park in northeastern Istria represents an important habitat for herpetofauna, yet knowledge of certain reptile occurrences within the park has been limited. Field surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025 at selected peripheral sites confirmed, for the first time, the presence of three reptile species previously undocumented in the park: the four-lined snake Elaphe quatuorlineata Lacepède, 1789, European glass lizard Pseudopus apodus (Pallas 1775), and Mediterranean house gecko Hemidactylus turcicus (Linnaeus, 1758). These findings expand the known reptile fauna of Učka Nature Park and provide a valuable baseline for future research, monitoring, and conservation efforts.

This study presents 77 new species of Lepidoptera for Mljet, recorded on the island in July 2012, bringing the total number of documented species to 121 from 19 families. The research was conducted in the central part of the island. Oxyptilus laetus (Zeller, 1847) from the family Pterophoridae is recorded in Croatia here for the first time in nearly 90 years.

Here we report the first records of the North American grass Glyceria striata (fowl mannagrass or ridged glyceria) in Croatia. Four localities were found in the Gorski Kotar region (Alpine Biogeographical Region) along the watercourses and two additional localities were observed at forest margins and clearings on the outskirts of the city of Zagreb (Continental Biogeographical Region). The species has been classified as a naturalized neophyte and warrants monitoring in the forthcoming period.

Hyloxalus cepedai is an endemic frog from the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, currently categorized as Vulnerable due to its restricted distribution and the ongoing transformation of its habitat. Despite its conservation status, ecological information about this species remains scarce. In this study, we characterized the microhabitat occupied by H. cepedai in four localities of the municipality of Aguazul, Casanare, in eastern Colombia, and provided observations on parental care. Fieldwork was conducted in April through daytime visual encounter surveys in gallery forests. For each individual, we recorded the substrate, vertical position, and horizontal position. A total of 72 individuals were observed. Most were recorded in leaf litter (n = 52), on the exposed surface of the substrate (n = 59), and in horizontal position I (n = 53). Chi-square analyses revealed that the use of these microhabitat variables was not random, but instead showed significant differences across all categories evaluated, indicating consistent patterns of space utilization. In addition, four males were observed carrying 8 to 10 larvae on their backs, moving across different substrates and at short distances (0–3 m) from the water. These records expand the knowledge of the ecology of H. cepedai by documenting both its non-random microhabitat use patterns and aspects of its parental care.

The Balkan region is inhabited by hundreds of endemic freshwater molluscs, mainly small hydrobiids, and is considered a hotspot of global biodiversity. On the other hand, data about their distribution as well as data about distribution of more common and widespread molluscs have been still sparse and complete inventories of the mollusc communities of many areas are missing. The river Cetina is the largest river in the Adriatic part of Croatia. Aquatic non-marine molluscs of this river were studied in 2009, 2018-2022 and 2024. The quantity of distributional data were obtained thus the main objective of this study was to summarize and analyse recent distributional data on freshwater and brackish molluscs with special focus on endemic or threatened species. In total 35 aquatic molluscs were found at 26 sites at Cetina including its the biggest tributary Ruda. Mollusc communities at individual sites were usually composed of 5-15 species. Molluscs Theodoxus fluviatilis, Holandriana holandrii, Bithynia tentaculata, Radomaniola spp., Emmericia patula, Stagnicola fuscus, Physa fontinalis, Ancylus fluviatilis, Euglesa casertana and E. subtruncata were the most often recorded taxons found at least at half of studied sites. Notable is the occurrence of gastropods Dalmatinella simonae, Horatia klecakiana, Islamia sp. and several species of genus Radomaniola. No bivalves from the family Unionidae were found in the main stream of Cetina or Ruda. Numerous populations of non-native gastropod Potamopyrgus antipodarum in Cetina were found. The most serious impact is the change in the water regime caused by the construction of dams, which most likely had an impact on changes in the mollusc communities.

The paper analyses the issue of the implementation of nature conservation policy in the Lower Neretva Delta. Institutional nature protection in that part of the Croatian coast is burdened with various problems, of which poaching, burning of swamp reeds, illegal conversion of wetlands into agricultural land, and ilegal construction should be singled out. Since the current concept of nature protection, based on the top-down command-and-control principle, proved to be ineffective in resolving conflicts with the local community, the authors of this paper considered the participatory management model of protected natural areas as an alternative possibility. A comparative analysis of the current state of nature protection in the Upper Neretva Delta, in the neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, where protected areas are located within the Hutovo Blato Nature Park, is also given. The authors also researched the issue of the development of ecotourism as the most adequate sustainable form of tourism in the Lower Delta. The potential of ecotourism, as a response to social, ecological and economic problems that burden the local community, has been critically studied, based on experiences from other parts of the world. The research shows the need to involve stakeholders from the local community in the implementation of the nature protection policy using a participatory model.

Reintroduction of key plant species to habitats where they became locally extinct contributes to the restoration of biodiversity and ecological functions of the natural ecosystem. The dwarf cattail (Typha minima Funck ex Hoppe) is a pioneer plant, adapted to newly formed gravel- and sand bars of free-flowing rivers, and it is an indicator species of rivers with natural hydro-morphological sediment dynamics and a changing riverbed. In the last decades, it has disappeared from known sites on the banks of the Drava River near Varaždin, Donja Dubrava and Legrad, and therefore its reintroduction was planned and carried out within the framework of the DRAVA LIFE project. Pieces of rooted rhizomes of the dwarf cattail originating from the upper sections of the Drava River in Austria were planted on three occasions (2018, 2019 and 2024) at selected locations near the Drava-Mura confluence. Monitoring revealed that most plants (83% from the total of 1285), did not survive long-term floods; they were buried by sediments or carried away by strong currents. From the 17% of plants that survived the floods, 9% were dug up by wild boars. Only about 8% of the plants survived until the end of the year in which they were planted. Despite the lower rate of success, the reintroduction of this species should be continued by planting rhizomes or seedlings in micro-locations with potentially more favourable conditions, such as newly restored Drava side arms, where the river dynamics is more moderate, and the newly created bare surfaces are potentially suitable habitats.

The studied Kraljevec Forest Park represents an urban forest complex located in the immediate vicinity of the very center of the city of Zagreb. It is situated in a colline belt zone and floristically belongs to the Epimedio-Carpinetum betuli community. The survey of vascular flora was conducted during the 2023 vegetation season, recording a total of 262 vascular plant taxa, classified into 78 families and 188 genera. The dominant life forms are hemicryptophytes (40.13 %) and geophytes (17.39 %), while the prevailing floristic elements are Eurasian (47.08 %) and European (17.51 %). Alien species constitute 24.05 % of the flora. Moreover, urbanization indices reveal that the proportion of moderately to strongly urbanophobic taxa (35.29 %) is more than twice as high as that of moderately to strongly urbanophilic taxa (14.9 %). Thirteen invasive species were recorded (Juncus tenuis, Acer negundo, Bidens frondosa, Galinsoga ciliata, Solidago gigantea, Impatiens balfourii, Robinia pseudoacacia, Phytolacca americana, Reynoutria japonica, Duchesnea indica, Veronica persica, Ailanthus altissima, and Parthenocissus quinquefolia), along with two potentially naturalised species with invasive potential (Glyceria striata and Rosa multiflora). Seven species are listed under IUCN threat categories: two as Vulnerable (Taxus baccata and Ilex aquifolium) both of which are also strictly protected in Croatia, three as Least Concern (Galanthus nivalis, Poa annua, and Serratula tinctoria), one as Near Threatened (Cyclamen purpurascens), and one as Data Deficient (Aira caryophyllea). The results of this study contribute to the knowledge of the urban flora of Zagreb and support the recommendation for the official designation of Kraljevec Forest Park as a protected area.