As the human population in urban areas is continuously growing, urbanization is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity. To mitigate the negative effects, the inclusion of blue zones (aquatic ...habitats) in modern urban development practices is strongly recommended, as they could be beneficial for the local biodiversity conservation. Odonata are a flagship group and are widely used in freshwater conservation as ecological indicators of habitat integrity and health. However, our understanding of their ecological requirements in urban landscapes is not yet complete. Therefore, we analyzed the taxonomic and functional diversity of Odonata in a semi-natural wetland in the Croatian capital. This study was conducted in the summers of 2020 and 2023. Most taxonomic and functional assemblage metrics were comparable between the two main habitat types, anthropogenically disturbed and natural oxbow lakes. However, significant differences were found in relation to the time scale, where most metrics were lower in 2023, indicating the negative impact of extreme climate events (including droughts) that occurred in this region after 2020. With 19 species recorded, our results indicate that semi-natural urban wetlands, especially natural oxbow lakes, have great potential to function as good habitats for Odonata, where even some species of conservation concern were detected. When developing landscape management plans in urban areas, it is essential to consider the importance of habitat heterogeneity in terms of good structure of aquatic macrophytes (presence of submerged, emergent and floating vegetation), which would ensure the most suitable habitat conditions for local Odonata species.
The Procridinae are a subfamily of Zygaenidae and are generally perceived as difficult group as the examination of genital structures are needed for the correct identification of most species in ...Europe. In Croatia, 11 species belonging to this subfamily were recorded so far, but the records for most of them are rather scarce, and based on a limited amount of published data. In order to bridge the gap in knowledge, 188 specimens belonging to this subfamily were collected across Croatia in the last decade. From the collected material nine species have been identified while the historical records of two of them, T. ampellophaga and J. budensis have not been confirmed. Of the recorded species, J. globulariae and A. mannii were the most common ones while almost all other species were rather local or rare. For each of other species this work significantly expands their known distribution in Croatia.
Hermann’s tortoise (
Testudo hermanni
) is listed as “Near threatened” in the IUCN Red list of endangered species. The importance of protecting the Hermann’s tortoise populations and its habitats ...have led to the inclusion of the species within CITES Convention (Annex II), Annex A of EU Wildlife Trade Regulation, Annex II of the Bern Convention and Annexes II and IV of the EU Habitats Directive. To assess the distribution and status of the eastern Hermann’s tortoise (
Testudo hermanni boettgeri
) in Croatia, historical and recent records were gathered and analyzed. The species was recorded in all three biogeographical regions in the country, but it’s native to the Mediterranean and a small part of the Alpine region. With the increase of recent surveys and the use of citizen science platforms, the known range of the species in Croatia was increased by 35.8% and is now encompassing 123 10 × 10 km EEA reference grid cells. Most records (66%) originate from lower elevations (up to 199 m), and the highest was recorded at 570 m. Sparse forests are the most preferred habitats, followed by semi-open habitats, such as grasslands and shrubs. The most serious threat to the species is natural succession due to the increased abandonment of traditional farming and grazing. Other threats include touristic infrastructure and urban development, transportation, illegal collecting, and invasive species. The Area of Occupancy calculated using 2 × 2 km grids resulted in an AOO of 1,372.00 km
2
, while Extent of Occurrence (EOO) is calculated to be 18,145.07 km
2
. The current network of National protected areas includes 14% of the species’ AOO while the designated Natura 2000 areas include 29.30% of its AOO. We propose to designate an additional 10 Natura 2000 areas to help with the long-term protection of the species.
We analysed the status and distribution of the Sage Skipper Muschampia proto (Ochsenheimer, 1808), a rather rare and local Hesperiidae species at the edge of its range in the north-western part of ...the Balkan peninsula, mainly Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. In order to determine the species' presence in the region, we mapped the occurrence of its hostplant, Jerusalem Sage Phlomis fruticosa Linnaeus (Lamiaceae). We also summarized all the available knowledge on M. proto in the Balkan Peninsula and provided a literature overview for each country this species has been recorded in so far. In Croatia, the distribution of M. proto is very limited and is located only in the wider surroundings of Dubrovnik city. In the present paper, we also provide the first and only record of M. proto in Bosnia & Herzegovina, from a single locality close to the Croatian border in the Dubrovnik area. Due to its limited distribution in both countries, we propose that the conservation status of the species should be changed from none to vulnerable.
We have developed a new platform named "Biologer" intended for recording species observations in the field (but also from literature resources and collections). The platform is created as ...user-friendly, open source, multilingual software that is compatible with Darwin Core standard and accompanied by a simple Android application. It is made from the user's perspective, allowing everyone to choose how they share the data. Project team members are delegated by involved organisations. The team is responsible for development of the platform, while local Biologer communities are engaged in data collection and verification.
Biologer has been online and available for use in Serbia since 2018 and was soon adopted in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In total, we have assembled 536 users, who have collected 163,843 species observation records data from the field and digitalised 33,458 literature records. The number of active users and their records is growing daily. Out of the total number of gathered data, 89% has been made open access by the users, 10% is accessible on the scale of 10×10 km and only 1% is closed. In the future, we plan to provide a taxonomic data portal that could be used by local and national initiatives in Eastern Europe, aggregate all data into a single web location, create detailed data overview and enable fluent communication between users.
La diversita delle falene del Paesaggio significativo di Donji Kamenjak e dell'arcipelago di Medulin e stata studiata nel corso del 2021. Insieme ai dati raccolti in diverse escursioni sul campo ...negli anni precedenti, finora sono state regístrate 446 specie di falene nell'area. Molte delle specie regístrate appartengono a specie di falene raramente registrate in Croazia e alcune rappresentano solo il secondo o il terzo ritrovamento per il Paese, mentre diverse specie sono state registrate per la prima volta nella penisola istriana. Una specie, Eupithecia ultimaria Boisduval, 1840, e stata segnalata come nuova per la fauna della Croazia. Sono state individuate tre minacce principali per la diversita delle falene: la successione naturale dovuta alla mancanza di pascolo regolare, una vasta rete di sentieri e strade che porta alla frammentazione dell'habitat e Relevata pressione dei veicoli nei mesi estivi che provoca l'aumento della polvere di carbonato dalle strade in macadam sulle praterie e sulla vegetazione circostanti.
Occurrences of the Little Tiger Blue, Tarucus balkanicus (Freyer, 1844) in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina represent the northern and western distribution limits of this species in its entire range. ...During our surveys the species was observed at 27 locations in Croatia and two new locations in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The most interesting records are from the three northern Adriatic islands: Cres, Rab and Pag, which represent a significant northward extension in the known range of the species in Croatia. While the records from Bosnia & Herzegovina fall into their known range, they represent the only observations of the species in more than 30 years. We redefined the distribution limits of its range in the Balkan Peninsula, including four Adriatic islands. Its habitat in the region is not under direct threat, at least in the short-term. Moreover, its hostplant P. spina-christi Mill., thrives in abandoned pastures and grasslands in Mediterranean and submediterranean regions in both countries and is one of the more successful colonizers of such abandoned areas. Thus, the species is not considered threatened at least in Croatia and could benefit from ongoing abandonment of the pastures and grasslands as well as climate change.
The first overview of the amphibians and reptiles of Dugi Otok Island, Northern Dalmatia, is presented, based on the published data and new records collected during the last twenty years. A total of ...15 species are present on the island, of which only one was not recorded on our surveys. In comparison to other islands of Northern Dalmatia, Dugi Otok is the second most diverse island in terms of herpetofauna, just after Pag Island. The main threats to the amphibians and reptiles on the island are the disappearance and degradation of aquatic habitats, the abandonment and succession of traditional agricultural fields and olive groves and the increasing presence of several invasive species.
Additions to the moth fauna of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia are given. We report on first observations of five species and on reconfirmation of one species after eight decades. In Croatia, we ...recorded the species Eublemma cochylioides (Guenée, 1852) for the first time, while Eublemma himmighoffeni (Millière, 1867) has been confirmed in the country after 85 years. We report on the first observation of five moth species for Bosnia and Herzegovina: Triodia adriaticus (Osthelder, 1931), Eumera regina Staudinger, 1892, Dryobotodes monochroma (Esper, 1790), Lithophane lapidea (Hübner, 1808) and Nycteola columbana (Turner, 1925). Even though these records could be expected due to species general distributions, they fill the knowledge of moth diversity of both countries and the wider region.
V prispevku podajamo nove podatke o nočnih metuljih v Bosni in Hercegovini ter na Hrvaškem, s prvimi opažanji petih vrst in ponovno potrditvijo ene vrste po več kot osem desetletjih. Na Hrvaškem smo prvič zabeležili vrsto Eublemma cochylioides (Guenée, 1852), medtem ko je bila Eublemma himmighoffeni (Millière, 1867) ponovno najdena po 85 letih. V Bosni in Hercegovini smo našli pet novih vrst za državo: Triodia adriaticus (Osthelder, 1931), Eumera regina Staudinger, 1892, Dryobotodes monochroma (Esper, 1790), Lithophane lapidea (Hübner, 1808) in Nycteola columbana (Turner, 1925). Čeprav je bilo te vrste mogoče pričakovati glede na njihovo splošno razširjenost, naši podatki dopolnjujejo poznavanje raznolikosti nočnih metuljev v obeh državah in v regiji.
Wing morphology of the three closely related species of Melitaea – Melitaea athalia (Rottemburg, 1775), Melitaea aurelia (Nickerl, 1850) and Melitaea britomartis Assmann, 1847 – co-occurring in the ...Balkans (SE Europe) was investigated in detail through visual inspection, morphometric analysis and multivariate statistical analysis. Results are compared to recent phylogenetic studies, searching for concordant patterns and discrepancies between the two approaches. The morphology of the genitalic structures is also compared with the results of the other two approaches. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) small albeit significant differences in wing morphology exist among the three species and (2) while the structure of male genitalia and phylogenetic position of the three species are concordant, they are (3) in discordance with the wing morphology. The present study represents another example where identification based on external morphology would lead to highly unreliable determinations, hence identification based on phylogenetic studies and/or genitalia is strongly recommended not only for the three studied species but also more broadly within the genus. Furthermore, we show that some of the characters generally used in the identification of these three Melitaea species should be avoided in future.
PDF
