Chaetopteryx bucari sp. n., a new species from the Chaetopteryx rugulosa group from Croatia (Insecta, Trichoptera, Limnephilidae) with molecular, taxonomic and ecological notes on the group.

We describe a new autumnal caddisfly species Chaetopteryx bucari sp. n. from 8 localities in the Banovina region of Croatia. We also present molecular, taxonomic and ecological notes (emergence, sex ratio and seasonal dynamics) on the new species and discuss the distribution of Chaetopteryx species in general and the Chaetopteryx rugulosa group in particular. Based on Bayesian phylogenetic analysis Chaetopteryx rugulosa schmidi was separated from the clade containing the other subspecies of Chaetopteryx rugulosa. Thus the subspecies Chaetopteryx rugulosa schmidi is here raised to species level, Chaetopteryx schmidi, as it was described originally. We further present distribution data on rare species in the genus Chaetopteryx in Croatia.

Around or across the Carpathians: colonization model of the Danube basin inferred from genetic diversification of stone loach (Barbatula barbatula) populations.

Despite increasing information about postglacial recolonization of European freshwater systems, very little is known about pre-Pleistocene history. We used data on the recent distribution and phylogenetic relationships of stone loach mitochondrial lineages to reconstruct the initial colonization pattern of the Danube river system, one of the most important refuges for European freshwater ichthyofauna. Fine-scale phylogeography of the Danubian populations revealed five highly divergent lineages of pre-Pleistocene age and suggested the multiple origin of the Danubian stone loach. The mean sequence divergence among lineages extended from 7.0% to 13.4%, which is the highest intraspecific divergence observed so far within this river system. Based on the phylogeographical patterns, we propose the following hypothesis to relate the evolution and dispersal of the studied species with the evolution of the Danube river system and the Carpathian Mountains: (i) during the warmer period in the Miocene, the areas surrounding the uplifting Alps and Carpathians served as mountainous refuges for cold-water adapted fish and promoted the diversification of its populations, and (ii) from these refuges, colonization of the emerging Danube river system may have taken place following the retreat of the Central Paratethys. Co-existence of highly divergent mtDNA lineages in a single river system shows that range shifts in response to climatic changes during the Quaternary did not cause extensive genetic homogenization in the stone loach populations. However, the wide distribution of some mtDNA lineages indicates that the Pleistocene glaciations promoted the dispersal and mixing of populations through the lowlands.

Morphometric and meristic characteristics of the goldside loach Sabanejewia balcanica (Cobitidae) in Central Croatia.

We studied sixteen morphometric and eight meristic characteristics of forty-five goldside loaches from two rivers in central Croatia, the Bijela and the Petrinjcica, belonging to the Sava River basin. We found significant differences (P<0.01) in all the morphometric characteristics of the populations from these two rivers. While the mean total length (TL) of the goldside loache population from Petrinjcica (mean TL = 60.4 mm, min-max = 52.8 - 70.2 mm) is comparable with TL in other populations described in Europe, individuals from the Bijela seem to be significantly larger (mean TL = 91.8 mm; min-max = 76.4 mm- 102.4 mm) and are among the longest specimens in Europe. Although we can not be sure if this is a result of phenotype variability or some specific taxonomic quality, the position of the Bijela on the old isolated massif of Mt Papuk may have led to the specific morphometric characteristics of this goldside loach population.

New data about distribution of Sabanejewia balcanica (Karaman, 1922) (Cobitidae) in Croatia.

Data are presented on the distribution of the goldside loach, Sabanejewia balcanica, in upper and lower parts often small rivers and brooks of the Danube drainage in central Croatia. The species was registered in relatively small numbers in most of the streams inspected. Results suggest that anthropogenic factors caused the disappearance ofthe goldside loach from most streams in the lower parts of their course. Therefore, S. balcanica should be listed as an endangered species in the Croatian fauna.