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Twenty non-indigenous fish species were recorded in the Danube River. The manner of their introduction, vectors, pathways, as well as invasive status are discussed. The major modes of introduction and translocation were found to be aquaculture and fish stocking. The main environmental consequences of the spread of alien fish are related to changes in the structure and functioning of the fish community and to the introduction of non-indigenous parasites. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. ON 173025, TR 37009 and III 43002 and European Commission 6th Framework Program: Integrated Project ALARM (contract GOCE-CT-2003-506675)]

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834), Chinese pond mussel (Bivalvia: Unionoida: Unionidae) is one of the most invasive aquatic macroinvertebrate species found in Europe. We report the Chinese pond mussel for the first time in Montenegro, in August 2012, in Lake Šasko (Adriatic part of the Central Mediterranean subarea). One specimen of the Chinese pond mussel was observed in a habitat with a predominantly silt-clay substrate. The main pathway of species introduction was evaluated to be via fish stocking. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 43002 i br. ON 173025]

Research into the ichthyofauna of the Vlasina Lake reservoir in south Serbia, which is part of the Danube basin, was carried out in 1993, 40 years after its formation. The results of the research reveal the presence of several species of fish belonging to the Adriatic and Aegean basin, such as Alburnus albidus, Rutilus basak, Scardinius graecus and Pachychilon macedonicus. These findings are of great importance from the aspect of conservation, because the species Scardinius graecus and Alburnus albidus are on the European list of endangered fish species. In the latest study of the Vlasina Lake reservoir ichthyofauna (70 years after its formation), the above-mentioned species were not found. However, the presence of naturalized populations of two species from the Adriatic basin were confirmed: Scardinius knezevici and Alburnus scoranza. These findings represent the first known areal expansion of these species, which are new to the ichthyofauna of Serbia, from the Adriatic into the Danube (Black Sea) basin.[Acknowledgments. The present work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia (Projects No. 43002 and 173025).]

We report the discovery of Bothrioneurum vejdovskyanum Štolc, 1886 (Annelida: Oligochaeta: Tubificidae: Rhyacodrilinae) in Serbian freshwaters. Fifteen specimens were found in the middle course of the River Ibar (southern Serbia), at a locality where the macrolithal type of substrate and strong currents prevail. These organisms were found together with Stylodrilus heringianus (Claparede, 1862). They were among the most abundant Oligochaeta species. The species are described and its biology and distribution are discussed. The present record contributes to the knowledge on the general distribution of this rare species, particularly in the Balkans (southeastern Europe). [Acknowledgments. This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia, Projects No. ON 173025 and III 43002]

The aim of this study was to ascertain the possibility of using biological toxicity tests to monitor influent and effluent wastewaters of wastewater treatment plants. The information obtained through these tests is used to prevent toxic pollutants from entering wastewater treatment plants and discharge of toxic pollutants into the recipient. Samples of wastewaters from the wastewater treatment plants of Kragujevac and Gornji Milanovac, as well as from the Lepenica and Despotovica Rivers immediately before and after the influx of wastewaters from the plants, were collected between October 2004 and June 2005. Used as the test organism in these tests was the zebrafish Brachydanio rerio Hamilton - Buchanon (Cyprinidae). The acute toxicity test of 96/h duration showed that the tested samples had a slight acutely toxic effect on B. rerio, except for the sample of influent wastewater into the Cvetojevac wastewater treatment plant, which had moderately acute toxicity, indicating that such water should be prevented from entering the system in order to eliminate its detrimental effect on the purification process.

The aim of the study presented was to define trophic relationships within the benthic community according to functional feeding groups (FFG) in the Vlasina River (Southeast Serbia), with an attempt to use those results to describe the watercourse. In an investigation performed during 1996, a total of 125 macrozoobenthic taxa were identified, 95 of which were included in FFG analyses. Although the investigated part of the river, in its physical and chemical characteristics, as well as characteristics of the benthofauna, generally corresponds to what could be expected, certain variations of faunal composition were observed along the river. Two groups of sites were separated by FFG analysis - sites on the upper section of the river and on a tributary (the Gradska River) comprised one group, while the remaining sites made up the other.

The mayfly (Ephemeroptera) fauna was studied during investigations of the Vlasina River (Serbia) conducted in 1996. Twenty-six species from 14 genera belonging to eight families were recorded. Compared to similar aquatic ecosystems in Serbia and Europe, the ephemeropteran fauna of the Vlasina River is characterized by high species diversity. Good water quality and habitat heterogeneity led to the observed richness of taxa. Based on fauna distribution, the middle reach of the river can be divided into three different segments - upper, middle, and lower. Distribution of the two dominant families, Heptageniidae and Baetidae, is emphasized. Representatives of Baetidae reach their highest density in July, while Heptageniidae were the most abundant in November. The recorded mayflies represent widely distributed European or Holarctic species.

This paper presents the results of studying length-weight gain using exponential regression analysis. The gain was analyzed in the Slano, Krupac, and Liverovići Reservoirs and in the Zeta River. Comparing growth at different localities, we found different weight gains. The greatest weight gain exists in the population from the Slano Reservoir. Growth in the first year of life is much more intensive in this area than in populations from the literature we compared it to. .

Research on the community of aquatic macroinvertebrates was carried out during 2005 and 2006 at four sampling sites along the Jablanica River, a right-hand tributary of the Kolubara River. Fifty-seven taxa were recorded in the course of the investigation. The most diverse group was Ephemeroptera, followed by Trichoptera and Plecoptera. Members of the Rhitrogena semicolorata group were the most abundant. Our results could be the basis for evaluation of the influence of damming of the Jablanica River on the status of its water and can serve as a model for studying the influ­ence of hydromorphological degradation of aquatic ecosystems.

Fish assemblages have been widely used as ecological indicators for assessing the level of environmental degradation and ecosystem health. Environmental disturbances affect the aquatic community structure in terms of abundance and biomass. Therefore, we tested the utility of abundance/biomass comparison (ABC) method, originally developed for marine ecosystems, to detect the anthropogenic disturbance in lotic systems using fish community data. Electrofishing was conducted in the period between 2003 and 2011 at 35 sites along the Southern Morava River basin. The results indicated that species richness strongly influences the utility of ABC method to detect the anthropogenic disturbance in lotic systems. The Warwick (W) statistic showed the positive correlation and the expected direction of response with some factors defining environmental quality, applying it on the samples with greater species richness. This approach has significant power for detecting environmental quality disturbance but may be limited due to effects of habitat variability in riverine environments.

This paper presents the first checklist of the family Chironomidae (Diptera) in Serbia, based on literature citations in two periods (1981/82 and 2010/11) and the unpublished data as well as material examined by the authors. Our survey ranges over the Central, Eastern, Southern and Southeastern parts of Serbia (Southern Morava River basin). We have listed 110 taxa distributed in following five subfamilies: Chironominae (39), Diamesinae (3), Orthocladiinae (48), Prodiamesinae (2) and Tanypodynae (16).

Based on a literature review, the different approaches in the water quality assessment using fish communities in freshwaters are summarized. Fish assemblage indicators, developed throughout the world, were reviewed and the main differences in methodologies, number of metrics and values are summarized. We have drawn attention to the methods used for designing a fish-based index with a particular focus on original developments in North America and its adaptations in many different regions and habitat types. The main obstacles for ecological assessment are scarce ecological information and the problem with the classification. The lack of knowledge is especially true for species assemblages in the relatively unexplored river basins of Europe, e.g. The Balkans peninsular.