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The Dinarides in the Western Balkans host a globally exceptional subterranean biodiversity, but still areas remain with little or no data on subterranean species. In this work, we present the study of subterranean fauna in the upper Neretva River catchment (Eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina), which included the first systematic exploration of the interstitial habitats in the country. During the five-day »Neretva Science Week« in the summer of 2022, we sampled six gravel bars, six springs and one cave. We gathered 268 records (taxon-locality-date) of 116 taxa, with 35 records referring to 27 terrestrial taxa. Nine terrestrial taxa were sampled in a cave, while 19 were found in aquatic samples, mostly from springs. 27 taxa were identified as obligate subterranean (troglobiotic) species, one terrestrial beetle from the cave, and 26 aquatic species, belonging to water mites, snails, and crustaceans. Eight of the aquatic troglobionts present the potential for new species to science. Of the latter, four species were distinguished based on morphology: two species of snails from the families Hydrobiidae and Moitessieriidae, one representative of Ostracoda and one Copepoda. Individuals of the aquatic troglobiotic isopods and amphipods were analysed molecularly, and based on molecular differences, two new species within the genus Proasellus and two within the genus Niphargus were proposed. Further work on all these taxa is needed for the formal descriptions of the new species to science. Despite the short study period, we have shown that the area is rich in endemic groundwater fauna. The hydroelectric power plant constructions planned in the region threaten groundwater communities by altering subterranean habitats and their connectivity. Further studies are needed to properly highlight the great diversity of the subterranean habitats of the Neretva River catchment and its wider region, and to include this knowledge in conservation strategies.

To understand the distribution of aquatic fauna in karst groundwater and its environmental response, aquatic fauna and water samples were collected from 15 epikarst springs and 9 large karst springs on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Yichang from July to August 2018. In total, 809 individuals were collected, and they belonged to 13 subclasses. We found that: ①The spatial distribution of different animals in groundwater was different. Copepoda and Ostracoda stygobionts were abundant in epikarst springs (31.3%, 23.7%), Trichoptera and Diptera were less abundant (0.4%, 2.9%). Copepoda and Amphipoda were abundant in large springs (25.0%, 8.3%), Ostracoda stygobionts were less abundant (2.2%). ②The variation range of environmental factors (pH, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+) in large karst springs (0.64, 1.25 mg/L, 34.0 mg/L, 22.1 mg/L) was narrower than that in epikarst springs (2.45, 5.68 mg/L, 59.6 mg/L, 33.4 mg/L), which indicated a relatively stable condition. ③According to the stepwise regression analysis, the main environmental factors of epikarst springs were pH, Na+ and Mg2+, and the main environmental factors of large karst springs were pH, SO42- and Mg2+. Moreover, the representative biological communities of epikarst springs were Ostracoda, Diptera and dark layer species of Turbellaria, and the representative biological communities of large karst springs were Mollusca, Diptera and Decapoda. ④According to the path analysis, Diptera mainly responded indirectly to Na+ and Mg2+ through Ostracoda, and Ostracoda stygobionts, Diptera and Turbellaria responded directly to pH in epikarst springs. In large karst springs, Mollusca mainly indirectly responded to pH through Diptera, Diptera indirectly responded to SO42- through Decapoda, and Mollusca, Diptera and Decapoda directly responded to Mg2+. The distribution of fauna in groundwater was the result of a direct response to environmental factors and an indirect response between different species.

Two new species of copepods of the genus Elaphoidella Chappuis, 1929 were discovered in a cave and a spring in northeastern Thailand. The first species, E. phuphamanensis sp. nov., belongs to species-group VII sensu Lang. It is most similar to E. turgisetosa Petkovski, 1980 in the armament of the male third exopod of the fourth swimming leg and the shape and armament of the fifth swimming leg in both sexes. However, it is easily distinguished from other congeners by the segmentation of the first swimming leg, the endopod of the fourth swimming leg, and the armature of the third exopod of swimming legs 2–4 in both sexes. The second species, E. propecabezasi sp. nov., is located in species-group I sensu Lang, where the male does not have a transformed seta on the third exopod of the fourth swimming leg and the female fifth swimming leg has four baseoendopodal robust setae, unequal in length. It is most similar to E. cabezasi Petkovski, 1982 and E. paraaffinis Watiroyram, Sanoamuang and Brancelj, 2017 in having the same armature formula as endopods 1–2 of female swimming legs 1–4. However, the ornamentation of the anal operculum, the shape of the caudal ramus, and the armature of the fifth swimming leg in both sexes distinguish them from each other. A rare gynandromorphic specimen of E. propecabezasi sp. nov. was recorded, and a revised key to Elaphoidella species in Southeast Asia is provided.

Harpacticoids are an important component of meiofaunal assemblages in hyporheic zone. The goal of this study was to investigate distribution patterns of interstitial harpacticoid assemblages from four pre-Alpine streams originating in the Dinaric Karst and flowing into the Ljubljanica River. The sampling was conducted in 2002 at 12 locations distributed at a distance of approximately 1 km along each stream including tributaries, at a depth of 30–60 cm in the wetted channel (three sites per location) and depths from 65 to 160 cm on the stream banks (one site per location) using a Bou-Rouch pump. Concurrently, the interstitial water’s physical and chemical parameters were measured at two sites within each location (streambed, streambank). A total of 24 harpacticoid species were found, 12 of which were stygobionts (i.e., species living exclusively in groundwaters). Among them, two previously unknown species for science were found. Harpacticoid assemblage composition, with the exception of those from the Iška stream, did not differ significantly between the streams, indicating interconnectivity of the interstitial milieu. Sediment structure, amounts of particulate organic matter, conductivity and redox conditions seemed to have certain impacts, indicating the importance of hydrological and geological settings for harpacticoid assemblages.

This paper presents an overview of means of valorization of pile-dwelling sites inscribed to Unesco World heritage list. Carried out on the scale of the Alps, this study aims to relativize the deterministic logics by which the invisibility of pile-dwelling sites would be an obstacle for their valorization. Also, with elaboration of decision-making grid, the study proposes a support tool for the local stakeholders.

The number of freshwater species belonging to the genus Parastenocaris reported from ten countries of Southeast Asia is quite limited. Only two species have been reported so far from freshwater habitats there, compared to over 290 described species of the family Parastenocarididae worldwide. During the first study of the hyporheic zone of two small rivers in central Vietnam, two new species of the family Parastenocarididae were collected, Parastenocaris sontraensis sp. nov. and Parastencaris vugiaensis sp. nov. Both were collected from the gravel bar along the rivers (Suoi Da and Vu Gia river) using the Karaman–Chappuis method. Both the new species belong to the brevipes group of the genus Parastenocaris Kessler, 1913 sensu Lang (1948), and Reid (1995). Parastenocaris sontraensis sp. nov. is similar to P. hinumaensis Kikuchi, 1970 and Parastenocaris jane Karanovic, 2006 in the brevipes-group. Parastenocaris sontraensis sp. nov. differs from both Parastenocaris species by (i) Exp P3 with three segments in the male, (ii) caudal rami with seven setae, and (iii) caudal rami about 2.4 times as long as wide. Parastencaris vugiaensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by the unique combination of the following characters: (i) the elliptical shape of caudal rami, (ii) apical seta (V) with bulbous base, and (iii) anal operculum extends beyond the end of anal somite. Until now, 14 stygobiotic species of Copepoda have been recorded in Vietnam (including two new species in this paper), which is relatively few compared with nearby Thailand with 25 species. Short comments on other stygobiotic Copepoda from Vietnam are added.

Interstitial water that occupies the pore spaces within unconsolidated sediments is a unique habitat, inhabited by surface as well as exclusively subterranean species (stygobionts). The best studied of all interstitial habitats is the hyporheic zone, an interface between surface water and groundwater (phreatic zone) environments. The Sava River in central Slovenia (i.e., at the Ljubljana alluvial plain) readily qualifies as one of the global hotspots of interstitial biodiversity, while data from other river sections are lacking. In 2015, we sampled two gravel bars on the final Slovenian section of the river (Eastern Slovenia), and collected nine samples per site using the Bou-Rouch pumping method. At »Čatež ob Savi« and »Obrežje« sites, at least 26 invertebrate species with 14 stygobionts and 25 invertebrate species with 13 stygobionts were identified, respectively. Altogether, 33 invertebrate taxa with 16 stygobionts were recorded, which increased the previously known interstitial stygobiotic richness of the Sava River in Slovenia by eight species (to 37 species). Three species of the stygobiotic amphipod genus Niphargus were recorded in Slovenia for the first time, one of which is even a new species to science. We discuss the novel results in the context of current national conservation practices.

Pseudohesperocyclops loeiensis, new genus, new species, was collected from plastic containers that receives water from a 120-meter-deep well drilled into Cretaceous formations composed of sandstone, claystone, siltstone, conglomerate, and gypsum in Loei province, northeast Thailand. The new genus differs from the related genera Metacyclops Kiefer, 1927 and Hesperocyclops Herbst, 1984, by the shape of the female genital double somite, the swimming leg armature formula, and the P4 Enp number of segments, as well as on the form of P5. The new species shares several characters with Metacyclops cushae Reid, 1991, and Metacyclops thailandicus Boonyanusith, Sanoamuang & Brancelj, 2018, which are moved to this new genus. All three members of the new genus differ in the shape of the female genital double somite, the anal operculum, the furcal rami, and the P1 Enp-2 apical spine. Detailed comments on the regional ecology and sampling methods are included to promote collecting samples from other, less common habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two obligate cave-dwelling species of cyclopoid copepods (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) were discovered inside caves in central Thailand. Siamcyclops cavernicolus gen. et sp. nov. was recognised as a member of a new genus. It resembles Bryocyclops jankowskajae Monchenko, 1972 from Uzbekistan (part of the former USSR). It differs from it by (1) lack of pointed triangular prominences on the intercoxal sclerite of the fourth swimming leg, (2) mandibular palp with three setae, (3) spine and setal formulae of swimming legs 3.3.3.2 and 5.5.5.5, respectively, and (4) specific shape of spermatophore. Metacyclops thailandicus sp. nov. resembles M. cushae Reid, 1991 from Louisiana (USA). It differs from it by (1) distal segment of the endopod of the fourth swimming leg with one apical spine, (2) the fifth swimming legs with one broad segment, (3) the spine formula of the distal segment of the exopod of the swimming legs 3.4.3.3, and (4) well developed anal operculum reaching articulation with caudal rami. Detailed descriptions of the habitats of the new species and up-to-date keys to the genera and subgenera of the Bryocyclops and Microcyclops groups are provided, along with an updated list of obligate groundwater species of Copepoda in Southeast Asia.

The Channel Islands are a small archipelago of British dependencies just off the coast of Normandy at the western end of the English Channel. There were only three records for stygobitic Crustacea [Niphargus fontanus Bate, 1859 and N. kochianus Bate, 1859 from Jersey and N. aquilex Schiődte, 1855 from Guernsey] from the archipelago and no systematic survey has been carried out of the islands for their groundwater fauna till present. Recently sampling was carried out in wells, boreholes and springs on the four largest islands, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark during February 2012. Niphargus aquilex was widespread across all four islands and did not appear to be restricted to any particular geology. Niphargus ladmiraulti was present in large numbers in a single borehole on Jersey, the first record of this species from the archipelago. Niphargus kochianus was collected from two sites on Alderney and the syncarid Antrobathynella stammeri (Jakobi, 1954) from two sites on the west coast of Jersey. The records for A. stammeri are new for the Channel Islands and possibly represent the first records of this species from the French bio-geographical area. The presence of N. fontanus on the islands was not confirmed. Several species of stygophilic Cyclopoida were also recorded during the survey along with epigean freshwater invertebrate taxa, which were mostly present in springs and shallow wells close to surface streams.

Microcrustacean (Copepoda, Ostracoda) assemblages were investigated at the interface of the vadose and phreatic zones in the alpine karstic aquifer from the Julian Alps in Slovenia (SE Europe). Two temporary and one perennial karstic outlets were sampled by filtering the water several times over 2 years. Concurrently, benthos from the mouth of a perennial spring and from an adjacent spring brook were collected. Altogether 24 microcrustacean species were recorded. The spatial and temporal variation in drift densities and species composition was high indicating complex groundwater hydrological pathways being dependent on precipitation regime. Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) clearly separated drift samples from temporary springs and other sample groups (drift in perennial spring, spring mouth and spring brook benthos). ANOSIM revealed statistically significant differences between all sample groups (Diacyclops zschokkei, Elaphoidella phreatica and Mixtacandona sp. B contributed over 50 % to the observed differences among sample groups. Three species (Nitocrella sp., Speocyclops infernus, Lessinocamptus pivai), known to be typical epikarst species, were collected only in the drift from one temporary spring (T2). Mao Tau species accumulation curves did not reach asymptote for the drift from temporary springs, but did for the drift from perennial spring, and for the spring mouth and the spring brook benthos. The results on drift composition indicated the variation in the origin of the water discharging at the interface of vadoze and phreatic zones depending greatly on water level conditions, while the drift densities were higher in the water presumably discharging from phreatic zone (perennial spring and temporary springs during low water levels).

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V prispevku je obravnavan način vzpostavljanja okoljskega informacijskega sistema, katerega del so tudi vode. Ključni cilj informacijskega sistema je ohraniti in izboljšati kakovost ter razpoložljivost informacij, potrebnih za izvajanje okoljske politike, prispeva pa tudi k zmanjševanju upravnega bremena in boljšemu okoljskemu odločanju. Predstavljeni so temeljna načela za vzpostavitev informacijskega sistema in njegov pomen ter evropske razmere na tem področju. Na podlagi slovenskih primerov in izkušenj so opisana dosedanja prizadevanja in prikazana je prednost dostopa, izmenjave in združljivosti podatkov na primeru voda. Izpostavljene so prednosti porazdeljenega informacijskega sistema tudi za področje voda. Predstavljen je pilotni projekt nadgradnje osnovnih podatkov hidrografije in dejanske rabe vrste vodnih zemljišč ; This article describes a way of establishing an environmental information system, part of which includes water. A key objective of the information system is to maintain and improve the quality and availability of information necessary for the implementation of environmental policy. This also contributes to a reduction of administrative burdens and to better environmental decision-making. The article gives the basic principles for the establishment of an information system and explains its significance. It describes the current European situation regarding this. Through Slovenian examples and experiences, efforts made are presented, and the advantage of access, sharing and interoperability in the case of water is shown. The advantages of a distributed information system for water sector are highlighted. A pilot project upgrading hydrography data and land use water land is presented.

Despite relatively high nutrient levels, the Slovenian Alpine lake Jezero v Ledvici (1824 m a.s.l.; max. depth 15 m) is oligotrophic, with high transparency and low chlorophyll concentrations (

The fauna in the hyporheic zones of rivers has been relatively well studied but that from the phreatic zone remains comparatively unknown and there are few investigations into deeper intergranular aquifers (over 30 m in depth) due to technical difficulties. Two shallow boreholes of 29 m depth and two deep boreholes of 100 m depth, both near Ljubljana (Slovenia), were sampled more than 30 times between 14 January 2008 and 3 March 2009. On each occasion 14.4 to 18.0 m3 of water were abstracted using a high-capacity pump, then filtered by means of a plankton net with a mesh size of 60 µm. Organisms larger than 2 mm were damaged by the pump rotors, but their identification was still possible, while smaller representatives of the Copepoda (Crustacea) passed the rotors without damage. A near-by artesian borehole was sampled on 6 occasions. Water chemistry, physical properties and faunal composition analyses were carried out for each borehole. A total of 32 taxa, 24 of which were stygobites, were identified. Copepoda alone were represented by 16 species, 15 of which were stygobites. The shallow boreholes differ from the deep boreholes in their higher temperatures and higher concentrations of K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and SO42- ions. The copepod communities in samples from the shallow boreholes differ sharply from those from the deep boreholes. There were also clear differences between shallow boreholes in two aquifers located a few kilometres apart, in physical and chemical characteristics as well as in fauna composition. Taxa with different ecological affinities, collected from groundwater, are indicators of hydraulic connections between different parts of an aquifer as well as of communication between surface and subsurface water bodies. The present study suggests that subterranean fauna, as well as epigean fauna, can provide effective support for classical dye/salt tracing experiments.

On Ljubljansko polje, we registered 155 farmers with barns, mostly with the separate collec-tion of dung with litter and dung-water. We surveyed 307 dung installations, of which 151 were dunghills and 156 dung-pits. The traditional method of storing cattle manure in dunghills on top of dung-pits dom-inates. Some 231 of the dung installations are properly arranged, and almost two thirds have a suitable capacity.

In three Alpine lakes (Jezero na Planini pri Jezeru, Krnsko jezero and in Jezero v Ledvicah) the distribution of some metals and trace elements was determined in sediment cores using multielemental instrumental neutron activation analysis. Sediments wereanalysed to depths of 32 cm, 19 cm and 16 cm, respectively. Dating of sediments was done on the basis of 210Pb measurements.It was found that the levels of rare earth elements and some other lithophilic elements such as Sc, Cr, Th and U in Krnsko jezero were significantly lower than those found in the other two investigated lakes. In all three lakes changes with depth were noticed forpractically all anthropogenic elements, namely As, Br, Cd, Hg, Mo and Zn. Three periods of lake history can be distinguished which reflect industrial activities in the 19th and 20th century.In the sediment profile of lake Krnsko jezero three well expressed lows of all investigated elements were found at depths of 3-3.5 cm, 6-6.5 cm and 8 cm which can be linked to two earthquakes in 1976 and 1942 and the First World War. The influence of earthquakeson the distribution of trace elements in the other two lakes was less evident.

More accurate interpretations are required in order to understand the processes of hydrological movement and hydrochemical variation of water flow in epikarst. A drip VP1 from the Velika Pasica Cave (Central Slovenia) was studied during a period which occurred at the end of a long wet, cold winter. The sources of the percolation water in the cave were both from rain water and snowmelt water. The discharge was continuously monitored during study period in one hour intervals. Each hour a water sample from the drip was taken for measurements of pH, electric conductivity and major ions concentrations. Because of the specific climatic condition in the shallow cave, the dilution effect is the dominant mechanism in the hydrochemical processes, determining drip water properties. The effect of CO2 corrosion and prior calcite precipitation (PCP) was weakened with that condition; Mg2+ varied slightly more significantly than Ca2+, which was reflected by the high correlation between Mg2+, Ca2+ and micro-variation of Mg/Ca ratio. The variation of pH followed closely to the changes of other parameters, which is rarely noted in other works.

Za gorska jezera v Sloveniji je dolgo časa veljalo, da niso izpostavljena onesnaževanju tako kot nižinska jezera. Podrobnejše raziskave v zadnjem desetletju pa so pokazale, da je vpliv človeka močan tudi v tako oddaljenih predelih. Gorska jezera pri nas ogroža turizem, prenos škodljivih snovi po zraku ter naseljevanje rib. V treh jezerih so bile opravljene tudi analize sedimenta, s katerimi so se ovrednotili vnosi nekaterih snovi v jezera v preteklih desetletjih.

Groundwater fauna consists of organisms that are adapted to live their whole life-time in different types of groundwater (=aquifers): with fissured (karstic) and porous (alluvium) types as the most common. About 3800 species of obligate groundwater species (stygobionts) have been recorded worldwide and 2000 of them from groundwater in Europe. Before 1970, 19 species of stygobionts were known from Southeast Asia. After 1980, the number of stygobionts from this region started to increase, and, at present, 122 stygobionts are known here. Most of them are crustaceans, with the Copepoda, Isopoda, Amphipoda and Decapoda as the most abundant groups. Intensification of research on groundwater fauna can considerably increase the total number of stygobionts known from the region, which could rises up to several times the current tally if the intensity of research was comparable with that in Europe.

We describe two new species of the genus Fierscyclops Karanovic, 2004, F. tanaosriensis n. sp. and F. solaris n. sp. from western Thailand, which are also the first records of this genus in Southeast (SE) Asia (and also Asia). The two new species share several characters such as: i) presence of lateral sensillum on the caudal ramus in both females and males; ii) one-segmented swimming leg 5 (P5) inserted on the lateral corner of the thoracic somite 5; iii) free segment of P5 with two elements (spine and seta), apical inner spine is robust, insertion distance between the apical spine and apical seta is relatively large; iv) swimming legs 1-4 (P1-P4) rami are two-segmented; v) distal segment of endopod (Endp2) of P4 has two apical spines; vi) spine and seta formula of distal segment of exopod (Exp2) of P1-P4 are 3.4.4.3 and 5.5.5.5, respectively; vii) coxobasis and Endp2 of the antenna have two and 10 setae, respectively. The two new species differ from the Australian type-species of the genus F. fiersi (De Laurentiis, Pesce & Humphreys, 2001) in: i) setation of the antenna; ii) longer inner apical spine on P5; iii) relatively longer genital double-somite in female; iv) relatively shorter caudal rami; v) presence of lateral sensillum on the caudal ramus in both females and males. The Thai species differ from one another in: i) ornamentation of the body integument; ii) shape of the posterior margin of the thoracic somite 2; iii) spinule ornamentation of the syncoxa of the maxilliped; iv) shape of the medial expansion of P2-P4 basis in females.

We tested the applicability of electron transport system (ETS) derived from a single leg as a tool for non-lethal assessment of metabolicactivity in freshwater crayfish. ETS activity of the whole body and of a leg was measured in four crayfish (Arthropoda, Crustacea, Decapoda)species: two European (Astacus astacus, Austro- potamobius torrentium), and two North American (Orconectes limosus, Pacifastacusleniusculus). Mass scaling of whole body ETS activity (ETSwhole) and leg ETS activity (ETSleg) was not significantly different for the European A. astacus and the America O. limosus. Therefore common models were constructed and tested on the remaining two species. The ratio ETSwhole/ETSleg was significantly positively related to body mass. In the first model (model 1) ETSwhole was calculated from ETSleg multiplied by the ratio estimated from the known body mass. ETSwhole of A. torrentium was underestimated by this model, because they mature at smaller body size than the larger species. A direct relation between ETSleg and ETSwhole was therefore proposed as a general model (model 2), since they are correlated similarly in the studied species. The results show that model 2 is suitable for estimating the whole body ETS activity from leg ETS activity for the four investigated decapods.

We studied spatio-temporal distribution of hyporheic invertebrate community at the stream-reach scale in the River Bača on three sampling occasions (January, March, May) in 2005. On each sampling occasion, invertebrates were collected from the shallow hyporheic zone (RB1; depth 30-60 cm, 3 replicates), and deeper hyporheic zone (RB2; depth 60-90 cm, 2 replicates) in the river bed, and adjacent gravel bar (GB; depth 60-90 cm, 3 replicates) using Bou-Rouch piston pump. Concurrently, temperature, conductivity and oxygen were measured in the surface water and in hyporheic water at each sampling station. Differences in hyporheic community between dates and habitats were analysed by using two-way ANOVA (dates and habitats as fixed factors) and explored by principal component analysis (PCA). Altogether, 21,657 specimens from 63 taxa were collected. Cyclopoida juveniles, Leuctra sp. (Plecoptera), Chironomidae (Diptera), Acanthocyclops vernalis (Fischer, 1853) and Diacyclops languidus (G. O. Sars, 1863) were the most abundant in the samples. Two-way ANOVA showed significant differences between habitats (RB1 and GB), but no differences between dates when using taxonomic richness as dependent variable. No differences between habitats and dates were calculated when invertebrate densities were applied. PCA of hyporheic invertebrate data showed a gradient in community composition from shallow hyporheic zone (RB1) to deeper hyporheic zone (RB2) and gravel bar (GB). The differences were most probably due to different sediment composition in the studied habitats and less frequent disturbances due to floods in deeper layers and lateral gravel bars.