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a b s t r a c t Prey response to different predators is complex and can include diverse antipredatory strategies. In syn- topic populations of competing species common predators can play a mediator role thus influence the interaction out-come of prey-species in an indirect way. We studied differences in antipredator response in two competing lizards in syntopy in a multi-predator environment. Studied prey species, Iberolacerta horvathi and Podarcis muralis, are likely to compete in syntopic populations limited in size and have similar morphology and ecology but exhibit fine-scale ecophysiological differences. Taking into account interspecific differences in ecophysiology we expected that I. horvathi as a more precise thermoregulator would be less prone to use refuges that represent a thermal cost (are colder than outside). The pattern we found was the opposite of our expectations; I. horvathi escaped at greater distances and remained in the refuge for longer before re-emerging than P. muralis. Second part of the study revealed that both species were able to recognize chemical cues of predator snakes (represented as higher tongue flick rates in the presence of scents of predator snakes in comparison to control). Behavioral responses, which are linked with stressful situations connected to saurophagous snakes, were more frequent and variable in I. hor- vathi. Overall, antipredator responses seem to be more pronounced in I. horvathi than in P. muralis. While this "more cautious" attitude of I. horvathi should provide higher short-term benefits (higher survival rates), this would hold true only in populations where predation pressure is high. Otherwise it carries substantial time and thermoregulatory costs. For I. horvathi, costs of refuge use should be even higher due to narrower dimensions of their ecophysiological fundamental niche. Such divergences in antipredator behavior are expected to shape the relationships between both species in syntopic populations modulated by common predation pressure and habitat structure.

Solar radiation is in theory an unlimited resource on Earth, but can be locally limited. Heliothermic organisms use solar radiation to elevate their body temperatures, leading them to compete for sun-exposed areas, where interference for limited resource can occur. In coexisting lizard species, interference for basking sites could promote and direct interspecific interactions, which can be related to broader geographic species distribution patterns. We compared two competing lizard species (Podarcis muralis and Iberolacerta horvathi) that occupy sun-exposed gaps in a forested landscape in the Northern Dinaric Mountains (southern Europe). Both species exhibit an altitudinal segregation pattern with a high zone of overlap at middle altitudes. Using experimental thermal gradients, we tested for existence of interference competition. We used adult male lizards in three social contexts, alone as a measure of preferred body temperature (T p) and in conspecific or heterospecific pairs as a measure of realized body temperature (T r). I. horvathi achieved lower T r compared to its T p (alone), while T r of P. muralis did not vary between social contexts. The evidence for interference found in I. horvathi could not be explained by a change in their general movement pattern in a thermal gradient. Our results suggest that interference was a result of direct agonistic interactions, assessed by the frequency of approaches and touches. I. horvathi showed higher interference-susceptibility than P. muralis indicating an asymmetric interaction between the two species. Sunlight (as a resource) is an important factor influencing distribution patterns in assemblages of heliothermic ectotherms where sun-exposed basking sites are limited.

article i nfo Sympatric species from the same ecological guild, that exhibit partial altitudinal segregation, can potentially in- teract in areas of syntopic occurrence. Besides general species' ecology, physiology can provide important an- swers about species interactions reflected in altitudinal patterns. Lizards Podarcis muralis and Iberolacerta horvathi exhibit partial altitudinal segregation, while they strongly resemble in overall morphology and ecology (diet, daily and seasonal activity pattern), but show certain degree of physiological dissimilarity. They have sim- ilar mean preferred body temperatures and patterns of seasonal and daily variations but differ in the magnitude of seasonal variation. Since an ectotherm metabolism is highly dependent on body temperature, thermoregula- tion is expected to directly affect their metabolism. We compared metabolic rates of adult males from an area of sympatry, measured under two temperature regimes (20 °C and 28 °C). Both species increased metabolic rates with temperature in a similar pattern. We also compared electron transport activity from tail tissues which pro- videvaluesofspecies'potential metabolic activity (enzymatic capacity). Species clearly differed inpotential met- abolic activity; I. horvathi attained higher values than P. muralis. No difference was detected in how species exploited this potential (calculated from the ratio of electron transport activity and metabolic rates). However, we observed higher potential metabolic activity I. horvathi which together with the ability to thermoregulate more precisely could represent a higher competitive advantage over P. muralis in thermally more restrictive en- vironmentssuchashigheraltitudes.Understandingof metabolismseemstoprovidevaluableinformationforun- derstanding recent distributional patterns as well as species interactions.

Developing protocols for threatened invertebrates is often challenging, because they are not only rare but also elusive. This is the case with the stag beetle (Lucanus cervus), a protected and flagship species for the saproxylic beetle fauna in Europe. We applied a standard transect walk at a European scale (8 countries, 29 transects) to test its practicability and reliability as survey design. A total of 533 sightings were recorded throughout the sampling period, but detection probability changed as the season progressed. Considering the observed activity pattern, occupancy models showed that a short period of three consecutive weeks, between the middle of June and the first week of July, resulted in a high probability of detection (P > 0.7). As time of the peak of activity varies from year to year and between sites, we propose to extend the sampling period to five weekly surveys. Detailed information on the transect characteristics and the optimal time for surveying were analysed. The data indicate that a weekly transect at dusk provides a reliable method for monitoring this species throughout its distributional range. No correlation was found between latitude, longitude and phenology of sightings, however. However, a standard method such as the one presented, allows broadening the scale of monitoring studies, provinding data to evaluate the efficacy of conservation measures. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society

Aphanomyces astaci infection is the cause of crayfish plague in European crayfish. Here the virulence of an A. astaci As strain isolated from apparently healthy stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) from Slovenia was compared to that of the Psl-Puujärvi A. astaci isolate in 3 crayfish species: noble crayfish (Astacus astacus), signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) from Finland and stone crayfish from Slovenia. All 3 crayfish species were challenged with PsI-Puujärvi A. astaci and succumbed to crayfish plague, with both noble crayfish and stone crayfish showing 100% mortality, while 25% of the signal crayfish died during the challenge. In comparison, the As-Slovenia A. astaci isolate was pathogenic for noble crayfish but not for signal crayfish or stone crayfish. This finding suggests that A. astaci virulence could be species specific and a strain from latent A. astaci infection in one native European crayfish species could be detrimental to other native European crayfish species., final draft, peerReviewed

The catalogue presents the data on all specimens of Coraciiformes in the collection of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History (PMS). These are preserved specimens from inventory books, specimens recorded in accession books and fieldnotes, as well as data on lost specimens. The main source of information is the old inventory book named as the Inventory book of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles of the Natural History Museum. Most of the data on study skins are from the Catalogue of bird collection of the State Ornithological Observatory. The specimens obtained during the expedition to Ethiopia are recorded in the Field Book of Savo Brelih. All preserved specimens are now recorded in the Inventory book for birds of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History in the Galis system or in the Accession book for birds of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History. Altogether, 124 specimens of 15 Coraciiformes species were recorded by 2016. The first specimens were acquired by taxidermist Ferdinand Schulz in 1873. A larger number of specimens were received by the Museum between 1890 and 1897. Another major accession was the expedition by Savo Brelih into Ethiopia between 1960 and 1961. After 1980, the number of acquisitions increased with the salvage of dead birds. Best represented Coraciiformes in the PMS collection are species occurring in Slovenia, i.e. the European Roller (Coracias garrulus), the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) and the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster). The remaining material originates from seven countries of Europe, Africa and North America. By 2016, only about half of all collected specimens were preserved in the ornithological collection. The preserved specimens constitute only 1% of the entire PMS ornithological collection, but the share of lost museum specimens exceeds the share of lost specimens in other natural history museums in Europe. V katalogu so predstavljeni podatki o vseh primerkih vpijatov (Coraciiformes) v zbirki Prirodoslovnega muzeja Slovenije (PMS). Navedeni so ohranjeni preparati iz inventarnih knjig, primerki, zabeleženi v akcesijskih in terenskih knjigah, ter podatki o propadlih ali izgubljenih primerkih. Glavni vir podatkov o razstavni zbirki je stara inventarna knjiga, poimenovana kot Inventarna knjiga sesalcev, rib, ptic, plazilcev Prirodoslovnega muzeja. Večji del podatkov o študijskih preparatih je iz Kataloga zbirke Državnega ornitološkega observatorija. Primerki, pridobljeni med odpravo v Etiopijo, so zapisani v Terensko knjigo Sava Breliha. Vsi ohranjeni primerki so danes evidentirani v inventarni knjigi v sistemu Galis ali v akcesijski knjigi. Skupno je bilo do leta 2016 evidentiranih 124 primerkov 15 vrst vpijatov. Prve primerke je za muzejsko zbirko pridobil preparator Ferdinand Schulz leta 1873. Večje število primerkov pa je muzej prejel med letoma 1890 in 1897. Druga večja pridobitev je bila z odprave Sava Breliha v Etiopijo med letoma 1960 in 1961. Po letu 1980 se je število pridobitev povečalo s prevzemi najdenih mrtvih ptic na terenu. V zbirki PMS so v večji meri zastopane predvsem vrste vpijatov, ki se pojavljajo v Sloveniji, in sicer zlatovranka (Coracias garrulus), vodomec (Alcedo atthis) in čebelar (Merops apiaster), ki so zastopane z največjim številom primerkov. Preostali material izvira iz sedmih držav Evrope, Afrike in Severne Amerike. Do leta 2016 se je v ornitološki zbirki ohranila le okoli polovica vseh zbranih primerkov. Ohranjeni primerki vpijatov sicer sestavljajo le 1 % celotne ornitološke zbirke PMS, vendar delež propadlih ali izgubljenih muzealij presega delež izgubljenih muzealij v drugih evropskih naravoslovnih muzejih.

According to the modern taxonomic changes in the system of birds (Aves), Coraciiformes belong to six families: Coraciidae, Brachypteraciida, Alcedinidae, Todidae, Momotidae and Meropidae. Three species occur in Slovenia as well, i.e. the European Roller (Coracias garrulus), the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) and the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster). For the territory of Slovenia they were first mentioned by I.A. Scopoli in the avifauna of the Duchy of Carniola from 1769. They are all Slovenian breeders, although their breeding status has changed considerably in the last 200 years. Through the whole period, the Roller and Kingfisher were regarded as breeders. The Bee-eater breeds in Slovenia only from the end of the 19th or the beginning of the 20th century; it had only been a rare vagrant prior to that time. During these 200 years, the Kingfisher's population was least altered in Slovenia. In comparison, the Roller's population has declined steeply, and has since 2008 acquired the status of a possible extinct species with just one occasional nesting in 2014. On the other hand, the Bee-eater is a species whose population is slowly increasing in the country. Glede na sodobne taksonomske spremembe v sistemu ptic (Aves) sodi v red vpijatov (Coraciiformes) šest družin: Coraciidae, Brachypteraciida, Alcedinidae, Todidae, Momotidae in Meropidae. Tri vrste se pojavljajo tudi v Sloveniji, in sicer zlatovranka (Coracias garrulus), vodomec (Alcedo atthis) in čebelar (Merops apiaster). Prvi jih je v favni ptic tedanje Vojvodine Kranjske navedel že I.A. Scopoli leta 1769. Vse so v slovenski avifavni gnezdilke, vendar se je njihov gnezditveni status v 200-letni zgodovini spreminjal. Kot gnezdilki sta bili prek celotnega obdobja obravnavani zlatovranka in vodomec. Čebelar gnezdi v Sloveniji šele od konca 19. oziroma začetka 20. stoletja, pred tem pa je bil redek gost. Stanje populacije v Sloveniji se je skozi 200 let še najmanj spreminjalo pri vodomcu. Populacije zlatovranke pa je močno upadla in ima od leta 2008 dalje status domnevno izumrle vrste z zgolj enim priložnostnim gnezdenjem v letu 2014. Po drugi strani pa je čebelar vrsta, katere populacija se pri nas počasi povečuje.

The Slovenian Bird Ringing Scheme was established in 1927 and has been continuously maintained until today, when it is run by the Slovenian Bird Ringing Center, which operates within the framework of the Slovenian Natural History Museum. This paper deals with the data on the ringing of three species of Coraciiformes as an example of a migration atlas for selected species from the territory of Slovenia. The fewest ringing data (N = 6) were collected for the European Roller (Coracias garrulus). In 2014, a pair bred in Slovenia, but the birds were part of the Austrian population and were marked according to the Austrian colour ring scheme. The most commonly ringed species of Coraciiformes in Slovenia was the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) (N = 4,110 ringed birds). They were mostly ringed after 1987, especially during the autumn migration period between August and October. The longest recovery of the Kingfisher is from Estonia (1,614 km), with the oldest specimen at least 2 years and 11 months old. In general, birds from Central and Eastern Europe occur during migration and are wintering in Slovenia. According to biometric data, only the subspecies A. a. ispida occurs in Slovenia. The lowest values of the condition index were achieved in the postbreeding dispersion and during the autumn migration between August and October, while the highest values were found in the winter period in December. Reducing the mass is therefore most critical in the summer and autumn months, when greater effects on the population and the survival of birds could also be expected. Most European Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) in Slovenia were ringed after 2002 between June and September. A migratory pathway of Bee-eaters breeding in Germany runs across Slovenia, from which three finds from some 700 km distant breeding population in Saxony have already been recorded. Slovenska obročkovalska shema je bila ustanovljena leta 1927 in poteka neprekinjeno do danes, ko jo vodi Slovenski center za obročkanje ptičev v okviru Prirodoslovnega muzeja Slovenije. Pričujoči prispevek obravnava podatke o obročkanju treh vrst vpijatov (Coraciiformes) v okviru slovenske obročkovalske sheme kot primer selitvenega atlasa za izbrane vrste z ozemlja Slovenije. Najmanj obročkovalskih podatkov (N=6) je bilo v obdobju 1988-2014 zbranih za zlatovranko (Coracias garrulus), ptice, ki so v letu 2014 gnezdile v Sloveniji, pa so izvirale iz avstrijske populacije in so bile označene po avstrijski barvni obročkovalski shemi. Najpogosteje obročkana vrsta vpijata v Sloveniji je bil vodomec (Alcedo atthis) (N=4110 obročkanih ptic), v večjem številu pa so bili obročkani po letu 1987, največ v obdobju jesenske selitve med avgustom in oktobrom. Najdaljša najdba vodomca je iz Estonije (1614 km), najstarejši osebek pa je imel vsaj 2 leti in 11 mesecev. V splošnem se na območju Slovenije med selitvijo in prezimovanjem pojavljajo ptice iz srednje in vzhodne Evrope. Kot kažejo podatki biometrične analize, se v Sloveniji pojavlja podvrsta A. a. ispida. Najnižje vrednosti kondicijskega indeksa so bile dosežene v postgnezditveni disperziji in v času jesenske selitve med avgustom in oktobrom, medtem ko so bile najvišje vrednosti ugotovljene v zimskem obdobju v decembru. Zmanjševanje mase je torej najbolj kritično v poletnih in jesenskih mesecih, ko bi lahko pričakovali tudi večje vplive na populacijo in preživetje ptic. Večina čebelarjev (Merops apiaster) je bila v Sloveniji obročkana po letu 2002 med junijem in septembrom. Čez Slovenijo poteka selitvena pot čebelarjev, ki gnezdijo v Nemčiji, od koder smo zabeležili že tri najdbe iz okoli 700 km oddaljene gnezdeče populacijo na Saškem.

Cave beetle studies in caves of Mt. Krim, and in the cave Velika Pasica especially, were carried on since mid 19th century, starting with Ferdinand Schmidt, due to close proximity of the Ljubljana city. The cave Velika Pasica is locus typicus for five cave beetle taxa. Altogether ten cave beetle species are known to inhabit the area of Mt. Krim. According to cave beetle fauna, it seems that the area of Mts. Krim and Mokrec represents quite isolated subterranean environment with one endemic species Anophthalmus hirtus and further two endemic beetle taxa Anophthalmus schmidti motschulskyi and Typhlotrechus bilimeki hacqueti. In the paper all known cave beetle species that were found in the area of Mt. Krim are presented: Laemostenus schreibersi, Typhlotrechus bilimeki hacqueti, Anophthalmus hirtus, Anophthalmus schmidti motschulskyi, Anophthalmus scopolii, Aphaobius milleri, Bathyscia montana, Bathysciola sylvestris, Bythoxenus subterraneus and Troglorhynchus anophthalmus. High level of stenoendemism of subterranean beetle fauna of Mt. Krim calls for urgent regional prioritization for biodiversity conservation at European and global level. Zaradi bližine Ljubljane so bile jame na Krimu, še posebej pa jama Velika Pasica (kat. št. 75), že od sredine 19. stoletja deležne raziskav jamskih hroščev, ki jih je začel Ferdinand Schmidt. Jama Velika Pasica je klasično nahajališče kar petim jamskim taksonom hroščev od skupno desetih vrst, ki poseljujejo območje Krima. Podzemlje Krimskega hribovja s Krimom in Mokrcem je, kot kaže jamska favna hroščev, dokaj izolirano glede na okoliško hribovje. Dlakavi brezokec (Anophthalmus hirtus) je stenendemična vrsta območja, prav tako še nadaljnja dva taksona, Anophthalmus schmidti motschulskyi in Typhlotrechus bilimeki hacqueti. V članku so predstavljene vse znane vrste jamskih hroščev, ki so bile najdene na območju Krima: Laemostenus schreibersi, Typhlotrechus bilimeki hacqueti, Anophthalmus hirtus, Anophthalmus schmidti motschulskyi, Anophthalmus scopolii, Aphaobius milleri, Bathyscia montana, Bathysciola sylvestris, Bythoxenus subterraneus in Troglorhynchus anophthalmus. Primer visoke stenendemičnosti jamske favne hroščev Krima kaže na potrebo po regionalni prioritizaciji za potrebe ohranjanja evropske in globalne biodiverzitete.

In 2013, 73,529 birds of 161 species were ringed in Slovenia, with 114 finds from abroad, 73 finds of foreign-ringed birds and 1580 local finds. The most numerous ringed species were Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla and Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica, while among ringed nestlings Great Tits Parus major and Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus prevailed. The most numerous species among recoveries was the Mute Swan Cygnus olor with probably the oldest swan recorded in Slovenia so far, a 25-year-old female. The longest distance recovery concerned a Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus from Norway (2,801 km). Of interest among local finds is the longest recovery distance (122 km) recorded for Ural Owl Strix uralensis in Slovenia so far. In 2013, two rare species for Slovenia were ringed, Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus (2 individuals) and Siberian Rubythroat Calliope calliope, which was the first record for Slovenia. The first analysis of ringing sites in Slovenia is given as a baseline for establishing a network of Constant Effort Sites

The lizards Podarcis muralis and Iberolacerta horvathi display an overall similarity in morphology and ecology. Although they are widely sympatric in part of their distribution range of Slovenia, areas of altitudinal segregation have been observed. Ecophysiological traits such as preferred body temperatures (T p ) and rates of evaporative water loss (EWL) are some of the factors likely to be subjacent to this pattern. We expect the species that is more abundant in higher altitudes to have lower T p and higher EWL (due to lower environmental temperatures at higher elevations) than the species that is more abundant in lowlands. We conducted lab experiments to determine whether intra- and interspecific variation in these two physiological traits exists. Contrary to expectations, the means of T p were similar between the species, but their seasonal dynamics differed, which indicates that thermal accuracy might be more important. Species differed in seasonal (and daily) variation of T p , rising from spring to summer more in P. muralis than in I. horvathi. Comparing instantaneous EWL, our results showed interspecific differences with higher values in P. muralis than in I. horvathi. Throughout a 12-h period, the accumulative EWL was also always higher for P. muralis than for I. horvathi, with the greatest differences occurring after 9–12 h of the experiment. Further studies should focus on investigating if these divergent physiological characteristics of both species are associated with their habitat use (in terms of thermal and water environment) and species interaction. Funding for research was provided by a PTDC/BIA–BEC/101256/2008 project award from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal). EG-M was supported by a postdoctoral grant from FCT (SFRH/BPD/72806/2010), and AZ was supported by Ph.D. grant from FCT (SFRH/BD/81324/ 2011). We thank L. Kastelic, M. Kavšček, B. Rakar, T. Delié, T. Romih, P. Raspor, D. Osojnik, and A. Kastelic, who helped during sampling, and Z. Žagar for constructing the terraria for photogradient experiments. Lizards were collected under two special licenses 35601–32/2010– 6 and 35601–47/2011–6 issued by the Slovenian Environment Agency. We thank J. Harris for the English language review. published

The distribution of the Ural Owl (Strix uralensis) in Europe shrank dramatically at the end of the nineteenth century, largely through direct persecution. No genetic information on this species is available that could provide a basis for ongoing conservation and breeding programs. Here, we genetically analyzed wild and captive populations of European Ural Owls to provide data that can be used to establish sound and sustainable management strategies. We analyzed mitochondrial and nuclear markers to evaluate the morphology-based concept of two subspecies (Strix uralensis liturata and Strix uralensis macroura), to gain insights into the phylogeographic population structure, and to determine genetic clusters for management implications. Our results supported neither the morphological subspecies concept nor a strong phylogeographic population structure. However, they pointed toward a noteworthy genetic exchange in the western range of the distribution of this species. Structure analysis revealed five genetic clusters. We propose that genetic-cluster-based management is better suited to the conservation of European Ural Owls than the separate consideration of each local population. If applied in supportive breeding programs, genetic cluster recognition and its contribution to divergence and diversity would help to preserve the genetic variability of the captive breeding population and enable optimal genetic tuning of the captive population to correspond to the genetic constitution of the supported population.

We have surveyed sympatric reptiles in a diverse and preserved montane environment in the Northern Dinaric region (Southern Slovenia) to determine the assemblage structure and assess the patterns of habitat segregation. Altitude and habitat type contributed the most to segregations between the most abundant species. The most similar were species pairs of L. viridis/bilineata and P. muralis, and I. horvathi and V. ammodytes. In snakes, significant segregation patterns have been observed between all species. Among lizards, we have found strong altitudinal segregation between two morphologically and ecologically most similar species; P. muralis was most abundant at low and I. horvathi at higher elevations. This result indicated a potential competitive interaction between these species.

Despite the key role of raptors (including birds of prey Falconiformes and owls Strigiformes) in ecosystems and their sensitivity to environmental change, a well coordinated, Europe-wide monitoring of raptors is lacking. EURAPMON, a Research Networking Programme of the European Science Foundation, was launched with the aim of establishing a sustainable Europewide network for monitoring of raptors. An overview of current monitoring schemes for raptor populations in 28 European countries, as reported by EURAPMON National Coordinators at the workshop in Murcia (Spain) in 2012, showed existing monitoring schemes to be limited to a restricted number of species (mostly diurnal and rare raptor species). The most widely monitored species are the Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos amongst diurnal raptors and the Eagle Owl Bubo bubo amongst owls. Broad coverage of a species range across Europe is reached only for restricted-range species. The key driver for monitoring, which is mostly coordinated by NGOs, is conservation, and the main end users are governmental institutions. International collaboration in the field of monitoring of raptors is mainly regional and not yet pan-European in scale. The involvement of volunteers in raptor monitoring was perceived as the main strength of many schemes, but insufficient manpower and a focus on rare species were recognised as the main weaknesses across Europe as a whole. Among priorities identified for the future development of monitoring schemes are: improvements to national coordination; support to increase the number of volunteers; and assurances of stable funding. Further analysis of EURAPMON questionnaires will identify knowledge gaps, which will steer good practice guidance on survey methodologies; the need for the latter was identified as the main benefit that National Coordinators expect to gain from international networking

Among 48 raptor species (birds of prey, owls, shrikes) recorded recently in Slovenia, some long-term monitoring activities are being conducted for more than half of them, mainly for conservation and research purposes. However, national coverage is achieved only in 15% of the species, whereas other monitoring programmes are more or less local. Two monitoring approaches are considered, the species specific approach and assemblage approach. Current ongoing monitoring programmes for raptors in Slovenia lack monitoring of breeding success, which is now confined to only a few owl species. Use of nestboxes should therefore be considered more broadly in the future for some species at least

Summary 1. Use of electron transport system (ETS) activity in a single leg for estimating whole-body ETS activity was explored in the noble crayfish Astacus astacus. Oxygen consumption and ETS activity of the whole body and of a walking leg were measured in different-sized animals at 10 °C to compare the size scaling of oxygen consumption, whole-body ETS activity and the ratio of whole-body ETS activity to oxygen consumption (ETS/R). 2. Electron transport system activity of a leg and the ratio of ETS activity of a whole crayfish to that of a leg were correlated with wet mass of animals. Therefore, metabolic potential in whole noble crayfish can be estimated on the basis of the measured ETS activity in a single leg and crayfish mass. This approach provides a valuable tool for determining metabolic characteristics of crayfish without killing them. 3. Mass-specific oxygen consumption decreased with increasing wet mass, while ETS activity of whole crayfish showed no significant correlation with wet mass. Both oxygen consumption and ETS activity correlated significantly with protein mass. 4. The increase in ETS/R with increasing wet mass of the noble crayfish indicates that small organisms exploit a greater proportion of their metabolic potential for standard metabolism than larger ones. This is the first report on ETS/R in crayfish.

A population of the tropical redclaw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus (Von Martens, 1868) is reported here for the first time in Europe, despite some occasionally found released individuals found previously in some European countries. The redclaw population was first found in 2009 in the natural river oxbow lake Topla, with thermal hot water springs, in eastern Slovenia (Central Europe). The species is known to be invasive in tropical and subtropical regions, but this is the first record from the temperate climate zone. During intensive sampling with traps, 15 individuals were caught that seemed to belong to a sex- and age-structured population. The low abundance indicated that the population was still in the growth phase of colonization, or that habitat conditions for the species in the oxbow lake were suboptimal. The redclaw individuals were found at temperatures of up to 40°C, but the bulk of the population with sexually mature individuals was restricted to regions between 21 and 31°C. According to the modelled limits of annual water temperature fluctuation, further expansion of the redclaw is expected in the thermal oxbow lake, but invasion to adjacent rivers is less probable at least under current climatic conditions. As a rapidly growing large crayfish, the redclaw could pose a threat to local ecosystems in specific thermal water bodies with unique fauna and flora. Future studies are important to define threats of tropical invaders in specific thermal freshwater ecosystems in Europe.

Insects in the White StorkCiconia ciconiadiet as indicators of its feeding conditions: the first diet study in SloveniaPrey remains found in the pellets of the White StorkCiconia ciconiaare known not to reveal the actual prey intake by the White Storks. The exceptions are the chitinous remains of insects that are quite well preserved in the pellets, and thus potentially good indicators of the actual intake of White Storks. Since insects are selected by White Storks in proportion to their abundance in the environment, they can be used as indicators of the quality of the bird foraging habitat. A preliminary test of this was carried out at three nests in NE Slovenia differing in their breeding success in 1997. In contrast to habitat analysis around the nest the proportions of Orthoptera and Coleoptera in the pellets corresponded well to the breeding success. Orthoptera species were dominant in high success, and Coleoptera (especially Carrion beetles Silphidae) in low success nests. In this paper the value of insects in White Stork pellets as indicators of the quality of the bird foraging microhabitat patches is set out. However, the indicative power of these insects needs to be tested further.

We summarize knowledge over species status and distribution in the genus Graphoderus in Slovenia regarding historical and recent data. Systematic surveys with new sampling approaches were conducted to evaluate the current distribution of these species. There are four species of the genus Graphoderus recorded so far in Slovenia and all are relatively rare, but most frequent species being Graphoderus cinereus and G. austriacus. Other two species G. bilineatus and G. zonatus had been found in Slovenia only on few locations, the latter with no recent records. According to EU Habitat Directive two Natura 2000 sites have been designated for conservation of G. bilineatus in Slovenia. A revision of threat status on the national Red List in Slovenia is proposed for all four species. Rod gladkih plavačev (Graphoderus) je pri nas dokaj slabo poznan, zato smo v okviru študije zbrali zgodovinske podatke o pojavljanju vrst gladkih plavačev v Sloveniji in s sistematičnim vzorčenjem z novejšimi metodološkimi pristopi ugotoviti današnje stanje razširjenosti in pogostnosti teh vrst v vodnih telesih po vsej državi. Rod gladkih plavačev zajema štiri v Sloveniji relativno redke vrste z najpogostejšima vrstama gladkim (Graphoderus cinereus) in malim plavačem (G. austriacus). Poleg teh dveh sta bila v Sloveniji potrjena le na nekaj lokacijah še ovratniški (G. bilineatus) in barjanski plavač (G. zonatus). Glede na Habitatno direktivo EU sta za varstvo ovratniškega plavača predlagani dve Natura 2000 območji. Glede na nova spoznanja je v članku predlagana tudi revizija kategorij ogroženosti gladkih plavačev na Rdečem seznamu ogroženih vrst v Sloveniji.

Capsule The Owls were significantly segregated in space with the most important factor being altitude. Aims To establish if the segregation between Ural and Tawny Owl on the level of habitat selection is due to different habitat requirements of the species or a consequence of competitive exclusion. Methods Seven variables were recorded for habitat of Ural Owls, Tawny Owls that live in sympatry with Ural Owls and Tawny Owls that live in allopatry with Ural Owls. Data were gathered in five mountain areas covered with similar continuous montane forest inside and outside known Ural Owl distribution in Slovenia. Owl territories were surveyed in 2001 using playback method. Evidence for segregation was searched for using discriminant function analysis. Results The altitudinal distribution of Tawny Owls sympatric to Ural Owls was restricted to low elevations with Ural Owls at high elevations. Where Ural Owls were absent, Tawny Owls widened the altitudinal part of their ecological niche to the mountaintop. Conclus...

1. The European stag beetle, Lucanus cervus, is thought to be widely distributed across its range, but a detailed description of its occurrence is lacking. 2. Researchers in 41 countries were contacted and information sought on various life history characteristics of the insect. Data on adult body size were collected from seven countries. 3. Habitat associations differ between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. Larvae are most commonly associated with oak, but the duration of the larval stage and the number of instars varies by up to 100% across Europe. 4. Adult size also varies; beetles from Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands are larger than those from Belgium or the UK. In the former countries, populations are composed mainly of large individuals, while in the UK, the majority of individuals are relatively small. Allometric relations between mandible size and total body length differ in Germany compared with the rest of Europe. 5. Distribution maps of the insect, split into records pre- and post-1970, from 24 countries are presented. While these inevitably suffer from recorder bias, they indicate that in only two countries, Croatia and Slovakia, does the insect seem to be increasing in range. 6. Our data suggest that the insect may be in decline across Europe, most likely due to habitat loss, and that conservation

Several recent studies have demonstrated the great potential for exploiting semiochemicals in ecology and conservation studies. The cerambycid beetle Rosalia alpina represents one of the flagship species of saproxylic insect biodiversity in Europe. In recent years its populations appear to have declined substantially, and its range has shrunk considerably as a result of forest management and urbanization. Here, we collected volatile chemicals released by males and females of R. alpina. Analyses of the resulting extracts revealed the presence of a single male-specific compound, identified as a novel alkylated pyrone structure. In field bioassays in Slovenia, traps baited with the synthesized pyrone captured both sexes of R. alpina, indicating that the pyrone functions as an aggregation pheromone. Our results represent the first example of a new structural class of pheromones within the Cerambycidae, and demonstrate that pheromone-baited traps can provide a useful tool for sampling R. alpina. This tool could be particularly useful in the ongoing development of conservation strategies for the iconic but endangered Alpine longicorn.

In the article, we present the first attempt of a large scale habitat evaluation which we performed on four bird species of European conservation concern: Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), Ural Owl (Strix uralensis), White- -backed Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos), and Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis). With the use of existing large-scale databases we analysed the habitat selection and the potential distribution of the four species. Since all species are forest specialists, distance to the nearest settlement or to the agricultural land was an important habitat parameter. For most of the species we found also that the stand growing stock was important, which indicates the significance of presence of older developmental stages in the forests. These models are the first of this kind in Slovenia. However, upgrading with additional field data is necessary. Furthermore, in the context of nature conservation and specifically Natura 2000 is important this procedure is also done for other species. V članku je predstavljen prvi poskus velikoprostorskega vrednotenja habitata štirih gozdnih vrst ptic evropskega varstvenega pomena: divjega petelina (Tetrao urogallus), kozača (Strix uralensis), belohrbtega detla (Dendrocopos leucotos) in belovratega muharja (Ficedula albicollis). Na podlagi obstoječih velikoprostorskih baz podatkov je bil analiziran izbor habitata izbranih vrst ptic in izdelane so bile karte potencialne primernosti habitatov vrst z uporabo strojnega učenja. Ker gre za gozdne specialiste, se je pri vseh oddaljenost od naselij ali kmetijskih površin izkazala za pomemben parameter habitata, pri večini vrst pa tudi lesna zaloga v sestoju, kar kaže na navezanost na starejše razvojne faze. To so prvi tovrstni modeli, ki jih bo treba v nadaljnjih raziskavah z bolj usmerjenim in ciljnim terenskim delom nadgraditi in razširiti še na druge vrste.

In this paper the first attempt of large scale habitat evaluation in Slovenia is given for four forest beetle species of European conservation concern: Rosalia alpina, Morimus funereus, Cucujus cinnaberinus, and Lucanus cervus. From selected large-scale databases the habitat selection characteristics were analysed and maps of potential forest habitat suitability were developed. The maps were validated in the field. From this turn out only the spatial model for Rosalia alpina appeared to be acceptable. The analysis of proportion of inclusion of potential areal of selected beetle species into current Natura 2000 network revealed some deficiencies. The present first models developed for Natura 2000 species are presented should be improved by supplementation of data and improvement of more targeted samplings in future studies. It is advised to use the same method for other Natura 2000 qualification species as well. V članku je predstavljen prvi poskus velikoprostorskega vrednotenja habitata štirih gozdnih vrst hroščev evropskega varstvenega pomena: alpskega kozlička (Rosalia alpina), bukovega kozlička (Morimus funereus), škrlatnega kukuja (Cucujus cinnaberinus) in rogača (Lucanus cervus). Na podlagi obstoječih velikoprostorskih baz podatkov je bil analiziran izbor habitata izbranih vrst in izdelane so bile karte potencialne primernosti habitatov vrst z uporabo strojnega učenja. Pri večini vrst se je kot eden ključnih parametrov habitata izkazala količina odmrle lesne mase v gozdu. Na podlagi dodatnih ciljnih terenskih vzorčenj se je izkazal za dokaj zanesljivega le prostorski model za alpskega kozlička, manj pa za preostale vrste. Analiza trenutne vključenosti potencialnega območja razširjenosti obravnavanih vrst je pokazala pomanjkljivosti v trenutnem omrežju Natura 2000 za izbrane vrste. To so prvi tovrstni modeli, ki jih bo treba v nadaljnjih raziskavah z bolj usmerjenim in ciljnim terenskim delom še nadgraditi glede povečanja zanesljivosti in razširitve še na druge vrste.