Search

Adult caddisflies were collected during 2018 and 2019 from Kožuf and Baba mountains, located in the southern end of the Republic of North Macedonia. A total of 36 species were recorded, of which 22 and 8 were recorded for the first time for Kožuf and Baba mountains, respectively. Limnephilus flavicornis (Fabricius, 1787) is reported for the first time from the country from Kožuf Mountain. In addition, new localities of several rare and endemic caddisfly species were found. The results of this study highlight Kožuf and Baba mountains as refugium for caddisfly species of conservation importance.

During the spring of 2011, forty-five macrozoobenthos samples were taken from streams and rivers all over the Dragash Municipality in order to assess the impact of inhabited areas in these freshwater ecosystems, considering the fact that there is no sewage treatment and waste management is dysfunctional in many parts of this Municipality. On the basis of the habitat structure evaluation, basic physical and chemical analysis and Family Biotic Index according to Hilsenhoff and EPT Index (Ephemeroptera Plecoptera Trichoptera), this study shows that the freshwater ecosystems in the Dragash Municipality are heavily polluted and impacted by human activities in their midstream and downstream segments. The main sources that deteriorate their natural ecological conditions in these segments are: load of all kinds of waste directly into the rivers and streams, industrial discharge into the freshwater ecosystems and the direct sewage discharge into the rivers and streams all over the municipality. This study also shows that the freshwater ecosystems of the area in their upper reaches are home to very interesting and rare composition of aquatic fauna. Several species and many potential ones which live only in this area and nowhere in Kosovo or abroad, or their distribution elsewhere is very limited, have been found.

The morphology of all postembryonic stages (larva, pupa, male, and female) of Rhyacophila macedonica Karaouzas, Valladolid, & Ibrahimi n. sp. from Greece, Republic of North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia was examined. Morphological data were supplemented by a molecular analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and compared with samples of the nominate species Rhyacophila fasciata Hagen 1859, as well as with other species and subspecies in this group: Rhyacophila septentrionis McLachlan 1865, Rhyacophila denticulata McLachlan 1879, Rhyacophila sociata Navás 1916, Rhyacophila kykladica Malicky & Sipahiler 1993, Rhyacophila fasciata delici Kucinic & Valladolid 2020, and Rhyacophila fasciata viteceki Valladolid & Kucinic 2020. Our results revealed morphological differences between the nominate species and R. macedonica, as well as genetic differences among the taxa in the Rhyacophila fasciata Group, so we propose R. macedonica as a new species of the Group. Based on the new molecular data, we also elevate R. f. delici to the status of a distinct species, R. delici (status promotus).

In this contribution, we report new records of the invasive moth Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) from Albania and Kosovo. Previously, it has been reported from all over the European continent, including all Balkan countries. During this investigation it has been observed at two sites in Albania, located in Kukës and Kavajë municipalities. From Kosovo we report four new sites where this species was observed, belonging to Klinë, Pejë and Prishtinë municipalities., U ovom priopćenju donosimo nove nalaze invazivne vrste šimširovog moljca Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) iz Albanije i Kosova. Dosad je bio zabilježen širom cijele Europe, uključujući sve zemlje Balkana. Tijekom ovog istraživanja zabilježen je na dva lokaliteta u Albaniji, na području općina Kukës i Kavajë. Na Kosovu donosimo četiri nova lokaliteta gdje je zabilježena ova vrsta, a koja se nalaze u općinama Klina, Peć i Priština.

In this study we describe Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov., a new species of the Rhyacophila philopotamoides species group from the Bjeshkët e Nemuna Mountains in Kosovo, based on morphological (male adults) and molecular (sequencing of the barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI)) characteristics. The new species is morphologically closest to Rhyacophila schmidinarica Urbanič, Krušnik & Malicky, 2000, and also closely resembling Rhyacophila hirticornis McLachlan, 1879. R. siparantum sp. nov. differs from both its most similar congeners primarily by the shape of the segment X, which is in lateral view short apically and with a pronounced lateral hump on the posterior edge. This difference, combined with other characters related to the shape of the second segment of inferior appendages, spine pattern of parameres and size of ventral teeth on segments VI and VII, make R. siparantum sp. nov. easily distinguishable from both most similar congeners. Phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships were reconstructed using two methods of phylogenetic inference, and two species delimitation methods. All this supports Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov. as a distinct taxon. The adults of Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov. were found during the period May – August, nearby a small rheocrene spring inside a forested area. The new species is most probably a microendemic of the Bjeshkët e Nemuna, a mountainous massive known for several other endemic species of caddisflies. Rhyacophila siparantum sp. nov. is the seventeenth known species of the genus Rhyacophila Pictet, 1834 from Kosovo.

Caddisfly specimens were collected with entomological net and ultraviolet light trap during 2016 and 2017 at eight localities in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. During this investigation we found 13 species. Here we report first record of Chaetopteroides kosovarorum from North Macedonia, as well as new localities for this species in Kosovo and Serbia. This species belongs to an extremely rare genus, inhabiting only few mountainous areas in the Balkans, and until recently has been reported only from its type locality in Kosovo.Beside this, several other rare species were recorded during this investigation such as: Rhyacophila obtusa and Drusus botosaneanui.

Adult caddisflies were collected in the Opojë Region belonging to the Sharr Mountains in Kosovo from May to October 2013. This mountainous area which is known for many endemic and rare species of plants and animals is still not enough explored in terms of caddisfly fauna.A diverse fauna consisting of 11 families and 43 species was found. Three species found during this investigation are first records for the Kosovo caddisfly fauna: Limnephilus lunatus, Micropterna lateralis and Plectrocnemia geniculata. The stenoendemic species Chaetopteroides kosovarorum is found for the second time in Kosovo. Several other rare species were recorded during this investigation. The most interesting finding is species Plectrocnemia geniculata, which is very widespread in Opojë Region and at the same time this represents one of the rarest occurrences of this species in the Balkans.This study contributes to the knowledge of the caddisfly fauna of the Sharr Mountains and adds to the list of known caddisfly species from Kosovo.

In this paper we present the results of a study on the distribution of butterfly species in the protected area Mirusha Waterfalls in Kosovo, conducted in the period from April to the end of September 2016. No studies on butterfly fauna in this area had been conducted previously. The survey was organized in 13 sites with different types of habitats, mostly dominated by grassland, natural forest and shrubs. During our study 83 species of butterflies were recorded. The highest diversity (Shannon-Wiener diversity index H) was registered at the site Dush i Sverkes which hosted 68 out of 83 recorded species. The highest number of species was Euro-Siberian (ES) followed by Euro-Oriental (EO), Euro-Meridional (EM) and Holarctic species (Hol). Our results confirm a rich diversity of butterfly fauna influenced by the climate characteristics, geology and plant composition of the studied area. Out of 83 recorded species in our survey, 7 have Near Threatened status in Europe: Carcharodus floccifera (Zeller, 1847); Parnassius mnemosyne (Linnaeus, 1758); Cupido decolorata (Staudinger, 1886); Hipparchia fagi (Scopoli, 1763); Hipparchia statilinus (Hufnagel, 1758); Melitea aurelia (Nickeri, 1850) and Chazara briseis (Linnaeus, 1764)., U radu prikazujemo rezultate istraživanja rasprostranjenosti vrsta leptira u zaštićenom području slapova Mirusha na Kosovu, provedenog u razdoblju od travnja do kraja rujna 2016. Fauna leptira tog područja nije prethodno istraživana. Istraživano je 13 lokaliteta s različitim tipovima staništa, dominirali su travnjaci, šuma i grmlje. Tijekom istraživanja zabilježene su 83 vrste leptira. Najveća raznolikost (Shannon-Wienerov indeks raznolikosti H) bila je na lokalitetu Dush i Sverkes, 68 od 83 zabilježene vrste. Najviše je bilo eurosibirskih vrsta (ES), slijedile su euroorijentalne (EO), euromeridionalne (EM) I holarktičke vrste (Hol). Naši rezultati potvrđuju bogatu bioraznolikost, na koju utječu klimatske značajke, geologija i biljni svijet istraživanog područja. Od 83 zabilježene vrste, 7 ih ima status gotovo ugroženih u Europi: Carcharodus floccifera (Zeller, 1847); Parnassius mnemosyne (Linnaeus, 1758); Cupido decolorata (Staudinger, 1886); Hipparchia fagi (Scopoli, 1763); Hipparchia statilinus (Hufnagel, 1758); Melitea aurelia (Nickeri, 1850) i Chazara briseis (Linnaeus, 1764).

During 2017 we collected adult caddisfly specimens at the Karadak Mountains, RepublicofNorth Macedonia. In total we found 15 species, two of which are recorded for the first time from North Macedonia: Potamophylax fules Oláh and Ibrahimi, 2013 and ChaetopteryxgonospinaMarinkovic-Gospodnetic, 1966. Potamophylax fules belongs to the nigricornis group and is scarcely distributed in Kosovo, Montenegro, Rumania and now Macedonia. Chaetopteryx gonospina has a disjunct distribution in Balkans and Pyrenees. Finding of these two species contributes to the knowledge of their distribution patterns and shows that Balkan Peninsula has still poorly investigated areas.

Noctuid fauna of Kosovo is poorly known with only few registered records until now. Noctuid specimens were collected in seven different localities in Kosovo during 2019 (April to July). We found thirty five species. The distribution of species per families is a follows: 8 subfamilies, 9 tribes, 7 subtribe, 26 genus and 9 subgenus. Five of the found species are recorded for the first time from Kosovo: Hecateracappa(Hübner, 1809), Simyranervosa(Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775), Aegle semicana (Esper, 1798), Hecaterabicolorata(Hufnagel, 1766) and Mythimna (Hyphilare) congrua(Hübner, 1817).

The Western Balkans are an important hotspot of caddisfly diversity in Europe, with several microscale endemics, many of which were discovered during the recent years. The genus Potamophylax Wallengren, 1891 likely originated and diversified in Europe, with the Balkan Peninsula being one of the most important diversity hotspots. In this paper, we describe the new species Potamophylax coronavirus sp. n. from Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park in the Republic of Kosovo. The new species belongs to the Potamophylax winneguthi species group and is morphologically most similar to Potamophylax juliani Kumanski, 1999, currently known only from Bulgaria and Potamophylax winneguthi Klapalek, 1902, known from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. The male of the new species differs from its most similar congeners mainly in exhibiting: (1) elongated subrectangular superior appendages in lateral view; (2) hardly acuminate, almost rounded apex of intermediate appendages; (3) differently shaped, irregular and higher inferior appendages; (4) narrow spinate area, roughly rectangular in dorsal view, slightly wider at the base and (5) different paramere shape and/or spine pattern. The new species also differs by its considerably smaller size and association with open, high altitude eucrenal zones. The uncorrected interspecific pairwise distance between P. coronavirus and other species of the P. winneguthi species group is on par with those amongst other recognised species in the group, as well as with the yet ambiguously identified taxa from the Sharr, Rila and Bajgorë Mountains. The new species is most probably a microendemic of Bjeshkët e Nemuna, thus highlighting further this area as an important hotspot of caddisfly biodiversity in Europe.

We sporadically collected stoneflies on Berisha Mountain in Kosovo during 2017 and 2018. During this investigation we found 12 species belonging to the following families: Leuctridae, Nemouridae and Perlidae. Five species were recorded for the first time from Kosovo: Nemoura anas, N. asceta, N. peristeri, N. vinconi and Protonemura beaumonti. This work contributes to the knowledge of the stonefly fauna of Kosovo and highlights it as one of the least explored countries in Europe., Tijekom 2017. i 2018. na planini Berisha na Kosovu povremeno su prikupljani obalčari. Pronađeno je 12 vrsta koje pripadaju sljedećim porodicama: Leuctridae, Nemouridae i Perlidae. Pet vrsta zabilježeno je po prvi puta za Kosovo: Nemoura anas, N. asceta, N. peristeri, N. vinconi i Protonemura beaumonti. Ovaj rad doprinos je poznavanju faune obalčara Kosova, kao jedne od najmanje istraženih zemalja Europe.

The caddisfly fauna of the Karadak Mountains in the border area between Kosovo and Macedonia was previously completely unknown. We collected adult caddisfly specimens occasionally, from September 2016 to June 2017, in sixteen localities in this area. During this investigation we found 18 species belonging to the following families: Limnephilidae, Rhyacophilidae, Philopotamidae, Uenoidae and Leptoceridae. The autumnal Limnephilid species Chaetopteryx gonospina was found in one locality only, in Dëbëlldeh village in southern Kosovo, representing the first record for Kosovo. Rhyacophila fischeri, Rhyacophilidae, was found in Tanushë village in northeastern Macedonia, the first record from Macedonia. This paper is a contribution to knowledge of the distribution of Trichoptera from Kosovo and Macedonia., Fauna tulara planina Karadak s graničnog područja između Kosova i Makedonije bila je prethodno potpuno nepoznata. Nasumično smo prikupljali odrasle jedinke od rujna 2016. do lipnja 2017. na 16 lokaliteta na tom području. Tijekom ovog istraživanja pronašli smo 18 vrsta iz sljedećih porodica: Limnephilidae, Rhyacophilidae, Philopotamidae, Uenoidae i Leptoceridae. Jesenska vrsta iz porodice Limnephilidae, Chaetopteryx gonospina pronađena je samo na jednom lokalitetu, u selu Dëbëlldeh na južnom Kosovu, i to je njen prvi nalaz za Kosovo. Rhyacophila fischeri, porodica Rhyacophilidae, pronađena je u selu Tanushë u sjeveroistočnoj Makedoniji i to je njen prvi nalaz za Makedoniju. Ovaj rad je doprinos poznavanju rasprostranjenosti tulara na Kosovu i Makedoniji.

Insects of the order Lepidoptera are among the most explored in Europe. This order is presented with a rich variety, especially in the Balkan Peninsula, which includes also the state of Kosovo. In this paper the results of the research of Nymphalidae family in the region of Llapusha in Kosovo, specifically in the southern part of the mountain ranges of Shkoza, for the period April to July 2016 are presented. As a result of this research 35 species of Nymphalidae butterflies have been recorded, among them Melanargia russiae (Esper 1783) as a new species for Kosovo.This research is conducted five years after a first study of butterflies in this region took place and four years after the wildfire occurred in the area, which destroyed a large part of the vegetation. After this period, as a result of secondary succession, there is a renewal of vegetation, and a significant number of Nymphalidae butterflies.

The knowledge about distribution, ecology and species composition of caddisflies of the Balkan Peninsula is still not complete. The ongoing investigations of the last years highlight this area as an important hotspot of caddisfly diversity. Polycentropus ierapetra slovenica has been considered a narrow range endemic of Slovenia and surrounding areas. Rhyacophila aurata, a species known from many parts of Europe, according to the current knowledge, is absent from a large part of the Balkan Peninsula. In this paper, we present records of these two rare taxa of Trichoptera from the Republic of Kosovo with exact distribution data, based on sampling carried out randomly during 2014 and 2017. Polycentropus ierapetra slovenica was found in several streams in Bjeshkët e Nemuna Mountains and Karadak Mountains. Rhyacophila aurata was found during this investigation at a single locality in Bjeshkët e Nemuna Mountains. The unexpected finding of these two taxa in Kosovo greatly enlarges their known distribution area and makes a contribution towards the better knowledge of distributional patterns of these rare taxa of caddisflies in this part of Europe.

New faunistic data on Trichoptera from Kosovo based on sampling carried out during the autumn of 2013 and first half of 2014 are presented. Limnephilus bipunctatus was found in a small stream in Kaqandoll village located in northern Kosovo and in Shtuticë village located in central Kosovo. Two male specimens of Limnephilus decipiens were found at Gurrat e Hasan Agës Springs and Bistrica e Lloqanit River, an alpine area in the Lloqan mountains, which belong to the Bjeshkët e Nemuna mountains. A single male specimen of Limnephilus stigma was found in Klinë, located in central Kosovo. All three species are rare in Kosovo. A preliminary checklist of eight species of Limnephilus from Kosovo is provided along with biogeographical and ecological notes. This paper is a further contribution to the faunistic list of Trichoptera of Kosovo, one of the least explored countries in Europe.