Dušan Jelić

Despite decades of molecular research, phylogenetic relationships in Palearctic vipers (genus Vipera) still essentially rely on a few loci, such as mitochondrial barcoding genes. Here we examined the diversity and evolution of Vipera with ddRAD-seq data from 33 representative species and subspecies. Phylogenomic analyses of ∼ 1.1 Mb recovered nine...

The European mudminnow (Umbra krameri Walbaum, 1792) is a freshwater fish species with scattered distribution in the Danube and Dniester drainages, being the only native member of the Umbridae family in Europe. It inhabits irrigation canals, slow flowing and stagnant waters with dense vegetation, such as small ditches, oxbows and backwaters. In Cro...

First national Red list of amphibians and reptiles of Montenegro done by IUCN Categories and Criteria.

We report the first finding of the stygobiotic form of the cyprinid fish Garra rufa (Heckel, 1843), discovered in a single locality in southwestern Iran, while the epigean form of the species is widely distributed in western Asia (Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Syria). We also report a new locality for its hypogean congener, Garra tashanensis,...

Until now, Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771) was known to occur in Croatia only in the Mediterranean biogeographical region and on the southern slopes of the Dinaric Alps in the Alpine region. Here we give the first record of the species' presence deep inside what is officially called the Alpine region and in the Peripannonian area in the Continental region...

Anguilla anguilla, the European eel, is an important species for aquaculture and fisheries. Its population has dropped dramatically in recent decades, reaching an all-time low. As a result, it has been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species since 2007. Therefore, constant population monitoring is essential to ens...

Croatian ichthyofauna is one of the most diverse and rich in freshwater and endemic fish species in the European continent. However, to date, the distribution and phylogenetic relationships of certain freshwater fish species in Croatia is still not well known. In this study, we present a phylogenetic analysis of the North Italian roach (Leucos aula...

Common and green toads present frequent amphibian species in Croatia, with only few data about morphometry and morphological traits of their tadpoles in Croatia. We performed a determination of their development stages (according to Gosner 1960) and a measurement of 26 morphometric measures in 63 Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758) and 9 Bufotes viridis (La...

The Meadow and Steppe viper, Vipera ursinii-renardi complex is a well-studied group that is divided into several morphological subspecies. In this study, we combine the analyses of two mitochondrial genes with 9 microsatellite markers to compare both phylogenetic signals. Whereas the signal is similar between both genomes within most subspecies, th...

This manual has been produced through the European Commission (EC) service contract ‘Identification, Assessment, Sharing and Dissemination of Best Practices for Humane Management of Invasive Alien Species’ (07.027746/2019/812504/SER/ENV.D.2.). The aim of this project was to provide support for the management of vertebrate invasive alien species (ve...

The North Italian roach, Leucos aula, is a native freshwater fish species in the Adriatic basin waterbodies from Istria in Croatia to the Po River in Northern Italy and smaller streams and lakes in the vicinity of Zadar, Croatia. In Croatia, this species is naturally distributed in the Raša River in the Istrian peninsula, from where it was introduc...

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is one of the most important commercial fish species in the world. Its abundance has dropped dramatically in recent decades, reaching an all-time low. Over the last three decades, glass eel recruitment has plummeted to 10% of what it was in the 1960s and 1970s. The main cause of the decline is a combination of n...

This manual has been produced through the European Commission (EC) service contract ‘Identification, Assessment, Sharing and Dissemination of Best Practices for Humane Management of Invasive Alien Species’ (07.027746/2019/812504/SER/ENV.D.2.). The aim of this project was to provide support for the management of vertebrate invasive alien species (ve...

Species of European water frogs (genus Pelophylax) represent a complex group that is widespread in Eurasia, and numerous in the Mediterranean basin. They are characterized by a special mode of reproduction – hybridogenesis, which involves the production of fertile hybrids („kleptons“), such as P. kl. esculentus. European water frogs are known invad...

The Cat Snake (Telescopus fallax (Fleischman, 1831)) is the only species representing the genus Telescopus in Croatia. Characterized as a nocturnal species with the affinity for bare, rocky substrates its distribution is limited to warm, narrow coastland areas. The focus of this study is on its northernmost range of distribution, karstic river cany...

Proteus anguinus (olm) is an amphibian endemic to underground cave systems of the Dinaric karst of Central Europe, adapted to a life in complete darkness. Recent studies have demonstrated the global decline of amphibians due to poorly understood microbiological diseases, emphasizing just how little is known about the natural microflora of amphibian...

Kopački rit Nature park is recognised as an important habitat for two species of amphibians and one species of reptile: European fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina), Danube crested newt (Triturus dobrogicus), european pond turtle (Emys orbicularis). During 2021. to 2022. field surveys were conducted using standardised methods for studying batrachof...

Minnows of the genus Phoxinus are common and an often highly abundant fish species in Palearctic freshwater habitats. Phoxinus species have a complex evolutionary history, phylogenetic relationships are not well understood and there are a number of unresolved taxonomic problems. There are currently 23 different mitochondrial genetic lineages identi...

Spreading of alien water frog species (genus Pelophylax) has been reported across Europe, posing a severe risk for the replacement or genetic swamping of indigenous species. Crna Mlaka fishponds in Central Croatia were an experimental station for freshwater fish aquaculture during the first half of 20th century and hosted fish from different parts...

To preserve the long-term survival of habitats and wildlife, it is necessary to monitor their status. In protected areas, that is, biodiversity centres, rangers have excellent knowledge of specific locations and they spend a large amount of time in the field. But since rangers are not required to have a university degree, the question is whether th...

Westernmost population of the Snake-eyed Skink is found in Papuk, Croatia, and is the closest to the population from Ilok, Croatia. So far, the ecology of any of them has not been studied, and here, we document the variation between them. Furthermore, we estimated population density in Papuk using line transects, and quantitatively assessed its via...

When monitoring bats, the greatest yield in capture rate for survey effort can often be found in riparian and lentic habitats. However, capturing bats over large bodies of water is usually challenging due to the logistics of deploying equipment and extracting bats whilst ensuring the safety of surveyors. We present a novel technique-the "skynet"-as...

The slow-worm lizards (Anguis) comprise five species occurring throughout most of the Western Palearctic. Although these species are relatively uniform morphologically – with the exception of A. cephallonica, which exhibits a quite unique morphology – they are genetically deeply divergent. Here, we provide detailed distribution maps for each species...

Proteins encoded by Antigen Processing Genes (APGs) provide MHC class I (MHC-I) with antigenic peptides. In mammals, polymorphic multigenic MHC-I family is served by monomorphic APGs, whereas in certain non-mammalian species both MHC-I and APGs are polymorphic and coevolve within stable haplotypes. Coevolution was suggested as an ancestral gnathost...

The Levant represents one of the most important reptile diversity hotspots and centers of endemism in the Western Palearctic. The region harbored numerous taxa in glacial refugia during the Pleistocene climatic oscillations. Due to the hostile arid conditions in the warmer periods they were not always able to spread or come into contact with popula...

Multidisciplinary, natural history monograph of Vjetrenica cave, a biodiversity hot-spot of Dinaric Alps.

The sculpins Cottus metae and C. scaturigo have previously been distinguished morphologically from C. gobio and described as distinct species. In the present study, sculpin samples from numerous sites covering the proposed range of C. metae and C. scaturigo, including unexamined adjacent sites that include topotypic specimens and other sculpins, we...

The biogeographical importance of Dalmatia, bordered by the Dinaric Alps and the Adriatic Sea, is evident through the rich biodiversity of this region and its network of protected areas. One of those areas, Krka National Park (NP), supports a wide range of natural habitats, but rapidly increasing tourism puts high pressure on its ecosystems, despit...

The northern Adriatic Sea has long been known as the foraging and developmental habitat of loggerhead sea turtles. Previous literature on stranded, floating, sighted, and accidentally caught sea turtles is fragmentary and mainly obtained from this shallower northern part. This work presents data on 272 records of stranded, floating, sighted and acc...

Izgradnja bioloških staza (u inženjerskoj praksi uobičajeno ribljih staza) u određenoj mjeri umanjuje negativne ekološke utjecaje gospodarskog razvoja i omogućuje ostvarivanje uzdužne povezanosti vodotoka koja je ključna za zadovoljenje migracijskih potreba vodnih organizama. Tehničke riblje staze su od najčešće korištenih tipova ribljih staza za u...

Using natural chemical rotenone for removal of invasive alien fish from freshwater environment.

Using morphometric, meristic and qualitative characters, we confirmed a specific status of a clade discovered based on molecular data only. The newly described species Phoxinus krkae has a very local distribution in the upper Krka River but is easily morphologically distinguished from geographically neighbouring species with much wider ranges: Phox...

Squalius microlepis was examined from recent and historical collections within the known range of the species with special emphasis on intraspecific variability and variations, and compared to its closest relative species S. tenellus (in total, 193 specimens; 33 absolute and 52 proportional measurements and ratios, and 12 counts including vertebrae...

For the purposes of environmental impact assessment procedure, biological baseline surveys were conducted for the location of the planned project. In addition to the usual methods for fauna survey, an innovative method for detecting species baseline status was used, for the olm (Proteus anguinus), using eDNA. Since the olm is a cave aquatic organis...

"DRAVA LIFE - Integral River Management" project will restore habitats on seven locations on Drava River through reconstruction of the old ones and the creation of new river side-arms. The project results will raise the awareness of the NATURA 2000 ecological network, establish cross-border cooperation and reduce anthropogenic impact on fauna. Firs...

Many fish and invertebrate species inhabiting watercourses migrate within these watercourses at certain stages of their life cycle. However, for hundreds of years humans have been building barriers and other structures in watercourses to satisfy their water-related needs that have increased due to industrialization and population growth. In additio...

Foraging modes (ambush vs. active foraging) are often correlated with a suite of morphological, physiological, behavioural and ecological traits known as the "adaptive syndrome" or "syndrome hypothesis." In snakes, an ecological correlate often reported in the literature is that ambush‐hunting snakes have a higher relative meal size compared to act...

We provide a comparative population genetic study of the elusive amphibian, Proteus anguinus, by comparing the genetic diversity and divergence among 4 cave populations (96 individuals) sampled in the Dinaric Karst of Croatia. We developed 10 variable microsatellite markers using pyrosequencing and applied them to the 4 selected populations belongi...

Presenting author: Roman Ozimec

The book has been published in two editions, Croatian and English. It is divided into two parts and an appendix which contains the latest research conducted on Proteus. The first part includes knowledge about the phenomenon of the Dinaric Karst and speleological, biospeleological and cave diving research, with the aim of introducing the reader to t...

Visconti, P., Elias, V., Sousa Pinto, I., Fischer, M., Ali-Zade, V., Báldi, A., Brucet, S., Bukvareva, E., Byrne, K., Caplat, P., Feest, A., Guerra, C., Gozlan, R., Jelić, D., Kikvidze, Z., Lavrillier, A., Le Roux, X., Lipka, O., Petrík, P., Schatz, B., Smelansky, I. and Viard, F. (2018): Chapter 3: Status, trends and future dynamics of biodiversit...

Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), as a specific region in the north western Balkan Peninsula, has a high level of genetic, species and ecosystem diversity primary due to the presence of different climatic zones that extend from north to south of the country (in cca 400 km). Multiple numbers of refugia and relict landscapes in this area enabled the surv...

Even though that reproductive isolation of anurans is well developed, amphibians perform many “mistakes” during the mating period. Herein we present 65 cases of abnormal/unusual/wrong amplexi in European species of Anura collected mostly from the period 2005-2017. We generally divided the wrong amplexi into intraspecific or interspecific and furthe...

The subspecies concept is not only useful to assess the evolutionary history of species and therefore describe their evolutionary potential, but it also has corollaries for defining conservation units and their management. Within Alpine salamanders, the subspecies status of Salamandra atra prenjensis, isolated in the Dinarides from its nominal subs...

The European spadefoot toad (Pelobates fuscus) is a lowland, nocturnal, semi-fossorial and secretive anuran species with a narrow ecological niche. The southernmost border of its areal reaches the northern parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H, in Posavina region) where the species is mostly restricted to agroecosystems located in the vicinity of aq...

Numerous snake species worldwide are threatened due to human activity. Therefore, ecological information pertaining to snake assemblages needs to be periodically updated to document potential changes in species composition that can be used to develop effective conservation strategies. Here, we present recent data on the status of, and threats to, s...

With this paper the authors wanted to gather more information about the presence of reptilian and amphibian species in the area of lower Una River and its surroundings. For this purpose field surveys in the form of active searching in promising places was conducted on four separate occasions in 2009. Here we present the list of 10 amphibian species...

First evidence of existing viable population of Ablepharus kitaibelii is reported for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Population was reconfirmed in the location published as single literature record after full 37 years. We caught 13 individuals that were morphologically measured and examined. We give description of the specific habitat and list possible th...

Species composition of Eurasian water frogs, genus Pelophylax, in Lake Skadar (Montenegro) was analysed using mitochondrial (mtDNA) and nuclear (nuDNA) markers. Specimens were characterised at first using mtDNA sequences of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 3 (ND3) gene. Based on their mitochondrial genomes, 49 specimens were determined as Pelophylax kurt...

The most western population of the Snake-eyed Skink, discovered recently on Papuk Mountain and Ilok area in Croatia, has never been studied before. Here we examined the morphology and age structure, reproduction, and prevalence of injuries in both populations. We examined 191 individuals in total; 163 adults and 28 juveniles. Morphological analysi...

The Eurasian minnows of the genus Phoxinus are small cyprinid species, widely distributed across Europe and Asia. Currently, there are at least 15 species in Phoxinus, with preliminary data suggesting more to be described. Despite the discernible increase in research integrating molecular phylogenetic approaches with traditional taxonomy and system...

Pelophylax esculentus is a vertebrate animal with hemiclonal heredity, attracting the interest of many reproductive and evolutionary biologists. It is a hybrid between P. ridibundus and P. lessonae. These three taxa form the so-called Pelophylax esculentus complex with a population structure usually comprising a hybrid taxa and one parental species...

Karst Viper is a relict species that lives on alpine meadows, and its endemic to the Balkan Peninsula. The precise distribution of this viper is still not precisely defined in Montenegro. The regional scientists have been researching this species for over a decade, the whole distribution area of this taxon is spread over the mountainous regions of...

Distribution data on many freshwater fish species in Croatia are scarce and species identifications are difficult, requiring further detailed studies. This paper presents a report of the Italian gudgeon Romanogobio benacensis from the Mirna River in the Istra Peninsula in Croatia, in the south-east from its previously known distribution range. The...

The distribution data of Alburnus sava and Telestes souffia has been updated in Croatia in comparison to the previously known data. Alburnus sava is much more widespread in the Sava drainage and also occurs in the River Sava near the town of Županja, rivers Drina and Bosna. Telestes souffia has a much more restricted range in Croatia than previousl...

Krška polja su u prirodnom stanju bila potpuno zatvorena, pa su tvorila prirodne akumulacije dulje ili kraće zadržavajući vodu, ovisno o hidrološkim prilikama i veličinama ponora. Zbog različitih tektonskih, petrografskih i drugih utjecaja, većina krških polja je propusna, pa se voda ne zadržava dugo na površini, nego odlazi dublje u podzemlje. Pod...

Karst Viper lives exclusively on alpine meadows and barren land. It is a relict species, while the subspecies macrops is endemic to the Balkan Peninsula. The precise distribution of this vulnerable European viper is still not precisely defined in Montenegro, although throughout the region scientists have been researching and protecting this species...

The olm (Proteus anguinus) is a troglomorphic, neotenous amphibian with extraordinary life expectancy and unique adaptations that deserve further investigation. A low reproductive rate and habitat decline render it threatened by extinction. Establishing captive populations for maintenance and artificial breeding may one day become crucial to the sp...

Blood flow within the dorsal aorta of Proteus anguinus. Adjacent to the gall bladder, blood flow is shown within the dorsal aorta, located between liver (a section of the gall bladder is visible at the right side of the image) and vertebral column. Compared to the liver, the content of this large vessel with apparently slowly moving content present...

Ultrasonographic measurements of Proteus anguinus organs. (DOCX)