Vladimir Pešić

University of Montenegro | UCG · Department of Biology

Water mites of the genus Hygrobates are widely distributed in all biogeographic regions except the Antarctic. Palaearctic Hygrobates species with reticulated soft integument generally have been considered as representatives of one common and widely distributed species, Hygrobates fluviatilis Strøm, 1768. Based on partial COI sequences (DNA-barcodes...

The Mollusc Biodiversity Versus Habitat Features. Water 2024, 16, 3448. Abstract: The objectives of our study were to analyse the degree of human pressure within the lowland river catchment in relation to the mollusc communities and to assess the usefulness of the River Habitat Survey as a field method in determining the human pressure in the mollu...

This study presents the first results from the analysis of water mites collected in Portugal as part of the Biodiversity Genomics Europe project. 307 COI DNA barcodes clustered into 75 BINs are provided, with 38 BINs being unique and deposited for the first time in the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD). 65 species have been identified, of which 3...

1. Throughout the world, the exceptional biodiversity and endemism of spring ecosystems are threatened by the expansion of invasive species. However, mechanisms affecting the distribution and impact of invasive species on spring macroinvertebrate communities remain poorly understood. 2. We investigated the impact of the invasive New Zealand mud sn...

During the last decade, DNA barcoding has become a widely applicated approach in the identification of water mite species. Still, our knowledge about the molecular diversity and number of DNA barcodes of water mite species that inhabit Bosnia and Herzegovina is limited. In this study a total of 50 mitochondrial barcode sequences were obtained from...

New data are presented of water mites from a thermal spring in the high Andes of Chile. Three species have been found, i.e. Thermacarus chilensis n. sp., Hydryphantes thermalis Cook and Wandesia chechoi Cook.

The abstract gives a brief description of a current research project into the thermal ecology of Hermann`s tortoise ,Testudo hermanni, during a full yearly period. The results are based on body temperatures, set point body temperatures ( = preferred body temperatures) , environmental temperatures and micro-habitat selection giving a more detailed i...

New material of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from the Uttarakhand State of India is reported. One species, Sperchon dobriyali n. sp., is described as new for science. The male is for the first time described for Sperchonopsis himalayaensis Pešić, Smit, Sharma, Rana, Bahuguna & Rayal, 2022, and the female is for the first time described for Atu...

In this paper, we describe the fifth known species of the water mite genus Sperchon Kramer, 1877 for South America, collected in the high Andes in northern Chile.

The checklist summarizes the knowledge of the diversity of water mites of Serbia from the oldest record in 1903 to present day. The checklist is based on literature data and recent findings. The checklist includes 104 species in 18 families and 32 genera. Six species, i.e. Hydryphantus parmulatus, Lebertia glabra, Atractides glandulosus, Arrenurus...

In this paper, two species of the water mite genus Kongsbergia Thor, 1899 (Aturidae), i.e., K. uttarakhandensis Pešić & Smit n. sp. and K. tuzovskiji Pešić & Smit n. sp. are described from streams in Uttarakhand State of India. The latter species was named after late Dr Petr Tuzovskij for his outstanding contribution to the research of water mites.

New material of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from the Uttarakhand State of India is reported. Ten species are identified, among which Sperchon (Hispidosperchon) rostratus Lundblad, 1969 is reported for the first time for India and two species, i.e. Monatractides smiti (Torrenticolidae) and Atractides uttarakhandensis (Hygrobatidae) are describ...

New records of rare water mites mostly from interstitial habitat of New Zealand are presented. One new genus, Zelandostygolimnochares n. gen. (Piersigiidae) with the type species Z. curtipalpis n. sp. is described. Zelandobates occidentalis Smit & Pešić, 2020 is synonymized with Z. tongariro Smit & Pešić, 2020. The male is for the first time descri...

New records of notoaturine water mites (Aturidae: Notoaturinae) from New Zealand are presented. Five new species are described: Evidaturus longiscutatus n. sp., Kritaturus (Kritaturus) longipalpis n. sp., Planaturus simpsonensis n. sp., Tryssaturus longwood n. sp. and Zelandalbia thibaulti n. sp. The males are described for the first time for Plana...

Although integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) is recognized as a strategy to control and minimize the impact of fish farming on the marine environment, there are still many unknowns when it comes to this type of farming. This paper presents the results of research on the growth of European flat oysters in IMTA and monoculture systems. Growth...

In this study, water mites have been collected from running waters and springs in Elazığ province (Eastern Türkiye). Totally, twenty species are identified. The families, Hydrovolziidae and Feltriidae are newly recorded from Elazığ province. Atractides (Atractides) ermani sp. nov. and A. (Atractides) elazigensis sp. nov. are described as new to sci...

This concluding chapter contains a comparative overview of the state of fish resources, fisheries, and management models in the inland waters of the Western Balkans. The aim was to find a possible sustainable solution for freshwater fisheries under increasingly diverse anthropogenic stressors on the environment and ecosystems, as well as ongoing cl...

This book provides a detailed evaluation of the hydro-ecological characteristics of the Western Balkans, an area characterized by still preserved inland waters and fish resources important for the European continent, as well as the biodiversity of inland waters important for the planet Earth. Freshwater ecosystems cover only 1% of the Earth's surfa...

Microplastic pollution in karst systems remains poorly studied, despite the presence of protected species, habitats, and significant water reserves. To investigate the presence of microplastics in groundwater and their bioavailability to groundwater inhabitants, we conducted an experiment by collecting hypogeic fauna from karst springs in the field...

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 inte...

We are delighted to share with you the anniversary issue of Ecologica Montenegrina. With this special issue, we appreciate the support and contributions of every author, reviewer and editorial board member over the last ten years of Ecologica Montenegrina. The special issue "A 10-Year Journey of Ecologica Montenegrina", composed of invited articles...

Water mites of the genus Mideopsis are often a very abundant member of running and standing water communities whose taxonomy has been based almost exclusively on traditional morphological studies. In this study, we present a species-level phylogeny of the genus in Europe using 71 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes available in the BOLD d...

Hygrobates specimens with a lineated soft integument have been identified as representatives of H. calliger Piersig, 1896, a species recently considered to be a species complex. In this paper, a highly supported phylogeny based on COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) barcode sequences and species delimitation support the description of a new subspe...

New DNA-assisted records of water mites collected in Sardinia, Italy, are presented. DNA barcodes of 32 specimens belonging to 15 BINs were newly generated, and morphologically assigned to 14 morphospecies. Three species, i.e., Sperchon meridianus Angelier, 1954, Teutonia corsiciana Pešić & Smit, 2022, Monatractides corsicus Pešić & Smit, 2023, pre...

In the European Union, assessments of the quality of the aquatic environment based on aquatic invertebrates are mandatory. Biological methods are supplemented with hydromorphological assessments of watercourses. There are many studies analysing the relationships between aquatic invertebrates and the hydromorphological assessment of the environment...

The knowledge of water mites of the Caucasus is very poor, and most studies are restricted to the northern part of this mountain range. In this paper new records of water mites collected from Georgia, are presented. By using the DNA barcode region of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), sequences were generated for 10 species, i,e.,...

River valleys are known to be of high natural value; however, they are exposed to a strong human influence. Anthropogenic changes are evident in the structure and species composition of plant assemblages; therefore, vegetation is a very good indicator of the state of the environment. Convolvuletalia sepium tall herb communities are a natural compon...

We report the first record of Diplodontus semiperforatus (Walter, 1925) for Iran. Thus far, this halobiontic species was only known from the Western Mediterranean. We discuss the environmental characteristics of the sampling sites and present the first barcodes of D. semiperforatus and its sister species D. scapularis Dugès, 1834.

New records of water mites (Acari: Hydrachnidia) from La Réunion Island are presented. One species new to science, i.e. Diplodontus insulanus Pešić & Smit sp. nov. (Hydryphan-tidae) is described; a second species, Neumania nodosa (Daday, 1898) (Unionicolidae) is reported for the first time from La Réunion.

Freshwater mites of the family Unionicolidae are associated with freshwater mussels and snails in lakes and streams on all continents except Antarctica. The majority of the currently known 265 Unionicolidae species are associated with molluscs during at least one stage of their life cycle. A new host record is presented here from India: Unionicola...

Two species of leeches were described from Georgia in the past, Dina ratschaensis Kobakhidze, 1958 from the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region and Trocheta ariescornuta Grosser, Barjadze & Maghradze, 2021 from the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region. Both species were the only known typical representatives of cave leeches in Georgia. Recently, two...

New records of water mites collected in 2022 and 2023 from northeastern Iran and southwestern Turkiye, are presented. DNA barcodes of 58 specimens, morphologically assigned to 13 species were newly generated. An integrative approach that combines morphology and DNA barcodes revealed three new species for water mite fauna of Türkiye, i.e. Lebertia v...

New records are presented of arrenurids from SE Asia, mainly from Thailand, with smaller number of records from Malayasia, India and Nepal. One new species is described, i.e. Arrenurus piersigi n. sp. Arrenurus incertus Lundblad, 1969 is considered a full species.

Water mites are a diverse but neglected meiofaunal group in interstitial habitats. In this study, water mites were sampled from the hyporheic zone of the upper Neretva river catchment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In total, 10 obligate subterranean (hyporheobiontic) species were detected. Seven of them, i.e. Atractides pumilus (Szalay, 1946), Frontipo...

New records of water mites of the family Hydryphantidae from Australia are reported. Five new species are described, i.e. Mamersa neorouxi n. sp., Pseudohydryphantes crenulatus n. sp., Pseudohydryphantes pandanus n. sp., Pseudohydryphantes corniculatus n. sp. and Tartarothyas gracilipes n. sp. Hydryphantes meridianus Lundblad is raised to full spec...

Lake Skadar with its surrounding springs, wetlands and larger affluents is among the most diverse freshwater ecosystems in the Mediterranean region and a key biodiversity/ende-mism hotspot in Europe. It is also highly endangered due to climate change and rapid tourism development in the area. Being abundant, diverse and mostly predatory, true aquat...

We presented findings of six freshwater snails collected in northeastern Iran. A new monotypic genus of hydrobiid springsnails from Semnan Province was described. Khayajehia dianae n. gen. et n. sp. is differentiated by the unique morphology of the penis with a wide and rectangular proximal part and an elongated and slender distal part.

Lake Skadar with its surrounding springs, wetlands and larger affluents is among the most diverse freshwater ecosystems in the Mediterranean region and a key biodiversity/endemism hotspot in Europe. It is also highly endangered due to climate change and rapid tourism development in the area. Being abundant, diverse and mostly predatory, true aquati...

Two new gastropod species recently collected in the St. Naum springs situated near the southeastern edge of Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia are described. Ancylus naumiensis n. sp. molecularly belong to "Ancylus sp. D" of Albrecht et al. (2006) previously recorded for St. Naum springs in Macedonia and Tusemista spring in Albania. A new genus, Ohridon...

Chironomidae are known to occur in small, even astatic water bodies like seepages, rheocrens, pools and wells. The Balkan Peninsula reveals a high variability of small water bodies, with springs (rheocrens, limnocrens and helocrens) being the most widely distributed. In this review, we give a brief presentation of the Chironomidae communities in va...

Two new species of the genus Anisitsiellides are described from Australia. A key is provided for the Australian Anisitsiellides species. One of the new species has the dorsal shield with five pairs of glandularia, which necessitates an emendation of the diagnosis of the genus.

Leeches of the genus Dina are one of the most abundant leech species in running waters in Montenegro. This paper described a new yellowish-spotted and medium-sized leech from the Skadar Lake basin in Montenegro. Phylogenetic analysis based on COI data reveals that Dina nesemanni sp. nov. is more closely related to D. latestriata from Prespa Lake th...

The objectives of our survey were to determine the most important environmental factors within buffer zones that influenced mollusc communities and to evaluate the ecological conservation value of natural aquatic habitats (NAHs) that support mollusc species. Analysis of the spatial structure of buffer zones and catchments was based on a set of land...

Clams of the genus Corbicula Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1811 are among the most invasive aquatic molluscs found in Europe. These clams were recorded in Lake Skadar in Montenegro for the first time. Clams were found in the inflow of the rivers Morača and Plavnica into the lake and also on the banks of the lake. Monitoring the further spread and probable...

A new species of water mite from Montenegro, i.e. Atractides milosevici sp. nov., is described, using morphological data and DNA barcodes. Morphologically, the new species is closely related to A. nodipalpis sensu Gerecke, 2003 but differs in its distinct COI barcode sequence, as well as details of the terminal segments of the first legs. Morpholog...

Water mites of the genus Hygrobates Koch, 1837 are one of the most abundant water mite species in all kinds of running and standing waters in Türkiye. In this study, DNA barcodes were recovered from 26 specimens, morphologically assigned to five Hygrobates species. One species of the H. trigonicus species-complex (H. crypticus sp. nov.) from Easter...

Torrenticola meridionalis Di Sabatino & Cicolani, 1990 was originally described from Italy and later has been noted in different parts of the Balkans. Next researches, based on molecular data, have shown that it is a species-complex. This work provides new data on Torrenticola cf. meridionalis based on DNA barcodes of specimens from Poland and conf...

In the present study, we use morphological data and DNA barcodes to describe a new species, i.e. Monatractides corsicus sp. nov. from Corsica, France. The new species belongs to the M. stadleri-complex which includes at least four distinct genetic lineages in the Western Palaearctic. Morphologically, the new species can be identified on the basis o...

Springs are unique ecosystems mostly characterized by the water that originates from underground. Groundwater dominated springs usually show thermal and physico-chemically stable conditions, followed mostly by low nutrient and oxygen levels. The low oxygen and nutrient levels in springs do not, however, inhibit the development of high local diversi...

Water mites of the Hygrobates fluviatilis-complex are common and often the most abundant water mite group in running waters in the Palaearctic. This study provides the first time-calibrated phylogeny of this complex to date. Fossil-calibrated modelling reveals that the most recent common ancestor of the H. fluviatilis-complex originated in the Olig...

An updated checklist of freshwater gastropods of Bosnia and Herzegovina, including 144 species and subspecies from 59 genera and 17 families, is presented in this paper. Hydrobiidae is the most diverse family, representing ~50% of the species richness in the country. In total, ~38% of the recorded taxa are endemic. The highest number of species was...

This study presents the first results of DNA barcoding of water mites from Portugal. DNA barcodes were recovered from 19 water mite specimens morphologically assigned to eight species, seven of them newly reported from Portugal. Two species, Torrenticola hispanica (Lundblad, 1941) and A. cultellatus (K. Viets, 1930) were discovered more than 80 yea...

A new species of the water mite genus Austraturus K.O. Viets (Acari: Aturidae: Notoaturinae) is described, and a list of successfully barcoded Australian water mites is provided.

Water mites of the genus Atractides Koch, 1837 are among the most frequently found mites in running waters of the Himalayas. In the present study seven species of this genus are identified from material collected in 2021 from Bhutan. Five species new for science are described, i.e., Atractides mangdensis sp. nov., A. conflatus sp. nov., A. bhutanic...

Reptiles live in a range of different habitats from tropical forests to temperate zones where the climate may change on seasonal or a daily basis. The thermal environment is a major determinant of how efficiently they can achieve optimum or preferred body temperatures and, in terms of physiologically optimum body temperatures, these may not be poss...

Hygrobates specimens with a coarse lineated soft integument generally have been considered as representatives of H. calliger Piersig, 1896, regarded as a common and widely distributed species in the Palaearctic. In the present study using an integrative taxonomic approach that combines morphological studies and DNA barcoding we show that Hygrobates...

In the present study, two species, i.e. Sperchon krameri sp. nov., and Atractides magnisetus sp. nov. new to science are described from Kyrgyzstan. The new species were collected in August 2013 during a collecting trip of the authors.

Freshwater mussels are an endangered group of animals, especially in the water bodies of Central and Western Europe. Conservation priorities were established for many endangered freshwater mussel species in the last decade. Here, we present new data on a cryptic refugium of freshwater mussels in the Western Balkans. Two species, Anodonta exulcerata...

This paper is the second paper dealing with water mites from French Guiana. The following new species are described: Rhynchohydracarus mirabilis Smit & Pešić sp. nov. (Rhynchohydracaridae), Limnesia guianaensis Smit & Pešić sp. nov., Limnesides crassipes Smit & Pešić sp. nov. (Limnesiidae), Omartacarus (Omartacarus) sautensis Smit & Pešić sp. nov....

In the present study we used an integrative taxonomic approach that combines morphological and DNA barcoding data to describe Hygrobates neotrigonicus sp. nov., a new species of H. trigonicus-complex from Bingöl Province (East Türkiye). The average K2P-distance between DNA-barcode sequences from the new species and two other European clades of H. t...

In this study, the first DNA barcodes of water mites collected in Uttarakhand State of India are presented. The first data for nine species were uploaded into the BOLD Systems. Two species, Sperchonopsis himalayaensis sp. nov. (Sperchontidae) and Aturus uttarakhandensis sp. nov. (Aturidae), are described as new for science. http://urn:lsid:zoobank....

Neoatractides tashiwangmoi Pešić, Smit & Gurung, 2022 is known from a single female recently collected in Bhutan. In this paper the first male is described based on a specimen collected in Uttarakhand State of India.

Torrenticolid mites is a distinctive and a common component in running water in the Palaearctic, and often dominate in fast flowing streams in mountainous areas. The present study is based on material collected in 2021 in Bhutan. In total 17 species of the two torrenticolid genera Torrenticola Piersig, 1896 and Neoatractides Lundblad, 1941 are repo...

Three new Sperchon species are described from the Mangde Chhu river catchment area in central Bhutan. Sperchon indicus Kumar, Kumar and Pesic, 2007 is synonymized with S. gracilipalpis Lundblad, 1941. Three Sperchon are reported for the first time from Bhutan.

This study gives description of one new species of the genus Neumania (N. bhutana sp. nov.) from Bhutan.

New records of water mites from Iran and Turkey revealed by DNA barcoding are presented. DNA barcodes were recovered from 44 water mite specimens morphologically assigned to 18 species. The DNA barcoding data for the twelve species were uploaded into the BOLD database. One species of the Hygrobates longiporus-complex, H. thori Pešić & Smit sp. nov....

Water mites are a significant component of freshwater ecosystems. On Corsica (France) they are inhabiting mainly running waters. DNA barcodes of 84 specimens morphologically assigned to 27 water mite species were newly generated for this study. The first DNA barcoding data for six species were uploaded into the BOLD database, three of these, Protzi...

A yellowish spotted and medium-sized new leech of the family Erpobdellidae with a typical annulation of the genus Dina was found in a spring in the northeastern Montenegro. In the present study, we used an integrative taxonomic approach that combines morphological and DNA barcoding data to describe a new species, Dina crnogorensis sp. nov. Morpholo...

We describe a new species, Teutonia corsicana sp. nov. from Corsica, France using morphological data and DNA barcodes. Morphologically the new species can be separated on the basis of the female pregenital sclerite partially covered by genital flaps, and in both sexes a broad-based, triangular ventral projection of P-2 and slender P-3 (L/H ratio 1....

The main goal of the study was to recognize the mechanisms underlying assemblage structuring of aquatic beetle fauna inhabiting a medium-sized, lowland river exposed to anthropogenic pressures. An attempt was made to identify the impact of numerous abiotic factors on how beetle communities are formed, with particular emphasis on geomorphological an...

Aims: The main aim of this study was to fill a significant gap in Chironomidae barcoding in the Balkan region, developing and testing for the efficiency of a reference DNA barcode library for Chironomidae from the ancient Skadar Lake basin Montenegro/Albania), a European area never interested in barcoding studies on Chironomidae before. Moreover,...

The water mite species Hygrobates angelieri Cook, 1966 is known from two female specimens collected in Liberia. In this paper the first male is described on basis of a specimen collected in Ghana.

The bloodfeeding leech genus Placobdella is dominated by North American diversity, with only a single nominal species known from Central America and one from the Palearctic region. This is likely due to considerable underestimation of Palearctic biodiversity, but investigations into potential hidden diversity are lacking. To shed light on this, the...

In the present study a new species, Sperchon milisai sp. nov. is described from Montenegro and Croatia based on morphological and DNA barcoding data. Surprisingly, morphological evidence revealed that the new species is most similar to S. ampliscutatus Pešić & Smit, 2020, from Kyrgyzstan, confirmed by the phylogenetic analysis based on COI data. Th...

In the present study we used an integrative taxonomic approach that combines morphological and DNA barcoding data to describe a new species, Dina serbica sp. nov. from a spring in western Serbia. The average K2P-distance between DNA-barcode sequences of D. serbica sp. nov. and its closest relative D. minuoculata was estimated at 11.96±1.39%. Moreov...

In the present study we used an integrative taxonomic approach that combines morphological and DNA barcoding data to describe a new species of the H. nigromaculatus-complex, Hygrobates calabricus sp. nov. from Calabria, Italy. The average K2P-distance between DNA-barcode sequences of H. calabricus sp. nov. and its closest relative H. setosus Bessel...

Water mite species of the genus Hydrodroma Koch, 1837 are common in running and standing waters in the Neotropical region. In this study four Hydrodroma species are reported from Argentina. Redefinitions are given for H. peregrina (Koenike, 1905), H. robusta K. Viets, 1954 stat. nov., and H. longiseta K. Viets, 1954, stat. nov. Two species, i.e., H...