engleski

Freshwater Ichthyofauna Of The Neretva River Delta And Its Tributaries

Although data on freshwater fish of the Neretva River was first published in the early 20th century, the fish fauna has not yet been systematically investigated. In the ichthyological research carried out from 1993 to 1995 and in 2001 and 2002, fish were captured by nets and electrofishing. The results were based on investigations at eight different ecological sites. There were 57 species belonging to 25 families recorded in the delta and tributaries of the Neretva River. The fish community of the Neretva River delta and its tributaries consists of euryhaline groups and the freshwater fluvial limnophilous complex. 18 species of 57 recorded are endemic species linked to the Mediterranean and eastern Adriatic drainage basin. Oncorhynchus mykiss, Carassius gibelio, Cyprinus carpio, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, H. nobilis, Pseudorasbora parva, Ameiurus nebulosus, Gambusia affinis, Lepomis gibbosus and Sander lucioperca belong to the allochthonous ichthyofauna of the Neretva River. They were introduced into the drainage area of the Neretva from the other parts of Croatia at the beginning of the last century or in the past twenty years. This area is inhabited by the endangered species Lethenteron zanandreai (Annex II and III of the Bern Convention and Annex II and V of the Habitat Directive) and endemic species such as Salmothymus obtusirostris oxyrhynchus, Cobitis narentana, Chondrostoma knerii and Knipowitschia croatica. Due to the great number of endemic species and the diversity, the Neretva River delta and its tributaries are of great value to the overall biodiversity of Europe. Conservation measures are proposed.

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