Folia Malacol. 21(4): 237–263 http://dx.doi.org/10.12657/folmal.021.026 FRESHWATER SNAILS (MOLLUSCA: GASTROPODA) OF BULGARIA: AN UPDATED ANNOTATED CHECKLIST 1 2 DILIAN GEORGIEV , ZDRAVKO HUBENOV 1Department of Ecology and Environmental Conservation, University of Plovdiv, Tzar Assen 24, BG--4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria (e-mail:
[email protected]) 2National Museun of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Blvd. Tsar Osvoboditel 1, Sofia 1000, Bulgaria (e-mail:
[email protected]) ABSTRACT: The list of freshwater gastropods of Bulgaria, with data on their distribution, ecology and conserva- tion status, was based on a critical overview of all available sources and unpublished materials. The total num- ber of freshwater snail species hitherto recorded from Bulgaria is 120. Three species are regarded as extinct, two species were found only as subfossil remains. The most diverse families are Hydrobiidae (67 species), Planorbidae (15), and Lymnaeidae (11). The remaining families are represented by 1 to 4 species. Zoogeo- graphical, ecological and conservation data are discussed. KEY WORDS: Bulgaria, freshwater, distribution, ecology, conservation INTRODUCTION The Balkan malacofauna is much less well studied, and data on their distribution, was soon followed by compared to that of Western Europe, whereas at the HUBENOV’s (2005, 2007a) lists of the known Bulgar- same time it seems to be much richer (GLÖER & ian species, with an emphasis on their distribution DIERCKING 2010, WELTER-SCHULTES 2012). New spe- and ecology. More than 49 new species have been de- cies are described every year, while many rare species scribed since then (GEORGIEV 2011a, 2012d, GLÖER are receding or becoming extinct.