Croatian Journal of Fisheries, 2019, 77, 137-234 M. Ćaleta et al. (2019): Extant Croatian freshwater fish and lampreys DOI: 10.2478/cjf-2019-0016 CODEN RIBAEG ISSN 1330-061X (print) 1848-0586 (online) A REVIEW OF EXTANT CROATIAN FRESHWATER FISH AND LAMPREYS Annotated list and distribution Marko Ćaleta1, Zoran Marčić2*, Ivana Buj2, Davor Zanella2, Perica Mustafić2, Aljoša Duplić3, Sven Horvatić2 1 Faculty of Teacher Education, Savska cesta 77, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia 2 Faculty of Science, Department of Zoology, Rooseveltov trg 6, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia 3 Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy, Radnička cesta 80, Zagreb, Croatia *Corresponding Author, Email: [email protected] ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Received: 22 July 2019 A checklist of the freshwater fish fauna of Croatia is presented for the first Accepted: 26 September 2019 time. It is based on 1360 publications of historical and recent data in the literature. According to the literature review, there were 137 fish species in 30 families and 75 genera recorded in Croatia. The checklist is systematically Keywords: arranged and provides distributional data of the freshwater fish fauna as Danube drainage well as whether the species is endemic, introduced or translocated. Adriatic basin Endemism Introductions Translocations How to Cite Ćaleta, M., Marčić, Z., Buj, I., Zanella, D., Mustafić, P., Duplić, A., Horvatić, S. (2019): A review of extant Croatian freshwater fish and lampreys - Annotated list and distribution. Croatian Journal of Fisheries, 77, 137-234. DOI: 10.2478/cjf-2019-0016. INTRODUCTION the Dinaric karst region of Croatia (Banarescu, 2004; Smith and Darwall, 2006; Oikonomou et al., 2014) The Republic of Croatia is a small country with a harbours numerous endemic species that are found only land area of 56,594 km2 at the crossroads of several in Croatia, while some are also found in neighbouring European biogeographical regions: Continental, Alpine, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Ćaleta et al., 2015). Despite the Mediterranean and, on its north-east, fragments of the long tradition of ichthyology in these parts through the Panonian biogeographical region are present (EEA, 2002). 19th and 20th century (most important researchers were Croatia’s geographical position includes two river basins Johann Jakob Heckel, Rudolf Kner, Franz Steindachner, (Adriatic Sea and Black Sea basins) with an interesting Luka Trgovčević, Mijo Kišpatić, Josipa Plančić, Tihomir geological history that has resulted in one of the most Vuković, Dobrila Habeković, Milorad Mrakovčić i Tomislav diverse freshwater ichthyofaunas in Europe. With 137 Treer), in the 21st century, new species are still being species that are strictly freshwater or occasionally use discovered and described (Kovačić, 2005; Freyhof and freshwater, Croatia has among the highest species Stelbrink, 2007; Mustafić et al., 2008; Miller, 2009; richness in Europe (Mrakovčić et al., 2006). In particular, Bogutskaya and Zupančič, 2010; Buj et al., 2010; Marčić et © 2019 Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License 137 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) Croatian Journal of Fisheries, 2019, 77, 137-234 M. Ćaleta et al. (2019): Extant Croatian freshwater fish and lampreys al., 2011; Bogutskaya et al., 2012; Tutman et al., 2017). To for the purposes of this checklist. In addition to the date, the only comprehensive list of the freshwater fishes exclusively freshwater species, data are also provided on of Croatia was compiled within the freshwater fish fauna euryhaline species that inhabit brackish and transitional of Yugoslavia (Taler, 1953; Vuković and Ivanović, 1971), waters (Aphanius fasciatus, Alosa fallax, Platichthys flesus, which ceased to exist as a state in 1991, breaking up into Dicentrarchus labrax, Sparus aurata, Gobiids and Mugilids) several sovereign states lying in different biogeographical and migratory fish species (Anguilla anguilla, Petromyzon regions. Despite more than a century of ichthyological marinus and Acipenserids). In the text of article were research, no checklist has ever been compiled of the used scientific species names while in the species list Croatian freshwater ichthyofauna. Previous publications were listed valid English names (Froese and Pauly, 2019), about the freshwater fishes of Croatia were aimed at authority and Croatian names. The list was compiled on threatened (Mrakovčić et al., 2006) or endemic (Ćaleta the basis of the latest taxonomic classifications of orders, et al., 2015) fishes. Furthermore, to date, the literature families, genera and species (Stout et al., 2016; Eschmeyer data on the freshwater fish of Croatia have not been et al., 2018a; Eschmeyer et al., 2018b; Schonhuth et al., comprehensively collected, analysed and published. 2018; Tan and Armbruster, 2018). Within each family, The objective of this review article was to collect and the genera are listed in alphabetical order. The checklist analyse all the available literature data on the freshwater includes a distribution range for each species, and data as fish of Croatia, and to draft an annotated checklist of the to whether it is an endemic, introduced or translocated species currently found in Croatia. species. The list also includes species that are considered regionally extinct (EX in the list) and unsuccessfully introduced species (UI in the list). MATERIAL AND METHODS The border between the Danube drainage and the Adriatic Sea basin passes through the Lika area, which is located in This is the first annotated checklist of the freshwater the Alpine biogeographic region (Fig 1). Except the rivers, fish species of Croatia, which includes a compilation some karst fields also belong to different river drainages/ of the available literature for Croatia. The bibliography basins. Thus, the Danube drainage includes the following includes scientific papers, professional papers, doctoral fields: Lug, Jasenačko, Drežničko, Stajničko (Mrežnica dissertations, master theses, books, monographs, River drainage) and Krbavsko (Una River Drainage); which chapters in books and technical reports. Grey literature are inhabited by the endemic species of the genus Telestes like unpublished reports, professional papers, diploma and Delminichthys. theses and government documents were not analyzed Fig 1. Map of Croatia with two drainages (basins) and major river courses (dashed line represents the basin boundary) 138 © 2019 Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) Croatian Journal of Fisheries, 2019, 77, 137-234 M. Ćaleta et al. (2019): Extant Croatian freshwater fish and lampreys RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Danube drainage) are long, with many tributaries and many are interconnected. On the other hand, the rivers Croatian ichthyofauna bibliography of the Adriatic Sea Basin (hereinafter: Adriatic Basin) are much shorter and isolated from each other, with few or no tributaries, thus spurring allopatric speciation and For the purposes of checklist, available literature data resulting in very high species richness and high degree of on the freshwater fishes of Croatia were collected. This endemism (Marčić et al., 2011; Buj et al., 2014; Buj et al., included 1360 publications in the period since 1771, 2015; Ćaleta et al., 2015; Buj et al., 2017; Buj et al., 2019 in and represents the most comprehensive Croatian press). Moreover, 50 % of the Croatian territory is covered ichthyofauna bibliography. by karst, which is a geologic and geographic feature that The number of literature reports varies largely depending favoured development of diverse, often isolated water on the historical period. There are only 5 publications habitats. As a specific feature of this area, presence of from the 18th century, and 153 in the 19th century. A total the karst fields (known as ‘polje’) can be mentioned. of 775 publications date back to the 20th century, while in Those are karst relief forms where surface flows sink the first 19 years of the 21st century, there have been 424 underground in contact with limestone. Isolated, unique publications. A review of the number of literature reports habitats with specific hydrological conditions are often by species shows that the most frequently mentions are inhabited by numerous endemic and endangered species. those common and recognisable species used in human The second important reason causing the origin of a rich nutrition, such as Salmo trutta, Cyprinus carpio, Anguilla and diverse fish community lies in the complex geological anguilla, Esox lucius and Silurus glanis. A total of 25 fish history of the region, which included various vicariant species are mentioned in more than 100 literature reports events and periods of favourable conditions, promoting (in checklist (Appendix 1) species no. 5, 6, 22, 25, 26, 27, diversification and unconstrained evolutionary history 28, 34, 36, 57, 61, 64, 66, 82, 86, 89, 93, 94, 98, 99, 101, of species and genera. This situation is evident in the 126, 124, 131, 132). However, there are species for which recently described evolutionary history of the genus there are very few literature reports, with six species Telestes (Buj et al., 2017), and spined loaches of the genus mentioned in fewer than 10 publications (in checklist Cobitis (Buj et al., 2015), though it is likely also true for (Appendix 1) species no. 17, 30, 39, 58, 103,