First record of the alien invasive species rotan (Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877) in Croatia

Marko Ćaleta; Division of Biology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Dušan Jelić;State Institute for Nature Protection , Trg Mažuranića 5, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ivana Buj; Division of Biology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Davor Danela; Division of Biology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Zoran Marčić; Division of Biology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Perica Mustafić; Division of Biology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Milorad Mrakovčić; Division of Biology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

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(Engleski)

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Sažetak:

Some 35 exotic fish species from various continents have been introduced into European freshwaters (Kottelat and Freyhof, 2007). A total of 15 exotic fish species now inhabit Croatian freshwaters (Mrakovcˇ ic´ et al., 2006). Furthermore, in the past 10 years, upstream expansion of an invasive alien species of goby (Neogobius sp.) has been noted in Croatian rivers of the
Danube basin. Rotan (Perccottus glenii) is a species having no particular economic or sport value (Reshetnikov, 2003). It is a typical limnophilic species with high tolerance to extreme abiotic conditions (wide temperature oscillations and oxygen concentrations) that prefers still waters with well-developed aquatic vegetation and a silty substrate (Hegedisˇ et al., 2007). Its tolerance, opportunism and aggressive behaviour make the rotan a "perfect conqueror". This in turn represents a grave danger for the native amphibian and fish fauna in terms of predation, competition and disease transmission (Reshetnikov and Chibilev, 2009).