First record of Gammarus roeselii Gervais, 1835 (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) from Kosovo with ecological notes

Abstract

Knowledge of the composition and distribution of Gammaridae fauna in Kosovo is very poor. Amphipod specimens were collected monthly during 2010 at five sites in five different tributaries of the Toplluhë and Mirushë rivers in Kosovo. Three species of the genus Gammarus Fabricius, 1775 were found: Gammarus balcanicus Schäferna, 1922, Gammarus fossarum Koch, 1836 and Gammarus roeselii Gervais, 1835. Gammarus roeselii was found for the first time in the Republic of Kosovo at one site only, in the Banjë thermal spring, as the only Gammaridae species. The water temperature regime of this site (18-25 °C) enables constant reproduction. The population structure of G. roeselii was dominated by males during most of the research period, probably due to the fact that they reach maturity earlier than females and are characterized by faster growth.