Branchipus schaefferi Fischer, 1834, is a common and one of the most abundant large branchiopods widely distributed in Europe. In this work, for the first time, we describe and classify some of the most frequently observed morphological anomalies in this species. These are deformities in the head structures as well as in cercopods. Possible causes of such anomalities are discussed in detail.

Nutrition is one of the most important environmental factors that influence the development and growth in Drosophila. The food composition strongly affects their reproduction, welfare and survival, so it is necessary for flies to search for a mixture of macronutrients that maximizes their fitness. We have five D. melanogaster strains, which were reared for 13 years on five different substrates: standard cornmeal-agar-sugar-yeast medium and four substrates modified by adding tomato, banana, carrot and apple. This study was aimed at determining how such long-term rearing of flies on substrates with different protein content affects fitness traits (dynamics of eclosion, developmental time and egg-to-adult survival). Further, we determined how transferring flies reared on fruit/vegetable substrates to a standard laboratory diet affected their fitness. Results indicate that strains reared on the diet with the lowest content of protein and the highest C/N ratio had the slowest eclosion and developmental time, and lowest egg-to-adult survival (apple diet). The flies reared on the diet with the highest protein content and the lowest C/N ratio had the highest survival (tomato diet). Flies reared on the carrot diet, which is quite similar in protein content and C/N ratio to the standard cornmeal diet, had the fastest development. Transferring flies to the standard cornmeal diet accelerate eclosion and developmental time, but did not affect survival.

During 2004 conchostracans Imnadia and Leptestheria were recorded near the Serbian-Bulgarian border, in the foothills of the Western Stara Planina Mountains. Leptestheria occurred in relatively large density and was presented by adults of both sexes. Imnadia was identified only by resting eggs separated from the pond sediment. This is the first report of genus Imnadia in the Balkans, and also a first record of the second genus in the limnological area of the "Eastern Balkans".