During August and September 2018 we collected the macroinvertebrate fauna in the Leqinat Lake, Kosovo. The Leqinat lake (great lake) is a mountain lake found in National Park "Bjeshkët e Nemuna" in western Kosovo, shared between Kosovo and Montenegro. Macrozoobenthos specimens were...

The Sharr Mountains are one of the most important hotspots of terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity in the Balkan Peninsula, with many endemic and rare species. The caddisfly studies in this area increased during the past years, although insufficiently investigated areas still remain. In this paper, we describe a new species, Potamophylax humoinsapiens sp. n. from the Sharr Mountains in the Republic of Kosovo, which is morphologically closest to Potamophylax idliri Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Kučinić, 2022 and Potamophylax juliani Kumanski, 1999. The males of the new species differ from all known species of the Potamophylax winneguthi Species Group by their uniquely-shaped parameres, which are long, bulbous in their basal half and thin in the remaining length, with a bunch of very thin and long, hair-like spines, grouped uniformly at the apex. The new species further differs from its most similar congeners by its very wide distance between the dorsal and ventral edges of the apical part of inferior appendages in lateral view. The new species was found at three localities from 1416 to 1505 m a.s.l. Similar to the other species of the Potamophylax winneguthi Species Group, which have very narrow distribution areas, we posit that Potamophylax humoinsapiens sp. n. is a microendemic of the Sharr Mountains. The new species is the second known caddisfly species occurring only in the Kosovan part of the Sharr Mountains.

In this paper, we present new faunistic data of the spider fauna from the Sharr Mountains (Kosovo), one of the least investigated areas in the Balkans. Previously only 27 species of spiders were known from the Kosovo part of the Sharr Mountains but with this investigation, the number has increased to 74. Pictures of rare and interesting species are provided. We also include a new record from the North Macedonian part of the Sharr Mountains. In total we report fifty species, eight of which are first records for Sharr Mountains, twenty-eight are first records for Kosovo, and one species is reported for the first time for North Macedonia. Species recorded for the first time from the Sharr Mountains belong to the following genera: Histopona, Clubiona, Zelotes, Ceratinella, Mughiphantes, Robertus and Ozyptila. We also provide a checklist of spider species for the Sharr Mountains in Kosovo.

Adult caddisfly specimens were collected from the Karadak Mountain in Kosovo along the border area with the Republic of North Macedonia during June 2020. Seven species belonging to seven caddisfly families were found. From this area, we report Hydroptila ivisa Malicky, 1972 for the first time for Kosovo and the Ecoregion 6, Hellenic Western Balkans. Range extension for Synagapetus slavorum Botosaneanu, 1960, Hydropsyche emarginata Navàs, 1923 and Polycentropus slovenica Malicky, 1998 is also reported. These findings increase the knowledge on the distribution and diversity of several rare species of caddisflies and especially of the new finding, H. ivisa in the Western Balkans and highlight the importance of further studies and conservation efforts for freshwater biodiversity in this region.

Adult caddisflies were collected from the spring area located in the Blinajë Hunting Reserve in Kosovo between May and September 2022. In this study, we identified 21 species belonging to 9 families of caddisflies (Goeridae, Hydropsychidae, Hydroptilidae, Limnephilidae, Philopotamidae, Polycentropodidae, Psychomyiidae, Rhyacophilidae, and Sericostomatidae). The genus Orthotrichia Eaton, 1873 and species ...

The hitherto unknown female of Rhyacophila siparantum Ibrahimi, Bilalli & Kučinić, 2021 is described. In addition, some ecological notes about this rare species of Kosovo are provided. The female genitalia of R. siparantum are very similar to those of Rhyacophila hirticornis McLachlan, 1879 (known from numerous locations in Europe) and Rhyacophila schmidinarica Urbanič, Krušnik & Malicky, 2000 (known only from Slovenia and Croatia). The female genitalia of Rhyacophila siparantum can be easily distinguished from both species by its rounded apical part of segment VIII on ventral view, along with other morphological differences.