Checklist of aquatic Diptera (Insecta) of Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, a UNESCO world heritage site

A comprehensive checklist of aquatic Diptera (Insecta) in Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatiareveals 157 species and seven taxa across 13 families. The study, spanning 50 years of research, identifies 12 previously unrecorded species, including members of Chironomidae, Dixidae, Scathophagidae, and Stratiomyidae. Chironomidae dominates the diversity with 62 species (plus seven taxa), followed by Empididae (22) and Limoniidae (19). Sampling across 25 sites—representing springs, streams, tufa barriers, and lakes—highlights the highest species richness in springs but also underscores gaps in knowledge for certain families. This work not only expands the documented biodiversity of Plitvice Lakes NP but also calls for further research to address missing taxonomic data, particularly in underrepresented aquatic Diptera families.

Ivković, M., Dorić, V., Baranov, V., Mihaljević, Z., Kolcsár, L.-P., Kvifte, G. M., Nerudova, J., & Pont, A. C. (2020). Checklist of aquatic Diptera (Insecta) of Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, a UNESCO world heritage site. ZooKeys, 918, 99–142. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.918.49648