New national species records of charophytes (Characeae) for Montenegro, Croatia, and Cyprus: update of rare species distribution in Southeast Europe

Roman Romanov; Vera Biberdžić; Snežana Dragičević; František Bednár

doi:10.3986/hacq-2025-0012

Authors

Roman Romanov Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia, current address Dobra Voda, Bar, Montenegro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6137-3586
Vera Biberdžić Natural History Museum of Montenegro, Podgorica, Montenegro
Snežana Dragičević Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, Podgorica, Montenegro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2788-5211
František Bednár Švošov, Slovakia https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4209-0155

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3986/hacq-2025-0012

Keywords:

Chara, Sphaerochara, Tolypella, floristic novelties, protection status

Abstract

Field studies in 2022–2024 and the checking of collection of the Natural History Museum of Montenegro revealed seven new national species records for Montenegro: Chara corfuensis Groves ex Fil., C. galioides DC., C. squamosa Desf., Sphaerochara intricata (Trentep. ex Roth) Soulié-Märsche, Tolypella hispanica Nordst. ex Allen, T. nidifica (O. F. Müll.) A. Braun and “Mediterranean Chara”. The checking of the specimens stored in ZE Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum, Freie Universität Berlin, Komarov Botanical Institute of RAS , and Naturhistorisches Museum Wien revealed old specimens of C. galioides, a new species for Croatia, and new sites of T. hispanica for Greece. The field research in Cyprus resulted in a new national species record of C. squamosa. New data enriched knowledge about the distribution of charophytes in Central and Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Europe and allowed tentative suggestions of important charophyte areas in Montenegro. The tentative evaluation of species protection statuses was implemented here. The updated species list of Montenegrin charophytes counted 37 species making Montenegro one of the charophyte species-rich countries in Europe.

Downloads

References

Baastrup-Spohr, L., Iversen, L. L., Dahl-Nielsen, J., & Sand-Jensen, K. (2013). Seventy years of changes in the abundance of Danish charophytes. Freshwater Biology, 58, 1682–1693. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12159

Bagella, S. (2023). Which perspectives for Mediterranean temporary ponds in the European Union in the third millennium? Biodiversity and Conservation, 32, 839–849. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02549-3

Bazzichelli, G., & Abdelahad, N. (2009). Alghe d’acqua dolce d’Italia. Flora analitica delle Caroficee. Sapienza Università di Roma. Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del territorio e del mare. Centro Stampa Università.

Becker, R. (2016). Gefährdung und Schutz von Characeen. In Arbeitsgruppe Characeen Deutschlands. Armleuchteralgen – Die Characeen Deutschlands (pp. 149–191). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47797-7_10

Becker, R. (2019). The Characeae (Charales, Charophyceae) of Sardinia (Italy): habitats, distribution and conservation. Webbia, 74(1), 83–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/00837792.2019.1607497.

Becker, R., Schubert, H., & Nowak, P. (2021). Chara zeylanica J.G.Klein ex Willd. (Charophyceae, Charales, Characeae): First European record from the Island of Sardinia, Italy. Plants, 10(10), 2069. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102069

Biberdžić, V., & Blaženčić, J. (2013). Charophytes (Charales) of Ulcinj and Velika Plaža beach (Montenegro). Natura Montenegrina, 12(3–4), 553–561.

Biberdžić, V., Dragićević, S., & Blaženčić, J. (2006). Ricciocarpos natans (L.) Corda. A new liverwort for the flora of Montenegro. Natura Montenegrina 5, 9–14.

Biberdžić, V., Marković, A., Brzozowski, M., & Pełechaty, M. (2023). Lychnothamnus barbatus (Meyen) Leonhardi 1863, a new species to the flora of Montenegro. Aquatic Botany 184: 103601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2022.103601

Blaženčić, J. (2006). Chara corfuensis J. Gr. ex Fil. 1937 (Characeae) – an endemic species of the Balkan Peninsula, rare and globally endangered. In N. Ognjanova-Rumenova & K. Manoylov (Eds.), Advances in phycological studies. Festschrift in Honour of Prof. Dobrina Temniskova-Topalova (pp. 191–202). Pensoft Publishers & University Publishing House.

Blaženčić, J. (2014). Overview of the stoneworts (Charales) of Serbia with the estimation of the threat status. Botanica Serbica, 38(1), 121–130.

Blaženčić, J., & Blaženčić, Ž. (1997). Floristic characteristics of aquatic and march vegetation of Dojran Lake (Macedonia). Glasnik Instituta za botaniku i Botaničke baste Univerziteta u Beogradu, 31, 43–54. [In Serbian].

Blaženčić, J., Blaženčić, Ž., Lakušić, D., & Randjelović, V. (1998). Phytogeographical and ecological characteristics of the charophytes of the East Adriatic coast. Archives of Biological Sciences, 50(2), 119–128.

Blaženčić, J., Kashta, L., Vesić, A., Biberdžić, V., & Stevanović, B. (2018). Charophytes (Charales) of Lake Skadar/Shkodra: Ecology and distribution. In V. Pešić, G. Karaman & A. Kostianoy (Eds.), The Skadar/Shkodra Lake Environment, The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry (pp. 169–202). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2018_265.

Blaženčić, J., & Stanković, M. (2009). Tolypella intricata (Trent. ex Roth.) Leonhardi (Characeae) – nova vrsta u flori Srbije. Zaštita prirode, 60(1–2), 215–221.

Blaženčić, J., & Stevanović, B. (2015). Katalog harofita (Charales) Crne Gore. Crnogorska akademija nauka i umjetnosti, Odjeljenje prirodnih nauka, 10: 1–51.

Blaženčić, J., Stevanović, B., Blaženčić, Ž., & Stevanović, V. (2006a). Distribution and ecology of charophytes recorded in the west and central Balkans. Cryptogamie, Algologie, 27, 311–322.

Blaženčić, J., Stevanović, B., Blaženčić, Ž., & Stevanović, V. (2006b). Red Data List of charophytes in the Balkans. Biodiversity and Conservation, 15, 3445–3457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531–005–2008–5.

Blindow, I., Becker, R., Romanov, R., Schubert, H., & van de Weyer, K. (2024a). Taxon of uncertain affiliation “Mediterranean Chara”. In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M. T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 1039–1049). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_80

Blindow, I., Casanova, M. T., & van de Weyer, K. (2024b). Introduction to the Hartmania Group (Chara subsection Hartmania). In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M. T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 265–270). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_15

Casanova, M. T., & Becker, R. (2022). Lamprothamnium sardoum sp. nov. (Characeae, Streptophyta): A new species of Lamprothamnium for Europe. Phytotaxa, 567(3), 269–277. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.567.3.6

Christia, C., Papastergiadou, E., Blindow, I., & Romanov, R. (2024). Chara corfuensis. In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M. T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 387–396). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_26

European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, Tsiripidis, I., Piernik, A., Janssen, J., et al. (2017). European Red List of habitats. Part 2, Terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Publications Office. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/091372

Firbas, P., & Al-Sabti, K. (1995). Cytosystematic studies on the Charophyta in Slovenia. Archives of Biological Sciences, Belgrade, 47(1-2), 49–58.

Groves, J. (1924). Notes on Indian Charophyta. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Botany, 46: 359–376, plates 35, 36. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1924.tb00493.x

Hollerbach, M. M., & Krassavina, L. K. (1983). The identification manual of freshwater algae of the USSR. Iss. 14. The charophytes – Charophyta. Nauka [In Russian].

Kashta, L., Marka, J., & Papp, B. (2023). The first record of Riella macrocarpa (Sphaerocarpales, Marchantiophyta) in Albania. Studia botanica hungarica, 54(1), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.17110/StudBot.2023.54.1.39

Kausik, S. B., & Bhattacharya, S. S. (1971). Structure and development of the sex organs in Tolypella nidifica (O. Müll.) A. Br. (Characeae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 64(1), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.1971.tb02137.x

Koletić, N., Rimac, A., Šegota, V., Vuković, N., Blaženčić, J., & Alegro, A. (2021). Updated distribution of rare stonewort Chara kokeilii A. Braun (Charophyta) in Southeast Europe with environmental notes. Cryptogamie, Algologie, 42(5), 59–66. https://doi.org/10.5252/cryptogamie-algologie2021v42a5

Korsch, H. (2018). The worldwide range of the Charophyte species native to Germany. Rostocker Meeresbiologische Beiträge, 28, 45–96.

Lambert, E., & Schubert, H. (2024a). Chara galioides. In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M.T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 467–483). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_32

Lambert, E., & Schubert, H. (2024b). Tolypella nidifica. In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M. T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 997–1012). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_76

Langangen, A. (2012). Charophytes (Charales) from Crete collected in 2010. Flora Mediterranea, 22, 25–32.

Langangen, A. (2017). The disappearance of Chara hellenica (Characeae) from the only one known locality, Lake Bertonou in Corfu (Greece). Flora Mediterranea, 27, 111–116.

Leonhardi, H. von (1864). De bisher bekannten Oesterreichischen Armleuchter-Gewächse besprochen vom morphogenetischen Standpuncte Naturforschern und Philosophen. Verhandlungen des naturforschenden Vereines in Brünn 1863, 2 (Abhlandungen), 122–225.

Lovrić, A. Ž., Rac, M., & Bedalov, M. (1989). Mediteranska močvarnavegetacija i florističke zanimljivosti uz Donju Neretvu od Čapljine do mora. In Zbornik referata naučnog skupa “Minerali, stijene, izumrli i živi svijet Bosne i Hercegovine” (Sarajevo, 7-8. oktobar 1988). (pp. 333–340). Zemaljski muzej Bosne i Hercegovine.

Marković, A., Tanasković, A., & Šinžar-Sekulić, J. (2023). Diversity and ecology of charophytes from Vojvodina (Serbia) in relation to physico-chemical and bioclimatic habitat properties. Diversity, 15, 342. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030342

Muller, S. D., Rhazi, L., & Soulié-Märsche, I. (2017). Diversity and distribution of Characeae in the Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia). Cryptogamie, Algologie, 38, 201–251. https://doi.org/10.7872/crya/v38.iss3.2017.201

Pérez, W., Hall, J. D., McCourt, R. M., & Karol, K. G. (2014). Phylogeny of North American Tolypella (Charophyceae, Charophyta) based on plastid DNA sequences with a description of Tolypella ramosissima sp. nov. Journal of Phycology, 50(5), 776–789. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.12219

Raabe, U., & Koumpli-Sovantzi, L. (2000). Contribution to the flora of the Strophylia area (NW. Peloponnisos). Praktika, 8, 368–371. [in Greek].

Raabe, U., & Koumpli-Sovantzi, L. (2002). Studies on the flora of some endangered wetlands of Argolis (Greece). Praktika, 9, 286–289. [in Greek].

Reichardt, H. W. (1863). Bericht über die auf einer Reise nach den quarnerischen Inseln gesammelten Sporenpflanzen. Verhandlungen der kaiserlich-königlichen zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 13, 461–478.

Romanov, R. (2019). New interesting records of charophytes (Charales, Charophyceae) from Eurasia and Africa. Webbia, 74, 159–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/00837792.2019.1609337

Romanov, R., Becker, R., Iberite, M., Barinova, S., Gregor, T., & Mesterházy, A. (2024a). Chara squamosa. In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M.T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 613–625). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_45

Romanov, R. E., Mallaliev, M. M., Nikulin, V. Yu., Gontcharov, A. A., & Barinova S. S. (2023). The charophytes (Charophyceae, Characeae) from Dagestan aquatic habitats, North Caucasus: biogeographical and barcoding perspectives. Environments, 10(9), 153. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments10090153

Romanov, R., Napolitano, T., van de Weyer, K., & Troia, A. (2019). New records and observations to the Characean flora of Sicily (Italy). Webbia, 74, 111–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/00837792.2019.1609258.

Romanov, R. E., Nikulin, V. Yu., Vishnyakov, V. S., Tsegmid, B., Efremov, A. N., Zhakova, L. V., Gontcharov, A. A. (2024b). Tolypella mongolica (Charophyceae, Characeae): A new dioecious charophyte species from the center of Eurasia and implications for charophyte taxonomy, including the validation of T. porteri and the new combination for T. jwalae. Phytotaxa, 659(1), 24–40. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.659.1.2

Schubert, H., Blindow, I., Nat, E., Korsch, H., Gregor, T., Denys, L., Stewart, N., van de Weyer, K., Romanov, R., & Casanova, M. T. (Eds.) (2024). Charophytes of Europe. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6

Shorthouse, D. P. (2010). SimpleMappr, an online tool to produce publication-quality point maps. https://www.simplemappr.net

Stewart, N. F. (2004). Important Stonewort Areas. An assessment of the best areas for stoneworts in the United Kingdom. Plantlife International.

Stewart, N. F. (2024). Provisional Red List of European charophytes. In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M. T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 177–199). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_9

Trbojević, I., Milovanović, V., & Subakov Simić, G. (2020). The discovery of the rare Chara baueri (Charales, Charophyceae) in Serbia. Plants, 9, 1606. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9111606

Trbojević, I., Marković, A., Šinžar Sekulić, J., Subakov Simić, G., & Romanov, R. (2024). Chara squamosa (Characeae, Charophyceae) in Serbia—insights from the taxonomic revision of the BEOU charophyte collection and recent field records. Botanica Serbica, 48(1), 85–92. https://doi.org/10.2298/BOTSERB2401085T

Troia, A. (2020). Homage to Proserpina, or: why did the charophytes of the Pergusa lake vanish? In T. La Mantia, E. Badalamenti, A. Carapezza, P. Lo Cascio & A. Troia (Eds.), Life on islands. 1. Biodiversity in Sicily and surrounding islands. Studies dedicated to Bruno Massa (pp. 47–51). Edizioni Danaus.

Troia, A., Napolitano, T., van de Weyer, K., & Romanov, R. E. (2018). New records of Characeae for Sicily (ltaly). In 22nd Meeting of the Group of European Charophytologists (GEC), Palermo, Italy, 17–21 September 2018 (p. 36). https://www.unipapress.it/it/category/atti-e-convegni_2/scienze-biologiche_27/

Troia, A., Becker, R., & Rodrigo, M. A. (2024). Tolypella hispanica. In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M. T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 987–996). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_75

van de Weyer, K. (2024). Sphaerochara intricata. In H. Schubert, I. Blindow, E. Nat, H. Korsch, T. Gregor, L. Denys, N. Stewart, K. van de Weyer, R. Romanov, & M.T. Casanova (Eds.), Charophytes of Europe (pp. 957–966). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31898-6_72

Vesić, A., Blaženčić, J. & Stanković, M. (2011). Charophytes (Charophyta) in the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve. Archives of Biological Sciences, 63(3), 883–888.

Visiani, R. de (1842). Flora Dalmatica sive enumeration stirpium vascularium quas hactenus in Dalmatia lectas et sibi observatis. Vol. 1. Apud Friedericum Hofmeister.

Zeneli, V., & Kashta, L. (2016). Some Charophyta (Charales) from coastal temporary ponds in Velipoja area (North Albania). Journal of Environmental Science and Engineering, B5, 69–77. https://doi.org/10.17265/2162-5263/2016.02.002