

Collaboration
Dr. Vlatka Mičetić Stanković
Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
Dr. Branka Bruvo Mađarić
Rudjer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Elmis rietscheli
Elmidae are the dominant beetle family in running waters. Elmid species are widely used as bioindicators for assessing water quality, and for monitoring running water ecosystems. Yet, many species are difficult to identify morphologically, and preliminary molecular studies have shown that there is a considerable number of cryptic species in various genera of Elmidae.
In Austria, 21 elmid species have been recorded so far. During this project, numerous samples of altogether 17 species from six genera, collected in seven states of Austria, were barcoded. The DNA barcodes of Austrian Elmidae will contribute to the knowledge of potentially rare, endemic and/or endangered species of water beetles in Central Europe, being essential in establishing projects on conservation of lotic biotopes.
Furthermore, through the cooperation with CROBOL better insight will be gained into the processes of speciation of water beetles in the Dinaric Karst, which represents one of the most ecologically and hydromorphologically interesting areas of Europe. Additionally, important taxonomic questions will be solved via molecular and morphological analyses of Elmidae samples from various European countries.
Dr. Vlatka Mičetić Stanković
Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
Dr. Branka Bruvo Mađarić
Rudjer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
For the fourth time (in a row), ABOL participated in the 11th ÖEG Insect Camp from June 26th to 29th with a BioBlitz. This time, the trip took us to the Hohe Wand Nature Park in Lower Austria – a biogeographically highly interesting region on the northeastern edge of the Alps, where the Pannonian and […]
On June 13 and 14, 2025, the Biosphere Reserve Wienerwald organized its 20th Day of Biodiversity– this year in the Lower Austrian part of the biosphere reserve around Baden bei Wien. Around 100 experts from various disciplines explored the diverse flora, fauna, and funga of the area from the Kurpark to the Lindkogel. In perfect […]
The Days of Biodiversity ’25, which ABOL once again has co-organized, are over. Our thanks go to our co-organizers Biodiversity Hub, BOKU, ZooBot, NOBIS, University of Vienna and NHM Vienna for the smooth cooperation. First and foremost, however, we would like to thank all participants for inspiring lectures, interactive workshops and lively discussion rounds. Under […]