Range extension of Proterorhinus semilunaris (Heckel, 1837) in Ier River, north-western Romania

Abstract

The genus Proterorhinus has been a recent subject of reorganization (Stepien and Tumeo, 2006; Neilson and Stepien, 2009; Sorokin et al., 2011). The distributional range of Proterorhinus semilunaris, a euryhaline species from the north-western Black Sea (Sorokin et al., 2011), was extended west to Germany (Kottelat and Freyhof, 2007) and France (Mann e and Poulet, 2008). Regardless of its taxonomic position, the species has recently colonized numerous regions (Pr a sek and Jurajda, 2005; von Landw€ ust, 2006; Rizevsky et al., 2007; Grabowska et al., 2008; Cammaerts et al., 2012; Jan a c et al., 2012). P. semilunaris has been mentioned from the Pannonic Basin since the end of the 19th century, but began a rapid expansion upstream within the last decades, probably due to the rise in water temperatures as well as river canalization (see Harka and B ir o, 2007). In north-western Romania, P. semilunaris has been identified in the lower course channels of the Cris ul Repede River, near the border with Hungary (Telcean and Cups a, 2009); the species has also been recorded in the Ier River, but with no indication of the location or the river sector (Ardelean et al., 2007). With these exceptions, P. semilunaris has otherwise not been mentioned in western Romania, despite thorough research in the Cris drainage area (e.g. Telcean et al., 2002; Telcean and Cups a, 2007; Telcean, 2010; Gy€ ore et al., 2012, 2013).