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Start Over Creator Horák, Václav

2. Distribution Gobio species in the Czech Republic

Creator:
Lusk, Stanislav, Halačka, Karel, Lusková, Věra, and Horák, Václav
Type:
article and TEXT
Subject:
Gobio gobio, G. albipinnatus, G. kesslerii, G. uranoscopus, dispersal, conservation, and devastation factors
Language:
English
Description:
Thee species of the genus Gobio occur in the hydrographical network of the Czech Republic, belonging to the basins of three seas (the North, black, and Baltic seas). G. Gobio is distributed over streams belonging to all three sea basins. It is most common in their middle reaches, which are inhabited by fish communities of the Barbus-Chondrostoma type. Compared to that past, the population numbers of this species have not undergone any marked changes. G. kesslerii occurs only in the Bečva River (a tributary to the Morava River) and in the Morava River upstream of the mouth of the Bečva River (danube basin, Black Sea). G. albipinnatus is distributed over the Morava and Dyje rivers and their tributaries (Danube basin, Black Sea). Compared to a century ago, the extent of distribution of G. albipinnatus has dropped to about 50%, which is due chiefly to stream canalisation and water pollution. At present, G. albipinnatus has been ascertained in the lower part of the River Labe, yet there are some doubts as to the originality of this occurrence. The localities of G. albipinnatus and/or G. kesslerii are shared with G. Gobio, with which they hybridise. No evidence is available of the occurrence of G. uranoscopus (Agassiz, 1828) in the Czech Republic, although it does occur in neighbouring Slovakia and Austria. The most important devastation factors, which limited the distribution of the gudgeon in the past, include the construction and operation of dams and weirs, stream canalisation and water pollution. National laws project G. kesslerii as critically endangered and G. albipinnatus as endangered. Both species are listed in European conservation laws (Council Directive no. 92/43/EEC) and, therefore, special areas of conservation have been delimited for them within the NATURA 2000 system.
Rights:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/