The occurrence in the Mediterranean part of Europe of the African species Potamogeton schweinfurthii is recorded for the first time. So far, this native but overlooked species has been found on five major Mediterranean islands: Corsica, Sardinia, Malta, Kefallinía (Ionian Islands, Greece) and Crete. The species is most similar and presumably closely related to the mainly Eurasian P. lucens, with which it has been partly confused. The nomenclature and a description of P. schweinfurthii are provided, and its taxonomy and how it differs from similar taxa discussed. All known localities are listed, together with voucher specimens preserved in the major European herbaria. A distribution map of P. schweinfurthii in the Mediterranean region is presented.
The common hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.) is supposed to be an abundant species in Eastern Europe including Ukraine. However, the current data on hamster’s occurrence in Ukraine from 1990 till nowadays show that the species became rare. The common hamster can be found in the West, North-East Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula. The species have declined in the forest-steppe zone and became extinct in most part of the steppe zone. Its actual distribution range has thus been strongly reduced. One of the possible causes of this decline is the habitat loss due to changes in agricultural management.