NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 Prejeto / Received: 7. 1. 2024 SCIENTIFIC PAPER Sprejeto / Accepted: 10. 6. 2024 DOI: 10.14720/ns.26.1.5-16 Biotehniška fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani in Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo, Ljubljana, 2024 Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley Petra ŠTERN, Primož ZIDAR Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; E-mails: petrca.stern@gmail.com, primoz.zidar@bf.uni-lj.si Abstract. The distribution of terrestrial isopods in many parts of Slovenia is still poorly documented. This article is a contribution to the knowledge of the terrestrial isopod fauna in the Upper Mežica Valley, which is known for its long mining tradition. Isopods were collected from April to October 2022 by hand from 49 localities in the wider area of two towns – Žerjav and Črna na Koroškem in the area of Podpeca, the area above the Bistra Valley, and in the areas Spodnje Javorje and Javorje. Twelve different taxa of terrestrial isopods were determined, eleven of them to the species level. The most frequently found isopod was Trachelipus ratzeburgii as the researched area is mainly forest covered. However, the highest diversity of species was recorded in urban and semiurban areas. Oniscus asellus was found in the town Črna na Koroškem, which is probably the second documented location of O. asellus in Slovenia. Key words: fauna, survey, terrestrial isopods, Upper Mežica Valley Izvleček. Kopenski enakonožci (Isopoda: Oniscidea) zgornje Mežiške doline – Razširjenost posameznih vrst enakonožcev je po številnih predelih Slovenije še vedno slabo raziskana. Ta članek je prispevek k poznavanju favne kopenskih enakonožcev v zgornji Mežiški dolini, ki je znana po dolgoletni rudarski tradiciji. Enakonožce smo nabirali ročno od aprila do oktobra 2022 na 49 lokalitetah na širšem območju dveh mest – Žerjava in Črne na Koroškem, na območju Podpece, območju nad dolino Bistre, ter na območjih Spodnje Javorje in Javorje. Determinirali smo dvanajst taksonomskih skupin enakonožcev, enajst od tega do vrste. Najpogosteje popisana vrsta je bila Trachelipus ratzeburgii, saj je raziskovano območje večinoma pokrito z gozdom. Največjo vrstno pestrost enakonožcev pa smo zabeležili v urbanih in suburbanih okoljih. V mestu Črna na Koroškem je bil najden tudi Oniscus asellus, kar je verjetno drugo dokumentirano nahajališče O. asellus v Sloveniji. Ključne besede: favna, popis, kopenski enakonožci, zgornja Mežiška dolina 6 Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 Introduction The fauna of terrestrial isopods in Slovenia consists of 74 species (Vittori et al. 2023) – two new species have been documented only recently (Vittori 2022; Vittori et al. 2023). Terrestrial isopods in Slovenia have been extensively documented initially by Potočnik (1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1992, 1993). In his publications, Potočnik documented species from different locations from the wider area of Slovenia (Potočnik 1979, 1980), including the Triglav National Park (Potočnik 1981), the Slovenian coast of the Adriatic Sea (Potočnik 1984), and the Karst Edge (Potočnik 1990). Most of the isopod data from Slovenia is not based on systematic research, but rather on coincidental findings (Potočnik 1979). For a better understanding of isopod distribution in Slovenia, systematic research of isopod fauna is especially needed in the Northern and Western parts of Slovenia (Potočnik 1990). Potočnik’s work relied on existing isopod literature (especially the works by Karaman (1966)), museum collections, his own field work and samples collected from other researchers (Potočnik 1979, 1993). However, publications by Potočnik and other older literature do not provide a good figure of the distribution of different isopod species in Slovenia. Specifically, these publications indicate mostly locations of new species for Slovenia and do not provide an overview of all present species by region, nor species abundancy. Recently, the terrestrial isopod fauna has been investigated intensively in the Slovenian Karst (Vilisics & Lapanje 2005) and the Boč Massif area (Ravnjak & Kos 2014), but most regions of Slovenia remain quite poorly surveyed. One of those areas is also the Upper Mežica Valley, which is known for its heterogeneous geomorphological features and its long history of mining tradition, which resulted in extensive environmental pollution (Mioč 1975; Šajn 2002; Polšak 2011). The habitat diversity of the Mežica Valley and its surroundings as well as its long-term pollution with heavy metals make this area interesting also from the point of view of the terrestrial isopod fauna research, which was the purpose of this study. Materials and methods Geographical, geological and climatic characteristics of the region The Upper Mežica valley lies in the Carinthia region, in the northern part of Slovenia. The area represents a juncture between the Eastern Alps, the Southern Kamnik–Savinja Alps and the Southern Karavanke mountain chain. The area, which is characterised by steep and mountainous terrain (Čas 1996; Perko 1998), is composed of silicate rocks (cca. 80%), such as andesite, dacite, tonalite, granite and gneiss, and carbonate rocks (cca. 20%) – mainly limestone and dolomite. It is also characterised by a variety of different forest communities, the most prevalent being Homogyno – Fagetum, Cardamini Savesni Fagetum and Blechno – Fagetum (ZGS 2022). Because of human interference and a long history of mining, the natural forest communities have undergone a series of drastic changes. The degradation of the vegetation coverage is therefore visible to this day (Polšak 2011). Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER 7 NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 The area is characterised by mountainous climate, with 1,000-2,300 mm rainfall per year (ARSO 2024a). The average temperatures in the warmest month of the year exceed 10°C and are below -3°C in the coldest months of the year (ARSO 2024b). The snow cover persists for 50 to 125 days per year (ARSO 2024a). The vegetation period is four to six months long (Čas & Adamič 1998). Parts of the researched area are registered as valuable natural features (Podpeca – habitat of petrophilic and thermophilic butterfly species, Bistra – rock and mineral depository) and NATURA 2000 areas (Žerjav – Dolina smrti, Obistove skale, Cvelbar) (OJ EC 1992; Ur. l. RS 2004a; Ur. l. RS 2004b). A great part of the forest is protected on the national level (ARSO 2023). Field work and determinations Isopods, which were collected by hand from April to October 2022 at 49 localities inside the Upper Mežica Valley (Fig. 1), occurred in the area of the two small towns – Žerjav (localities 11–18; Tab. 2) and Črna na Koroškem (localities 19–23, Tab. 2), on the ridge between Žerjav and Črna (locality 27, Tab. 2), in the area of Podpeca (localities 28–40; Tab. 2), above the Bistra Valley (localities 1–5; Tab. 2), in the area Spodnje Javorje (localities 6–10 and 24–25; Tab. 2), and in the area of Javorje (localities 41–49; Tab. 2). Sampling on some localities was repeated twice owing to low number of individuals found. The aim was to cover the researched area as evenly as possible. Isopods were collected from underneath bark, rocks, wood planks, moss and other objects found on the individual locality. At every locality, the coordinates (WGS84), altitude, habitats and microhabitats were recorded. Localities inside human settlements were characterized as urban, in the immediate vicinity of settlements as semi-urban, and other localities as non-urban. Collected isopods were preserved in 70% ethanol and sorted by species using different identification keys (Hopkin 1991; Lapanje & Schmalfuss, unpublished). All species were determined by the authors (P. Š. and P. Z.), except for Calconiscellus karawankianus and Tachysoniscus austriacus, which was identified by Miloš Vittori (Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana). 8 Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 Figure 1. Map of the researched area (part of the Upper Mežica Valley; Žerjav and Črna na Koroškem) with marked localities. Number of localities refer to Tab. 2. Slika 1. Zemljevid raziskovanega območja (del zgornje Mežiške doline; Žerjav in Črna na Koroškem) z označenimi lokalitetami. Številke lokalitet se nanašajo na Tab. 2. Results and discussion At the 49 surveyed localities, a total of 1,035 specimens of terrestrial isopods were collected, most of them underneath bark, rocks, and wood planks (Tab. 2). Twelve different taxa of terrestrial isopods were determined, eleven of them to the species level (Tabs. 1,2). That represents roughly 16% of all terrestrial isopod species found in Slovenia. All determined species had been previously recorded in Slovenia (Potočnik 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1992, 1993; Vittori et al. 2023). The collected isopods belong to eight isopod families (Tab. 1). Parts of the researched area were impassable by foot, so a few sections of the area remain unsearched. Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER 9 NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 Table 1. List of isopod species found from April to October 2022 in the Upper Mežica Valley. The locality IDs are indicated by numbers from 1 to 49 as described in Tab. 2. Tabela 1. Seznam vrst enakonožcev, nabranih od aprila do oktobra 2022 na območju zgornje Mežiške doline. Lokalitete so označene s števili od 1 do 49, kot opisano v Tab. 2. Family/Species Locality Agaridae Protracheoniscus politus (Koch, 1841) 28, 31, 38 Armadillidiidae Armadillidium versicolor Stein, 1859 6, 17, 21, 22, 23, 25, 41 Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille, 1804) 19, 20 Cylisticidae Cylisticus convexus (De Geer, 1778) 17, 19, 28 Ligiidae Ligidium hypnorum (Cuvier, 1792) 25, 28, 32, 49 Oniscidae Oniscus asellus Linnaeus, 1758 21 Porcellionidae Porcellio scaber Latreille, 1804 19, 21, 41 Porcellio spinicornis Say, 1818 6, 19, 21, 22 Trachelipodidae Trachelipus ratzeburgii (Brandt, 1833) all except 21, 23, 41 Trichoniscidae Calconiscellus karawankianus (Verhoef, 1908) 12, 14, 15 Hyloniscus sp. 18, 22 Tachysoniscus austriacus (Verhoeff, 1908) 31 The majority of specimens were collected in the forest or on the forest edge, near dirt roads, forest trails, meadows, and streams. The researched area is mainly forest covered, which suits the forest specialist Trachelipus ratzeburgii. The species constitutes a great majority of all collected specimens and was found on all researched localities, except for three of them (Tab. 1). T. ratzeburgii is commonly found in humid forest in Central and Southeast Europe (Radu 1985; Tomescu et. al. 2015). The species Ligidium hypnorum, Calconiscellus karawankianus and Protracheoniscus politus were found exclusively in wooded areas. L. hypnorum is distributed throughout Europe and West Asia. The species prefers humid deciduous forests, swamps, and banks (Friedrich 2004). Protracheoniscus politus was found only on three localities, although it has been frequently found in other regional studies of isopod fauna in Slovenia (Potočnik 1979, 1989, 1990; Vilisich & Lapanje 2005; Ravnjak & Kos 2014). The species Armadillidium versicolor was registered on 14% of all sampling sites, mostly those near a river or stream. The species is distributed in Eastern Europe, predominantly near rivers and lakeshores (Schmalfuss 2002; Csonka et al. 2013). The rest of the collected isopod species were found on less than 10% of all sampling sites. The highest biodiversity of terrestrial isopods was ascertained in urban and semi-urban localities of Črna na Koroškem (Tab. 2). There we also found Porcellio scaber, P. spinicornis, Cylisticus convexus and A. vulgare, which are to be expected given by their synanthropic nature (Schmalfuss 2002; Magura et al. 2008; Holland 2014; Boeraeve et al. 2021). P. spinicornis is rarely found in Slovenia, but more often in the urban environment in neighbouring Austria (GBIF 2024). At a construction site in the centre of Črna na Koroškem (location 21; Tab. 2) we also 10 Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 found one specimen of Oniscus asellus. O. asellus is mostly distributed in Northern and Western Europe, where it is frequently found in woodlands, but is common also in the human settlement areas like gardens. O. asellus often occurs sympatrically with P. scaber (Beyer 1964), which is a common synanthropic species in Slovenia, while the distribution of O. asellus in Slovenia is poorly recorded. Črna na Koroškem is probably the second documented location of O. asellus in Slovenia besides Ljubljana (Potočnik 1980). The town is located in the narrow valley of the river Meža and its tributaries, so an urban environment with parks and gardens is surrounded by steep slopes covered with forest. In such an environment, native forest and synanthropic species can be found, together with occasional introduced species, as most probably is the case of O. asellus. Earlier it was reported that urban environment might offer a great diversity of habitats, which also results in a greater species diversity of isopods (Vilisics et al. 2005; Vilisics & Hornung 2009). Table 2. List of localities with corresponding coordinates, altitude (Alt, in metres), sampling date, habitat description and list of collected isopod taxa. The estimated number of isopods on the location is presented as N. Classif. refers to classification: U – urban, SU – semi-urban, NU – non-urban environment. Tabela 2. Seznam lokalitet z opisom koordinat, nadmorsko višino (Alt, v metrih), datumom vzorčenja, opisom habitata in seznamom enakonožcev, nabranih na posamezni lokaliteti. Ocena številčnosti enakonožcev na lokaciji je podana kot N. Classif se nanaša na klasifikacija lokalitet: U – urbano, SU – delno-urbano, NU – neurbano okolje. ID Name Lat, Lon (WGS84) Alt (m) Sampling date Classif. Habitat Species (N) 1 N slope of Ludranski Vrh; SW of Črna na Koroškem 46.461525, 14.842983 878 15. 5. 2022 NU forest edge (dirt road); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 2 NW slope of Ludranski Vrh, above the Bistra Valley; SW of Črna na Koroškem 46.460462, 14.838461 886 15. 5. 2022 NU forest edge (meadow, dirt road); underneath rocks T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 3 W slope of Ludranski Vrh, above the Bistra Valley; SW of Črna na Koroškem 46.460834, 14.834918 788 15. 5. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 4 W slope of Ludranski Vrh, above the Bistra Valley; SW of Črna na Koroškem 46.458186, 14.832730 720 15. 5. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath rocks T. ratzeburgii (7) 5 NW slope of Ludranski Vrh, above the Bistra Valley; SW of Črna na Koroškem 46.456786, 14.836105 906 15. 5. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 50) 6 Forest edge near Spodnje Javorje, 50 m SW of Javorski potok; SE of Črna na Koroškem 46.461304, 14.869906 642 17. 4. 2022, 19. 9. 2022 SU unpaved parking lot of wood production (near road, stream); underneath rocks, bark; T. ratzeburgii (3) A. versicolor (7) P. spinicornis (4) 7 Forest near Spodnje Javorje, 100 m S of Javorski potok; SE of Črna na Koroškem 46.460525, 14.872465 647 17. 4. 2022 NU forest edge (meadow, dirt road); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (8) 8 Forest near Spodnje Javorje; SE of Črna na Koroškem 46.461684, 14.865292 696 17. 4. 2022 NU forest edge (dirt road); underneath rocks T. ratzeburgii (8) Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER 11 NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 ID Name Lat, Lon (WGS84) Alt (m) Sampling date Classif. Habitat Species (N) 9 Forest near Spodnje Javorje; SE of Črna na Koroškem 46.461319, 14.861521 733 17. 4. 2022 NU forest edge (dirt road); underneath rocks T. ratzeburgii (9) 10 Forest near Spodnje Javorje; SE of Črna na Koroškem 46.460923, 14.867582 682 17. 4. 2022 NU forest edge (forest trail, near farm); underneath rocks, bark T. ratzeburgii (9) 11 Forest edge, 100 m S of Jazbinski potok; E of Žerjav 46.481821, 14.893181 576 24. 4. 2022 SU unpaved parking lot (forest edge); underneath rocks, wood planks T. ratzeburgii (2) 12 Forest; E of Žerjav 46.479957, 14.896205 628 24. 4. 2022, 19. 9. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath rocks, bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) C. karawankianus (4) 13 Forest; E of Žerjav 46.480770, 14.893331 617 24. 4. 2022 NU forest edge (dirt road); underneath rocks T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 14 Forest edge near stream; E of Žerjav 46.481990, 14.900120 579 24. 4. 2022 NU dirt road (near stream); underneath wood planks, rocks T. ratzeburgii (> 20) C. karawankianus (4) 15 Forest edge, 100 m S of Jazbinski potok; E of Žerjav 46.483088, 14.903630 648 24. 4. 2022, 19. 9. 2022 NU forest edge (near road); underneath bark, wood planks T. ratzeburgii (> 20) C. karawankianus (4) 16 Forest near sandpit; SE of Žerjav 46.482193, 14.876708 576 7. 5. 2022 NU woodshed, garage (forest edge, near dirt road, near quarry); underneath wood planks T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 17 Forest edge, 50 m S of Jazbinski potok; E of Žerjav 46.483411, 14.880392 553 7. 5. 2022, 19. 9. 2022 SU woodshed (forest edge, near road); underneath rocks, bark, wood planks T. ratzeburgii (> 20) A. versicolor (1) C. convexus (1) 18 Forest edge near sandpit, 20 m S of Jazbinski potok; E of Žerjav 46.482547, 14.886083 574 7. 5. 2022 NU closed sandpit (forest edge); underneath rocks, bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) Hyloniscus sp. (1) 19 Unpaved parking lot, 100 m W of Meža river; Črna na Koroškem 46.477603, 14.853358 552 7. 5. 2022, 19. 9. 2022 U unpaved parking lot; underneath rocks, wood planks T. ratzeburgii (2) A. vulgare (> 10) C. convexus (6) P. scaber (> 20) P. spinicornis (> 10) 20 Meadow near house; Črna na Koroškem 46.475327, 14.853126 572 7. 5. 2022 U town (meadow); compost T. ratzeburgii (> 50) A. vulgare (2) 12 Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 ID Name Lat, Lon (WGS84) Alt (m) Sampling date Classif. Habitat Species (N) 21 Construction site in town center, near Meža river; Črna na Koroškem 46.470882, 14.850357 577 7. 5. 2022 U construction site (behind abandoned building); underneath wood planks A. versicolor (7) O. asellus (1) P. scaber (7) P. spinicornis (2) 22 Forest edge near cementery; Črna na Koroškem 46.468941, 14.848243 600 7. 5. 2022, 1. 10. 2022 U graveyard (stone wall, forest edge); underneath barrel, bark, roof tile T. ratzeburgii (6) A. versicolor (3) Hyloniscus sp. (2) P. spinicornis (2) 23 Walkway in town center; Črna na Koroškem 46.473609, 14.851005 577 8. 5. 2022 U walkway (near road in town centre); on pavement A. versicolor (1) 24 Forest near Spodnje Javorje; E of Črna na Koroškem 46.469193, 14.864661 864 8. 5. 2022 NU forest (dirt road); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 25 Forest edge, S of Matvoz climbing area; E of Črna na Koroškem 46.466664, 14.871815 735 8. 5. 2022 NU forest edge (near road, meadow); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 50) A. versicolor (1) L. hypnorum (1) 26 Forest near Spodnje Javorje; E of črna na Koroškem 46.465554, 14.871039 743 8. 5. 2022 NU forest edge (near road); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (6) 27 Ridge S of Žerjav; NE of Črna na Koroškem 46.473128, 14.862325 829 8. 5. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 50) 28 E slope of Podpeca; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.476332, 14.839922 779 13. 4. 2022, 1. 10. 2022 NU forest edge (dirt road); underneath rocks, moss T. ratzeburgii (> 20) C. convexus (1) L. hypnorum (4) P. politus (1) 29 E slope of Podpeca; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.479492, 14.842151 741 13. 4. 2022 NU dirt road - underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (9) 30 Ridge of Podpeca; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.480880, 14.834410 905 1. 10. 2022 NU wood pile (forest edge, dirt road, near farm); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 50) 31 E slope of Podpeca, near stream; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.481133, 14.844944 651 13. 4. 2022, 1. 10. 2022 NU farm (forest edge, near stream); underneath rocks, wood planks, bark T. ratzeburgii (6) P. politus (1) T. austriacus (2) 32 E slope of Podpeca; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.481966, 14.844057 697 13. 4. 2022, 1. 10. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark, on surface T. ratzeburgii (> 10) L. hypnorum (1) 33 E slope of Podpeca; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.482961, 14.840962 779 22. 5. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 34 E slope of Podpeca; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.484555, 14.839993 823 22. 5. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 100) 35 E slope of Podpeca; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.486380, 14.838720 905 22. 5. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 36 Ridge of Podpeca; NW of Črna na Koroškem 46.483818, 14.833683 1010 22. 5. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER 13 NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 ID Name Lat, Lon (WGS84) Alt (m) Sampling date Classif. Habitat Species (N) 37 Ridge of Podpeca; W of Črna na Koroškem 46.475915, 14.832233 908 22. 5. 2022 NU forest edge (dirt road); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (6) 38 Ridge of Podpeca, W of zipline; W of Črna na Koroškem 46.473446, 14.833379 949 22. 5. 2022 NU wood pile (forest edge, meadow, dirt road); underneath bark, branches T. ratzeburgii (> 20) P. politus (1) 39 S slope of Podpeca; W of Črna na Koroškem 46.470634, 14.830239 780 22. 5. 2022 NU forest edge (meadow, dirt road); underneath rocks, wood planks T. ratzeburgii (5) 40 S slope of Podpeca; W of Črna na Koroškem 46.470384, 14.831814 796 22. 5. 2022, 1. 10. 2022 NU forest (forest trail); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 41 Parking lot in Javorje; SE of Črna na Koroškem 46.455636, 14.890071 690 18. 6. 2022 SU unpaved parking lot (near wood production); underneath bark, wood planks, rocks P. scaber (> 10) A. versicolor (7) 42 Forest near Javorje; SE of Črna na Koroškem 46.454873, 14.896300 738 18. 6. 2022 NU forest edge (dirt road); underneath rocks, bark T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 43 Forest near Javorje; E of Črna na Koroškem 46.460514, 14.894749 883 18. 6. 2022 NU forest edge (meadow); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (8) 44 Forest near Javorje; E of Črna na Koroškem 46.461841, 14.895125 909 18. 6. 2022 NU forest edge (meadow, dirt road); underneath bark T. ratzeburgii (> 50) 45 Meadow near Javorje; E of Črna na Koroškem 46.465089, 14.898751 951 18. 6. 2022 NU forest edge (meadow, dirt road); underneath wood planks, branches T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 46 Forest edge near Javorje; E of Črna na Koroškem 46.465136, 14.893590 937 18. 6. 2022 NU forest edge (meadow, dirt road); underneath wood planks, rocks T. ratzeburgii (> 20) 47 Forest near Javorje; E of Črna na Koroškem 46.463854, 14.889891 912 18. 6. 2022 NU forest edge (dirt road); underneath rocks, bark, branches T. ratzeburgii (> 50) 48 Forest near Javorje; E of Črna na Koroškem 46.462997, 14.885844 865 18. 6. 2022 NU wood production disposal area (forest edge, dirt road); underneath wood planks, branches, bark T. ratzeburgii (> 50) 49 Forest edge by stream, near Javorje; SE of Črna na Koroškem 46.457653, 14.890792 700 18. 6. 2022 NU edge of dirt road (forest edge, near stream); underneath rocks, bark T. ratzeburgii (8) L. hypnorum (1) 14 Petra ŠTERN & Primož ZIDAR: Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) in the Upper Mežica Valley / SCIENTIFIC PAPER NATURA SLOVENIAE 26(1): 5-16 Povzetek Favna enakonožcev je kljub izčrpnim raziskavam Potočnika (1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1992, 1993) in drugih raziskovalcev (Vilisics & Lapanje 2005; Ravnjak & Kos 2014; Vittori 2022; Vittori et al. 2023) na številnih delih Slovenije še vedno slabo raziskana. Zgornja Mežiška dolina spada med manj raziskana območja, kar se tiče favne enakonožcev, čeprav je območje zaradi velike habitatne pestrosti ter dolgotrajne onesnaženosti s težkimi kovinami izredno zanimivo za raziskave. Med aprilom in oktobrom 2022 smo zato napravili popis enakonožcev na območju zgornje Mežiške doline. Enakonožce smo nabrali ročno na 49 lokacijah na območju dveh večjih krajev Žerjava (lokalitete 11–18) in Črne na Koroškem (lokalitete 19–23), na slemenu med Žerjavom in Črno (lokaliteta 27), na območju Podpece (lokalitete 28–40), nad dolino Bistre (lokalitete 1–5), na območju Spodnjega Javorja (lokalitete 6–10 in 24–25) in na območju Javorja (lokalitete 41–49). Skupno smo determinirali 12 taksonomskih skupin enakonožcev, enajst od tega do vrste. Najpogosteje popisana je bila vrsta T. ratzeburgii, ki smo jo zabeležili skoraj na vseh lokalitetah. Velik del območja namreč prekriva gozd, kar je razlog, da je vrsta, specializirana za gozdno okolje, splošno razširjena po celotnem raziskovanem območju. Med pogosto popisanimi je bila tudi vrsta A. versicolor, ki smo jo zabeležili na 14 % vseh lokalitet. Največjo vrstno pestrost smo zabeležili na urbanih oz. suburbanih lokalitetah na območju Črne na Koroškem, kjer smo našli sinantropne vrste P. scaber, P. spinicornis, Cylisticus convexus and A. vulgare. Posebej zanimiva je najdba O. asellus v središču Črne na Koroškem, saj gre za drugo zabeleženo najdbo te vrste v Sloveniji (Potočnik 1980). Acknowledgements The authors thank the Slovenian Research Agency for the financial support through the Research Core Funding P1-0184, and Dr. Miloš Vittori for helpful comments and aid in determination of some species. References [ARSO]. Agencija Republike Slovenije za okolje. 2023. 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New records of Trachelipus vespertilio (Budde- Lund, 1896) (Isopoda, Oniscidea) with a description of the male. Biodiversity Data Journal. 10: e91063. https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.10.e91063 [ZGS] Zavod za gozdove Slovenije. 2022. Osnutek gozdnogospodarskega načrta gozdnogospodarske enote Črna-Smrekovec 2022-2031. Zavod za gozdove Slovenije, Območna enota Slovenj Gradec. © 2024 Petra Štern & Simon Zidar To je prostodostopen članek, objavljen pod določili licence Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna, ki dovoljuje neomejeno rabo, razširjanje in kopiranje v kakršnemkoli mediju ter obliki, pod pogojem, da sta navedena avtor in vir. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.