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New localities and the first population size estimate of highly endangered Dinaric cave clam, Congeria kusceri, Bole 1962

The Dinarides are home to the only stygobitic bivalve in the world, a endemic tertiary relic, Congeria kusceri Bole 1962. Although the genus was widespread during Tertiary, the species now lives only in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Hercegovina. During the research in 2010, funded by State Institute for Nature Protection and Ministry of Culture, the search for new localities and investigation of known populations continued. Six new localities of living populations were found ; the first living population for Slovenia in a cave Izvir jamske skolke u kanjonu Krupe, two new localities in Croatia, cave Jasena ponor and in a deepest cave in Croatia, Lukina jama – Trojama sustav, and three in Bosnia and Hercegovina. That increased the total number of known living populations of C. kusceri to 14. Altogether 32 localities in all three states have been confirmed, of which most of them included only empty shells, while in 14 of them living populations have been detected. The population in the cave Jama u Predolcu was counted and analyzed, and the estimated number of living C. kusceri in the cave is around 72.000, which is probably not even close to actual numbers. The locality is threatened by construction of a detour for a nearby city, and could be completely devastated. As well as another Croatian locality, cave Markov ponor, which is threatened by construction of Hydroelectric Powerplant Kosinj, which would completely change the hydrodynamics of groundwater’s in the wider area, and consequently endanger the population. In addition to being strictly protected by the Croatian law, the species is listed in the Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive and in the Red list of Croatian cave fauna in the IUCN category CR.

Congeria; Dinarides; cave; biogeography; population size; conservation

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