Assessment of contamination based on trace element concentrations in Gomphus flavipes (Odonata: Insect) larvae of the Upper Tisza Region.

Odonata larvae are frequently used to assess the contamination of aquatic systems, because they tolerate a wide range of chemical and biological conditions in freshwater systems. In early 2000, the sediments of the Hungarian section of the River Tisza and the River Szamos were strongly enriched with heavy metals by an accidental mining spill. Earlier studies demonstrated higher contamination levels in the Szamos than in the Tisza, based on sediment analysis.

The larva of Parasetodes respersellus (Rambur 1841) with notes on its habitat and European distribution (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae).

Two larvae collected from the River Tisza were recognized to belong to the genus Parasetodes according to the available generic description. The fact that Parasetodes respersellus is the only European/Western Palaearctic representative of the genus enabled us to describe the hitherto unknown larva of this species based on the collected specimens. Diagnostic features to distinguish the genus from other Central European genera are discussed.

Species history masks the effects of human-induced range loss--unexpected genetic diversity in the endangered giant mayfly Palingenia longicauda.

Freshwater biodiversity has declined dramatically in Europe in recent decades. Because of massive habitat pollution and morphological degradation of water bodies, many once widespread species persist in small fractions of their original range. These range contractions are generally believed to be accompanied by loss of intraspecific genetic diversity, due to the reduction of effective population sizes and the extinction of regional genetic lineages.