First records of the caddisfly fauna (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Karadak Mountains, Western Balkans

Abstract

The caddisfly fauna of the Karadak Mountains in the border area between Kosovo and Macedonia was previously completely unknown. We collected adult caddisfly specimens occasionally, from September 2016 to June 2017, in sixteen localities in this area. During this investigation we found 18 species belonging to the following families: Limnephilidae, Rhyacophilidae, Philopotamidae, Uenoidae and Leptoceridae. The autumnal Limnephilid species Chaetopteryx gonospina was found in one locality only, in Dëbëlldeh village in southern Kosovo, representing the first record for Kosovo. Rhyacophila fischeri, Rhyacophilidae, was found in Tanushë village in northeastern Macedonia, the first record from Macedonia. This paper is a contribution to knowledge of the distribution of Trichoptera from Kosovo and Macedonia.