Najas marina Linnaeus 1753 Materials Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: UPH-00002336; occurrenceRemarks: lake shallow waters; recordNumber: 1; recordedBy: Fadil Millaku; individualCount: 20; occurrenceStatus: Present; occurrenceID: 65FE973E-B976-5769-A4A9-4BC807541539; Taxon: taxonID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:321282-2; scientificNameID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:321282-2; acceptedNameUsage: Najas marina L.; parentNameUsage: Hydrocharitaceae; nameAccordingTo: Uotila, P. 2009 +: Hydrocharitaceae. – In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published at https://europlusmed.org/; kingdom: Plantae; phylum: Tracheophyta; class: Magnoliopsida; order: Alismatales; family: Hydrocharitaceae; genus: Najas; specificEpithet: marina; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: L.; nomenclaturalCode: IPNI; taxonomicStatus: Accepted; Location: higherGeographyID: SE Europe; higherGeography: SE Europe; continent: Europe; country: Kosovo; countryCode: XK; stateProvince: Gjakovë; county: Gjakovë; municipality: Gjakovë; locality: Radoniq lake; verbatimLocality: Radoniq lake; verbatimElevation: 462 m; locationRemarks: Gjakova district – Radoniq Lake, in its shallow waters: 42.479880°N, 20.408592°E, 462 m a. s. l., 12 Aug. 2025. Leg.: Fadil Millaku; verbatimCoordinates: 42.479880°N, 20.408592°E; coordinatePrecision: 2; georeferenceProtocol: GPS; Identification: identifiedBy: Fadil Millaku; dateIdentified: 2025; identificationReferences: Simpson, D. A. (1980): Najas. — In: Tutin, T. G. et al. (eds.), Flora Europaea, Vol. 5, Alismataceae to Orchidaceae: 6–8. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.; Event: eventDate: 12/08/2025; habitat: Shallow lake waters. Taxon discussion This taxon has not previously been reported for the flora of Kosovo, thus representing its first verified record in Kosovo. The present record is based on field-collected material that was taxonomically verified using current regional floras and compared with herbarium material from UPH. Its occurrence extends the known distribution range of the species in the central Balkans and contributes to completing the floristic knowledge of Kosovo. No earlier confirmed records exist in the national or regional literature. Notes The species was recorded along the shores of Radoniq Lake, where it was growing as a submerged macrophyte in shallow, calm waters near the Lake margin (Fig. 1 b). Ecologically, the species occupies nutrient-rich standing waters and is often associated with slow-flowing or stagnant aquatic habitats. In a broader biogeographical context, Najas marina is a widespread Eurasian hydrophyte, occurring in lowland to montane freshwater systems. The documented presence of this species in Kosovo adds an important aquatic element to the national flora. Its presence indicates suitable ecological conditions for submerged vegetation in the periodically inundated drawdown zone of Radoniq Lake.

Published as part of Millaku, Fadil, Krasniqi, Elez, Bytyçi, Pajtim & Berisha, Naim, 2026, One new genus Najas (Hydrocharitaceae) and four new vascular plant records for Kosovo: Lycopodium, Najas and two Cyperus species, pp. e 181774 in Biodiversity Data Journal 14 on page e181774, DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e181774