Lake Ohrid is a lake which straddles the mountainous border between the southwestern part of North Macedonia and eastern Albania. It is one of Europe's deepest and oldest lakes, with a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance, with more than 200 endemic species.
The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus: the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greece. They are the highest tectonic lakes in the Balkans, at an elevation of 853 metres (2,799 ft).
Pelasgus stymphalicus, also known as the dáska or stymphalia minnow, is a threatened species of small freshwater fish. It is a short-lived species, and reaches a maximum length of 12 cm (4.7 in).
Alburnus belvica. the Prespa bleak, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae, that can be found in Lake Prespa and the nearby Small Prespa Lake in the Balkans. In North Macedonia it is known as nivichka (нивичка). It is threatened by habitat loss. This species makes up the bulk of the diet of the Dalmatian pelican population breeding at the Small Prespa Lake.
The Briána is a species of cyprinid fish.
Chondrostoma prespense is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to the Prespa Lakes in Albania, Greece, and North Macedonia. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater lakes. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Pelasgus epiroticus, or tsima, is a species of freshwater minnow in the family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to lake Pamvotis in Greece. Due to the restricted range of the species as well as the significant loss its population suffered since the early 1990s it has been assessed as critically endangered, possibly extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Pelasgus minutus is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Albania and North Macedonia. Its natural habitats are rivers, intermittent rivers, and freshwater lakes. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Evrotas minnow is a species of cyprinid fish.
The epiros minnow is a species of cyprinid fish.
Squalius prespensis is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, growing to 25 cm (9.8 in) SL. It was originally described as a subspecies of European chub.
Salmo peristericus, or the Prespa trout is a variety of trout, a freshwater fish in the family Salmonidae. It is endemic to the Lake Prespa watershed at the border area of Greece and North Macedonia.
Aristotle's catfish is a species of fish in the family Siluridae. It is endemic to Greece, where it occurs in the Acheloos River drainage. Its natural habitat is freshwater lakes. It is threatened by habitat loss. This species grows to a length of 46 centimetres (18 in) TL and is of importance to local commercial fisheries. It is known from Lake Trichonida, Lake Lysimachia and Lake Amvrakia and introduced to Lake Volvi and Lake Ioannina in the 1980s thus exclusively lives in lakes. Threats may be water pollution and overfishing.
Pelasgus is a genus of cyprinid fishes that is only found in the Balkans. There are currently seven described species in this genus.
Spongilla prespensis is freshwater sponge endemic to Lake Prespa. The sponge lives in rocky places in the lake.
The Prespa spirlin is a fish species of family Cyprinidae. Native to the Balkans: Lake Prespa in Greece, North Macedonia, and Albania. Benthopelagic temperate freshwater fish, up to 9 cm in length.
For a small country, Albania is characterised by a considerable wealth of terrestrial and marine ecosystems and habitats with contrasting floral, faunal, and fungal species, defined in an area of 28,748 square kilometres. Most of the country is predominantly of Mediterranean character, comprehending the country's center and south, while the alpine affinity is more visible in the northeast.
Prespa National Park is a national park situated in southeastern Albania on the border triangle shared with Greece and North Macedonia. At approximately 277.5 km2 (107.1 sq mi), the park encompasses the country's sections of the Great and Small Prespa Lake. It is considerably characterised by high mountains, narrow islands, vast freshwater wetlands, salt marshes, meadows, reed beds and dense forests.
The Marathon minnow is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows. It is endemic to Greece.
Over 22,500 species of wildlife have been recorded in North Macedonia. Over 10,000 of these are insects, which include 3,000 beetle species and large numbers of Lepidoptera, flies, and Hymenoptera. Aside from insects, other large arthropod groups include Chelicerata and crustaceans. Among vertebrates, more than 300 species of birds recorded, although not all nest in the country. There are over 80 species of both fish and mammals, 32 reptiles, and 14 amphibians.
