| Vrljika | |||||||||
| Map: |
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| Pushpin Map: | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||||||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Vrljika in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Countries | ||||||||
| Source1 Location: | Proložac | ||||||||
| Source1 Coordinates: | 43.4568°N 17.175°W | ||||||||
| Mouth: | Nuga artificial lake/compensational basin for HPP Peć-Mlini | ||||||||
| Mouth Location: | Drinovci | ||||||||
| Mouth Coordinates: | 43.3564°N 17.3053°W | ||||||||
| River System: | Neretva | ||||||||
The Vrljika is short sinking river in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, belonging to Neretva River basin. Its source is located on the outskirts of village Proložac near town of Imotski, Croatia. The Vrljika River is home of endangered endemic Softmouth trout, also known as Adriatic trout.
The Vrljika River is a sinking river, typical of diverse karstic hydrology of Dinaric Alps in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Rising from a strong karstic spring, it flows often short stretches before it sinks again.
See main article: Trebižat (river). Because the Trebižat (river) disappears and reappears at resurgences various times, the people used to call it different names. Exactly nine names are known (every time it resurfaced, the river got a new name): Vrlika - Matica - Tihaljina - Mlade - Suvaja (Posušje) - Culuša - Ričina - Brina - Trebižat.
See main article: Fish species of the Neretva basin. Dinaric karst water systems support 25% of the total of 546 fish species in Europe, many endemic. The degree of endemism in the karst ecoregion is greater than 10%. The Neretva River basin, together with four other areas in the Mediterranean, has the largest number of threatened freshwater fish species.[1] Among most endangered is rare and endemic species of trout, a Softmouth trout, also known as Adriatic trout (Salmo obtusirostris)[2]