Alburnus sava, new species, is described from the Kolpa River. The Kolpa is a tributary of the Sava, a major tributary of the Danube River, in the Black Sea basin. Alburnus sava is distinguished from its congeners in the Danube drainage, A. mento and A. sarmaticus, by having 23-27, usually 24-26, gill rakers; the ventral keel usually completely covered by scales (scaleless part maximum 15% of the keel length); 15-16, mode 15, branched pectoral-fin rays; the length of the gill raker at the junction of the arch limbs 65-70% of the length of the opposite outer gill filament; and a relatively long lower jaw (37-40% HL or 112-130% interorbital width). Alburnus sava is a large-sized potamadromous shemaya known to occur in the entire Sava drainage. The taxonomic status of A. mento and A. sarmaticus is confirmed. Alburnus danubicus is discussed and as there are no new arguments, it is kept as a valid species. New details on the distribution of shemayas in the Danube drainage are presented.
Keywords: Alburnus mento; Alburnus sarmaticus; Black Sea-Sea of Azov basin; Freshwater and anadromous shemayas; morphology; taxonomy.