The past and recent distributions of N. tenuissima in Central and Southern Europe are investigated, as little is known from monographs and literature concerning charophytes. Our data show that while over the last 150 years the species has disappeared from previously recorded localities, most probably due to eutrophication and urbanization, in the last two decades several new sites have been found. This paper presents new information on the distribution and ecology of. N. tenuissima in particular from Central and Southern Europe.