Distribution of the fish rotan (Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877) in the Irtysh River basin and analysis of possible consequences for environment and people

Since 1916, rotan (Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877) has widely distributed in northwestern Eurasia. In 1973–1976, rotan populations were first detected in the basin of the Irtysh River: in Lake Peschanoe (Mertvoe) of Chelyabinsk oblast in the basin of the Tobol, a tributary of the Irtysh. In 1975, this fish was introduced to one of the ponds of the city of Chelyabinsk. Analysis of the spatiotemporal dynamics of findings shows that earlier records of the fish correlate with the network of roads, and later findings, with the river network. The results of a special inspection of isolated and floodplain water bodies (n = 77) performed within Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Omsk, and Tyumen oblasts in 2006 indicate that at present this unwanted invader occurs in the major part of the Tobol basin. The northernmost finding of this species is from the floodplain of the Tobol in the vicinity of Tobolsk, from the Karachino oxbow (58°02′N, 68°10′E). Rotan has also been found at the Irtysh headwaters as well as in the basins of its other tributaries: Ishim and Om. The expansion of rotan threatens the floodplain water bodies of the middle Irtysh. This species carries diseases, competes with other fish species for food, and actively eats young fish of these species. Therefore, the data on rotan distribution in the tributaries of the Irtysh should be taken into account when analyzing the dynamics of the fish community of this river. Biology of rotan assumes its influence on the functioning of the natural foci of opisthorchiasis.