The butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera,Rhopalocera) of the Kungey Ala-Too Mt. Range (Northern Tien Shan)

The butterfly fauna of the Kungey Ala-Too Mt. Range comprises 181 species, among them 58 are identified for the first time. Zoogeographic analysis of this fauna showed that a complex of butterflies with wide ranges predominated, whereas representatives of the Central Asian ranges had a smaller portion by 20%. Nowadays, the Kungey Ala-Too is a bridge between the faunas of the Western Tien Shan (Alai) and Southern Siberia.     

The springtail (Hexapoda,Collembola) fauna of Wrangel Island

Analysis of the collembolan fauna of Wrangel Island based on published data and recent sampling was performed. The species richness of springtails on the island (89 species from 41 genera and 12 families) exceeds the levels characteristic of most other insular territories of the Arctic Ocean, except for Greenland and some small islands located within the southern tundra belt. The specificity of the species composition of the springtail fauna on the island depends on a high proportion of species with amphi-Pacific ranges, reflecting its formation within the Beringian Arctic sector. At the same time, the structure of the springtail fauna of the island is rather similar to those of the known tundra faunas of the Siberian sector, with no anomalies being detected.     

New data on the distribution of the Upper Lena form of grayling (Thymallidae) in the basin of Lake Baikal and its taxonomic status

The habitation of the Upper Lena form of grayling in the upper reaches of the Tiya (the northwestern tributary of Lake Baikal) and Barguzin rivers, where Baikal grayling Thymallus baicalensis Dyb. also occurs, was established. The listed forms can be diagnosed from the body coloration, dorsal fin pattern, combination of meristic characters, as well as by molecular-genetic methods. The sympatric habitation of the Upper Lena and Baikal graylings in the northern tributaries of Baikal, considerable phenotypic and genetic differences, as well as the absence of individuals with intermediate characters, make it possible to consider them as independent species. The results indicate the need to revise the intraspecies structure of the Arctic grayling T. arcticus (Pall.) and the entire genus Thymallus. The localization of populations of the Upper Lena grayling in the upper reaches of Baikal tributaries testifies to its possible penetration of the Baikal basin by means of temporary river catchments that formed in the past and which are probable at present at watersheds with the Lena River. A wider distribution of this form is apparently hindered by the pressure of aboriginal species.     

Springtails (Hexapoda, Collembola) in karst landscapes of the Pinega State Reserve

The collembolan fauna of the Pinega State Reserve (Arkhangelsk Province) was examined. The study area is highly specific due to its karst topography. In all, 126 Collembola species were recorded in the reserve, a significant fraction of their diversity being restricted to karst habitats. Several species that had never been recorded in plain forest biotopes were of special interest. Such forms with distribution ranges mainly limited to the tundra zone comprised about 10% of the local fauna. Regarding the longitudinal sizes of the ranges, this group was not homogeneous and included both widespread circumpolar and east-Palaearctic (Siberian) species. Several arctoalpine forms were also recorded. Most of these arctic species were not numerous over the area studied and in general, the collembolan assemblages at the coldest sites of the reserve did not differ significantly from those typical of the forest zone, with the exception of two species, Desoria tshernovi and D. inupikella, which often predominated in the karst communities. The origin and appropriateness of the term relict for the revealed “insular” populations of arctic species are discussed.     

Experimental study of some Siberian and Baikal endemic species of hydrobionts: Comparative analysis of oxyphility and frigophility

Adaptive features of some hydrobionts of the Baikal and Siberian faunas have been studied. It is revealed that the studied groups of invertebrates living in near-Baikal water bodies and streams are less stable to the action of some abiotic factors than representatives of the Baikal endemic fauna. Some of the hypotheses proposed to explain the “immiscibility” of Baikal endemics and Siberian ubiquists are questioned.     

A survey of the fauna of streams on Mount Elgon, East Africa, with special reference to the Simuliidae (Diptera)

The stream fauna of Mt Elgon is described from collections taken during a 6-week visit. Collections were mainly made on the cultivated slopes below the belt of montane forest, and although stations were concentrated on the western sides of the mountain sufficient were worked elsewhere to show that there was little or no geographical variation of the fauna. The streams are physically diverse but faunistically rather uniform, with a few genera dominating the fauna throughout the entire range of altitude investigated. Most of the other taxa showed evidence of altitudinal limitation which may be attri-buted to the pronounced temperature gradients of the mountain's streams. As the species of Simuliidae and adult Elminthidae could be reliably distinguished their distributions were studied in greater detail. The Simuliidae showed a pronounced zonation of species, the majority being confined to narrow ranges of altitude below the forest margin. Factors considered to influence their distribution were principally altitude (temperature), current speed and, to a lesser extent, stream size. The influence of these factors on the distribution of adult Elminthids was less marked, although all species showed at least an upper or a lower limit of altitude, and more than half the commoner species a preference for a particular stream type. Taxonomic knowledge of African freshwater faunas allows few groups to be identified beyond the genus, and with this limitation the Elgon stream fauna is found to differ in only minor respects from the faunas of other highland areas in Central Africa.     

New Records of Noctuoid Moths (Lepidoptera,Noctuoidea) in the Baikal Region

The results of long-term faunistic studies of the noctuoid moths in the Baikal region and the literature review are presented. An annotated check-list including 83 species of the families Notodontidae, Erebidae, Nolidae, and Noctuidae is given. Data on the previous records of the species from the study region are given. The Noctuoidea fauna of Irkutsk Province comprises 462 species, that of the Republic of Buryatia, 419 species, and that of the Baikal region as a whole, 510 species. The distribution limits are expanded for 17 species of the Noctuoidea complex: the new eastern range boundary is established for 11 species of Erebidae and Noctuidae, and the new western one is established for 5 representatives of Notodontidae, Erebidae and Noctuidae. Two species, Actebia confinis (Staudinger, 1881) and Actebia confusa (Alphéraky, 1882), are new to the Russian fauna. The trophic associations of Phidrimana amurensis (Staudinger, 1892) are established: the larvae of this Euro-Siberian species feed on the leaves of different species of elms (Ulmus japonica Rehder, Ulmus pumila L.). Three noctuid species, Calyptra lata (Butler, 1881), Bryophila granitalis (Butler, 1881) and Cosmia trapezinula (Filipjev, 1927), with large disjunctions of their ranges are reported; these moths are apparently relicts of the Atlantic Period of the Holocene.     

Zoogeographical analysis of the hoverfly fauna (Diptera, Syrphidae) of the northwestern Caucasus

The hoverfly fauna of the northwestern Caucasus comprises 257 species of 72 genera. They possess 32 types of ranges that could be united into 11 groups of ranges. Widespread species from the basis of the hoverfly fauna in the region: species with narrower ranges, those distributed in more than one zoogeographical region, and those distributed in more than one dominion, constitute 12.9%, 63.1%, and 24% of the fauna, respectively. The hoverfly fauna of the northwestern Caucasus is composed of nemoral species common for Europe and Mediterranean basin, and also by species widespread in the Palaearctic (92.9%). Autochthomous species constitute 5.5%, and species of the eastern Palaearctic origin, 1.6%. Hoverfly species with zoophagous larvae are the most widespread. The fraction of such species is low among species with narrowly local ranges (12.5%) and high among species with ranges including more than one dominion. Phytophagous species are wider represented among hoverflies with narrowly local ranges (44.7%) than among flies with interdominion ranges (8%). Ranges of dendrobiontic saprophagous species are determined by the presence of arboreal vegetation and no widespread polytopic hoverflies are found in this group. The distribution of mycetophagous species, commensals, and terrestrial saprophagous species is determined by the presence of fungi, ranges of some hymenopterans, and the presence of decaying plant remnants.     

Fauna of parasites of burbot <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lota lota</Emphasis> (L.) (Gadiformes: Lotidae) from reservoirs of Baikal Rift Zone

Fauna of parasites of burbot from the Baikal Rift Zone (Lake Baikal, Lake Khuvsgul, and Tsipo- Tsipikan and Kuanda-Chara lakes) includes 46 species of 11 classes. The species composition of fauna of parasites of burbot decreases in the following sequence: Lake Baikal (37 species) > lakes Tsipo-Tsipikan (18 species) > Lake Khuvsgul (15 species) > Kuanda-Chara lakes (11 species). The burbot populations of the studied lakes form two large groups according to the results of cluster analysis of species composition of the parasite fauna. The first group includes the host populations of Tsipo-Tsipikan and Kuanda-Chara lakes; the second combines the burbot populations of the gilfs and estuaries of tributaries of Lake Baikal and Lake Khuvsgul. The use of parasitological data in addition to molecular genetic information and paleontological information brings new arguments to the discussion about the evolutionary history of burbot.     

The species composition and distribution of free-living nematodes (Nematoda) in an area of natural oil and gas seeps in Lake Baikal

The species composition and quantitative parameters of free-living nematode fauna have been studied in an area of natural oil seeps off Cape Gorevoi Utes (Middle Baikal). A total of 34 species of 17 genera, 10 families, and 8 orders have been found, 18 of them endemic to Lake Baikal. The nematode fauna of bitumen volcanoes was found to be represented by three specialized species (Monhystera naphthera Gagarin et Naumova, 2010; Eumonhystera abyssalis Gagarin et Naumova, 2010; and Eutobrilus mirandus Gagarin et Naumova, 2011). Areas of the bottom with scattered oil seeps are dominated by eurybathic species endemic to Lake Baikal. The maximal values of nematode population density and maximum proportion of nematodes in the meiozoobenthos were recorded in areas directly adjacent to oil seeps.     

Ground beetles (coleoptera,carabidae) of the Ola Plateau highlands,Kolyma Uplands

The ground beetle fauna was studied in 12 biotopes of the tundra belt on Ola Plateau, 130 km NW of Magadan. In all, 16 species were found above timber line (900–1220 m), which is comparable with the diversity in the mountain tundras of the upper reaches of the Kolyma (Berman et al., 1984; Bukhkalo, 1997), but the faunistic similarity of these regions is low (Jaccard’s coefficient 22–29%). Besides the widespread species, a group of ground beetles with limited ranges is present; it includes Carabus kolymensis Lafer, 1989 occurring in the East Siberian mountain tundras, the Siberian-Nearctic, mainly arctic Pterostichus agonus G. Horn, 1880, and the East Siberian Pterostichus eximius A. Mor., 1862. The use of the term “arctic species” in arealogical and ecological studies is discussed.     

The diversity field of New World leaf‐nosed bats (Phyllostomidae)

Aim To analyse how the patterns of species richness for the whole family Phyllostomidae determine the structure of diversity fields (sets of species‐richness values) within the ranges of individual bat species. Location The range of the family Phyllostomidae in North and South America. Methods We generated a database of the occurrence of 143 phyllostomid bat species in 6794 quadrats, analysing the species‐richness frequency distribution for all sites, and for subsets of sites defined by the geographic ranges of species. Range–diversity plots, depicting simultaneously the size and the mean species richness of ranges, were built to explore the patterns of co‐occurrence in widespread and restricted species. We compared the empirical patterns against two null models: (1) with scattered (non‐cohesive) ranges, and (2) with cohesive ranges modelled with the spreading‐dye algorithm. Diversity fields were analysed with richness maps for individual species and with comparisons of species‐richness frequency distributions. Results Overall richness frequency distribution showed a multimodal pattern, whereas simulated distributions showed lower values of variance, and were unimodal (for model 1) and bimodal (for model 2). Range–diversity plots for the empirical data and for the cohesive‐ranges simulation showed a strong tendency of species to co‐occur in high‐diversity sites. The scattered‐ranges simulation showed no such tendency. Diversity fields varied according to idiosyncratic features of species generating particular geographic patterns and richness frequency distributions. Main conclusions Phyllostomid bats show a higher level of co‐occurrence than expected from null models. That tendency in turn implies a higher variance in species richness among sites, generating a wider species‐richness frequency distribution. The diversity field of individual species results from the size, shape and location of ranges, but also depends on the general pattern of richness for the whole family.     

Natural genetic polymorphism and phylogeography of Siberian sturgeon <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acipenser baerii</Emphasis> Brandt, 1869

Five populations of Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baerii collected throughout the species distribution range (Lake Baikal, Lena, Yenisei, Kolyma, and Irtysh rivers) were examined for genetic polymorphism using five tetraploid microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial DNA control region. It was demonstrated that Siberian sturgeon was represented by genetically well-differentiated groups that corresponded to hydrographic basins, Ob–Irtysh, Baikal–Yenisei, Lena, and Kolyma. Population assignment of the Siberian sturgeon broodstock should be considered in the restocking programs.     

Interspecific variability of telomeric DNA length in some siberian and endemic baikal planarians (Plathelminthes,Tricladida)

The length of the telomeric DNA in nine species of planarians inhabiting Lake Baikal and one Siberian species from Baikal rivers was determined using Southern hybridization. According to preliminary estimations, it varied in the range of 25–30 kb (Rimacephalus arecepta, Rimacephalus pulvinar, Sorocelis hepatizon, Sorocelis nigrofasciata, Protocotylus sp., Baikalobia guttata, Bdellocephala baikalensis, Phagocata sibrica) and 50 kb (Baikaloplana valida, Baikalobia copulatrix). It is the first estimation of the values of telomeric region lengths for Baikal free-living flat worms.     

Host associations and origin in the formation of the Caucasian fauna of fleas (Siphonaptera)

Results of analysis of the Caucasian fauna of fleas and their association with mammal and avian hosts are reported. The Caucasian fauna of potential flea hosts comprises about 130 species of mammals and about 470 species of birds. Most of the flea species in the Caucasian fauna (88 out of 155) parasitize rodents, 51 species of which are permanent hosts of different flea species; 13 flea species occur on 11 species of insectivores; 13 flea species, on 13 species of chiropterans; 14 flea species, on 20 species of carnivores. Only 2 flea species parasitize artiodactyles. 54 species of birds are permanent hosts of 23 species of fleas from 4 genera in the Caucasus. Ten types of ranges of flea species are distinguished; host associations of the Caucasian flea species from these groups are discussed. The greatest numbers of hosts from the families Cricetidae, Muridae, and Sciuridae are associated with fleas with Euro-Asian (extra-Siberian), European, Turanian, and Iranian ranges. Soricidae are known as hosts of flea species with European and Euro-Turanian ranges. Four major groups of flea taxa are represented in the Caucasian fauna. The distribution of the first group is determined by the influence of the palaeofauna of the ancient European continent in the early Cenozoic; that of the second group, by the influence of the fauna of the ancient Asian continent during the Paleogene and part of the Neogene; the third, by the influence of the fauna of southern Europe starting with the Miocene. The fourth group comprises the species which immigrated from northern Europe and Asia in the Late Neogene (2–3 mln years ago).     

Distribution of dissolved organic carbon in Lake Baikal and its watershed

 Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in Lake Baikal ranged from 90 to 110 μM C, considerably higher than those in oceanic environments. The DOC concentrations in the epilimnion were higher than those in the hypolimnion. Since particulate organic carbon (POC) concentrations in the pelagic waters of Lake Baikal were <10–40 μM C in the epilimnion and 2–5 μM C in the hypolimnion, DOC constitutes a major component of the organic carbon pool in Lake Baikal, especially in the deep layers. The DOC concentrations downstream of the Barguzin and Selenga Rivers were quite high (400–500 μM C). Probably because of the high concentrations of DOC in these rivers, the DOC levels in Barguzin Bay and offshore at the mouth of the Selenga River were higher than those in the pelagic regions of the central and south basins of Lake Baikal. The relationship between DOC and electric conductivity revealed the transport of DOC from rivers to the pelagic area in Lake Baikal. The spatial distribution of DOC suggested that a major part of DOC in the lake was allochthonous (land-derived). Received: July 26, 2002 / Accepted: September 16, 2002 Present address:Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, 335 Takashima-cho, Marutamachi Kawaramachi, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-0878, Japan Tel. +81-75-229-6167; Fax +81-75-229-6150 e-mail: yos@chikyu.ac.jp Acknowldgments The authors wish to thank Director Prof. M. Grachev and Dr. O. Timoshkin of the Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch, Academy of Science, Russia, for arranging the cruise on Lake Baikal. We are also indebted to Drs. V. Sinyukovich, I. Khanaev, and A. Zhdanov for their kind assistance during the expeditions. We wish to thank Ms. Y. Ito for measuring the DOC concentrations. This work was supported and financed by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan (No. 09041159) and for Scientific Research of Priority Area B (No. 11213101) and by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) at Nagoya University. Correspondence to:T. Yoshioka     

Finding a new form of the grayling Thymallus arcticus (thymallidae) in the basin of lake baikal

A dwarf form of the Arctic grayling Thymallus arcticus, inhabiting a group of small lakes at the origin of the Yakchii stream, which flows into the Verkhnyaya Angara River (basin of Lake Baikal), has been found in the northeastern watershed of the Baikal and Lena basins. The form is similar to upper Lena populations in body coloration and the pattern of dorsal fin. Our comparison by meristic characters indicated that the grayling of the Yakchii Lakes is more similar to the fish from Kutima River (basin of the upper courses of the Lena River) than to the black Baikal grayling T. arcticus baicalensis. The presence in Lake Baikal of a population similar to upper Lena graylings may have three causes: (1) possible drainage from Baikal to the pra-Lena via ancient valleys of the Barguzin and the Upper Angara; (2) appearance of transit zones as a result of glacial or tectonic events during the periods of watershed development between the Baikal and Lena basins; (3) the upper Lena grayling could be an endemic of the Baikal basin which was replaced by graylings penetrating from the Yenisei basin and remained in the form of relic populations in the upper courses of certain tributaries of the northern and northeastern parts of Lake Baikal.     

Distribution patterns of dragonflies (Odonata) in Central Asia

The dragonfly fauna of Central Asia reveals distinct vertical differentiation. Three groups of species can be distinguished: mountain (24 species), plain (18), and plain-mountain (34) ones. The ranges observed can be classified into 7 principal types: plain, mountain, continuous boreo-montane, disjunctive Central Asian boreomontane, disjunctive Tien Shan boreo-montane, Central Asian, and Pamir-Alay plain-mountain. The leading factors determining the distribution of dragonflies are the temperature and the presence of streams suitable for preimaginal development; the former factor determines the potential ranges, and the latter, the actual ones. The present-day composition, structure, and vertical distribution of the dragonfly fauna formed during the historical time, after the development of artificial irrigation canals which provided new habitats for dragonflies.     

Phylogeny of the endemic Baikalian Sergentia (Chironomidae,Diptera)

Fragments of two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b (CytB) and Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) have been used as phylogenetic markers in Sergentia (Chironomidae, Diptera). The concatenated (1241 bp) sequences from both genes were used to infer the phylogenetic relationships among seven Sergentia species. Five of the species belong to the endemic fauna of Lake Baikal. Alignments of the nucleotide sequences were used for the construction of trees using Neighbor-Joining and maximum parsimony methods. Both methods yielded similar results. Monophyly of both Sergentia and the Baikalian endemic species was well supported. The date of origin of the endemic group of Sergentia was estimated as 25.7 MYA which closely coincides with the start of geological changes in the Baikal area. A cytological tree, based on 12 chromosomal characteristics, for the same set of Sergentia species showed a great similarity to the molecular phylogeny.