Russian Journal of Biological Invasions

2009, issue № 1

CONTENTS

New findings of stone moroco Pseudorasbora parva (Temm. et Schl., 1846) in the south region of Russia - Karabanov D.P., Kodukhova Ju.V., Slynko Yu.V. - In less than four decades, Pseudorasbora parva has demonstrated its invasive potential by colonizing the majority of continental Europe. Established populations of P. parva have been found now in the wild in quantities numbers at several locations in the delta of the river Don. The data on a morphological and genetic variety of P. parva are described.

Mytilaster lineatus (Gmelin): long-term dynamics distribution of invasion mollusk in the North Caspian Sea - Malinovskaya L.V., Zinchenko T.D. - Materials of a long-term study (1948-2006) of the quantitative development and distribution of invasive mollusk Mytilaster lineatus in the northern part of the Caspian Sea in different periods of the sea ecosystem formation are given.

First record of weevil Barynotus moerens F. (Curculionidae) from Russia - Orlova-Benkovskaya M.Ya. - A population of the West European weevil Barynotus moerens F. has been found in Zelenograd (Moscow). The beetles were collected every spring from 1999 to 2008. All of them were females. The weevils fed on leaves of Taraxacum officinale in cage.

The current range of Amur sleeper Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877 (Odontobutidae, Pisces) in Eurasia - Reshetnikov A.N. - The native range of the fish Amur sleeper Perccottus glenii is in the Far East of the Russian Federation, in China and North Korea. From 1916 to 2008 Amur sleeper has spread widely through North Eurasia, causing local declines of many populations of indigenous invertebrates, fishes and amphibians. The extent of its non-native range has been determined by analysis of literature, museum collections, specialist responses to a questionnaire and data of four expeditions to West and East Siberia. These sources yielded 876 records of Amur sleeper. Several new non-native parts of the range were described, but some previously reported parts of the range were considered unfounded. Overall, the current distribution of P. glenii is wider than previously believed. Up to the present time, this fish has been found outside its native range in 48 regions (36 provinces, 9 republics and 3 territories) of the Russian Federation as well as in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan (north of the country), Mongolia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania. The first indications of the possible appearance of this species have been received from Italy. The non-native distribution of Amur sleeper covers now more than 100° West to East and almost 20° South to North. The detailed map of the current invasive range is presented. The map of native range is corrected.

Slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, as invasion threat (Reptilia; Testudines) - Semenov D.V. - Reptiles of the order Testudines – turtles – are one of the most vulnerable and threatened groups of terrestrial vertebrate animals. The instances of their invasion [for example, Branch, 1991] or reintroduction [e.g. Gibbs et al., 2008] are isolated and have only local importance. However, there is a bright exclusion. Slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, does not only express a marked tendency to expansion in the region of its natural range in North America [e.g. Collins, 1982], but also penetrates into the fauna of new and new countries on all continents in the latest decades [see review Warwick, 1991; Bringsoe, 2006; Pendelbury, 2007]. Up-to-date information on appearance of slider turtles in wild nature of our North European neighbors [Pupins, 2007] and the findings of this species in Moscow Region (see below) points out to the topicality of this problem also for the fauna of Russia.

Dilating of a geographic areal of small southern stickle-back (Pungitius platygaster (Kessler, 1859): Gasterosteidae, Osteichthyes) in the Don river basin - Slynko Yu.V., Tyutin A.V. - The data on finding and identification of a new to the Middle Don River basin (on the territory of the Voronezh Region) species – a small southern stickle-back are given. The species is found in the river Belaya (White), a tributary of the 3rd order of the river Don and a tributary of the 2nd order of the river Severskiy Donets. All caught samples were adults and in a spawning state. A possible independent settling of the small southern stickle-back to the north from the lower course of the river Severskiy Donets along the river itself and its upper tributary, the river Aydar, is discussed.

Lithoglyphus naticoides (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) in the upper part of the Kuybyshev Water Reservoir - Yakovlev V.A., Akhmetzyanova N.Sh., Yakovleva A.V. - Mollusc snail Lithoglyphus naticoides has become one of mass benthos species, which invaded the upper part of the Kuybyshev Water Reservoir in the middle of 1990's. L. naticoides essentially concedes in number and, especially in biomass, only to two invasive Dreissena mollusk species in benthos communities of deep parts of the reservoir. L. naticoides inhabits almost all types of biotopes, probably, except for the deepest parts (depths > 20 m). The highest quantity and also size-weight parameters of the L. naticoides are characteristic for the depth up to 10 m and the substrate, presented by remains of the Dreissena mussels shells, and minimal – for a clay ground and depths 15 m. Based on the seasonal dynamics of number, biomass, size structure and average weight of a body, it has been revealed that L. naticoides has one-year life cycle, and the main part of a new generation appears probably in July.