Russian Journal of Biological Invasions

2015, issue № 1

CONTENTS

Penetration of the Lernaea elegans (Crustacea: Lernaeidae) amur form into the Mongolian part of the Selenga River basin and its host-spatial distribution - Burdukovskaya N.G., Pronin N.M. - For the first time the parasitic copepods Lernaea elegans are registered in the fish of the Mongolian part of the Selenga River basin. L. elegans are detected at the cyclopoid-copepodit and adult stages of development. The main hosts of copepods are the Cyprinus carpio haematopterus, Esox lucius, Leuciscus leuciscus, and Perca fluviatilis. The highest levels of infection by L. elegans are marked in these fish in the lower reach of the Orkhon River. The probable donor of the alien species of L. elegans is the Amur carp, which self-spread to Mongolia from the Russian part of the Selenga River.

The impact of invasive canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) on regenerative succession in old fields (the southeast of Belarus) - Gusev A.P. - The purpose of research was to study the invasions of plants into communities of initial stages of regenerative successions in landscapes of the southeast of Belarus (by the example of Solidago canadensis L.). Intrusion of Solidago canadensis L. into plant succession had the following consequences: decrease in specific abundance, suppression of arboreal undergrowth, long preservation of high level of synanthropization, inhibition of the directed changes in plant communities.

Alien species in the ichthyofauna of north-western part of the Azov Sea basin - Demchenko V.A., Demchenko N.A. - There are nine alien species in the region of the study. The distribution and abundance of non-native fish in the reservoirs of northwestern part of the Azov Sea basin depends on the scale of the fishery activities, the degree of transformation of hydro ecosystems, water release into the rivers from irrigation canals. There are three groups of species registered according to the number indices in the waters of the basin. The first is the species the findings of which are rare in the region; the second group comprises fish, the number of which depends on fishery activities; and the third one embraces the species that are high in number and their self-reproducing populations exist.

Experience of reintroduction of Siberian red deer Cervus elaphus sibiricus in Omsk region - Kassal B.Yu. - The experience of reintroduction of Siberian red deer Cervus elaphus sibiricus in the Omskaya oblast is described. Restoration of populations, area and seasonal migratory routes has not happened. On the territory of Omskaya and adjacent oblasts only a few individuals are settling.

Transformation of taiga ecosystems in Western Siberia in invasion focus of four-eyed fir bark beetle Polygraphus proximus Blandford (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) - Krivets S.A., Bisirova E.M., Kerchev I.A., Pats E.N., Chernova N.A. - The role of Polygraphus proximus Blandf., an invasive beetle of the Far Eastern origin, in the transformation of taiga ecosystems of Western Siberia was evaluated. It is shown that at present time this species is one of the main factors of degradation of the Siberian fir forests and various changes in their ecosystems. The consequences of invader outbreaks in fir forests of the region are the massive mortality of forest stands, reduction in the number and deterioration in the vitality of fir saplings, significant changes in the species composition and structure of the living ground cover and xylophilous insect fauna.

Distribution of mollusks of the genus Dreissena in water bodies and watercourses of the Middle and Lower Volga - Mikhaylov R.A. - Current distribution of the Ponto-Caspian alien mollusk species of the genus Dreissena (Dreissena bugensis and D. polymorpha) in the water bodies of the Middle and Lower Volga is shown. Since the invasion of Quagga Mussel (D. bugensis) which took place 20 years ago, the occurrence ratio of this species has been remaining stable. This fact provides no evidence for the ongoing replacement of one species by another. Distribution area of D. polymorpha is expanding presently due to its penetration into the rivers, where this species was never registered before.

First record and potential for red king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus (Crustacea Decapoda Lithodidae) population establishment in the White Sea - Starikov Yu.V., Spiridonov V.A., Naumov A.D., Zuev Yu.A. - Ovigerous female of red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) was caught near the White Sea Biological Station of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Kandalaksha Bay, outer part of Chupa Inlet, Krivozerkkaya Cove, Cape Kartesh) on the 21st of August, 2013. That was the first record of the red king crab (an alien species having established in the Barents Sea) in the inner White Sea. Earlier this species was recorded only in the Voronka, the most distant part of the White Sea, which is substantially closer to the Barents Sea than the White Sea by its oceanographic features. Size of the female crab and its reproductive phase corresponded in general to those observed in the Barents Sea population in summer, but the quantity of developing eggs on pleopods was two order of magnitude lower than in the females of similar size in the Barents Sea. We discuss ecological characteristics of red king crab, possibility of its habitation in the inner White Sea, and explanations for finding of the crab specimen near Cape Kartesh. The more likely scenario is introduction by man. Both in the case of human-mediated introduction and natural migration from the Voronka of the White Sea, the prospect for naturalization of P. camtschaticus in the inner White Sea is doubtful. This naturalization will be limited by low salinity in the coastal areas where crabs’ reproduction takes place and negative temperature of the entire water column, not allowing the finding of suitable for wintering habitats for adult crab males and females.

Here come the clam: southernmost record worldwide of the Asian clam Corbicula fluminea (Patagonia, Argentina) - Lucas M. Molina, Patricio J. Pereyra, Nadia G. Molina, Carrizo and Mariza A. Abrameto - The invasive Asiatic clam, Corbicula fluminea (Muller, 1778), is reported in new localities from the Negro River, from Conesa until Viedma. Fourteen years since its first record in this area, the species has established in the entire Negro River basin, upstream until Cipolletti and downstream until Viedma, where it reached densities up to 525 ind/m². The most probable dispersal vector of clams is passive upstream and downstream transport which is probably facilitated by some human activities, such as fishing, fish stocking, recreational activities, sand and gravel extraction. This work state the southernmost record worldwide of C. fluminea.

First record of the North American rotifer Kellicottia bostoniensis (Rousselet, 1908) from the Sozh River, Belarus - Vezhnavets V.V., Litvinova A.G. - The alien species rotifer Kellicottia bostoniensis was recorded for the first time in oxbow at the Sozh River flood plain (Dnieper River basin, Republic of Belarus) in August 2013. This species was found in littoral zone at a depth of about 0.5 m.