The locations of Boreoelona contortrix in the waterbodies of Western Siberia and Kazakhstan are reported as well as the data on morphology of shells and copulatory apparatus of the species from different parts of its range. The interpopulation variation is considered. On the basis of anatomical and morphometric study, it has been shown that there are no statistically significant differences between males and females of B. contortrix. Problems of taxonomy of the Boreoelona species are discussed.
The results of long-term (19732005) authors studies of the inland water gastropod of Western Siberia are given. Following to the most recent taxonomic surveys (Starobogatov et al., 2004; Kantor, Sysoev, 2005), we count 134 gastropod species belonging to nine families to dwell in the region under discussion. Most of them (86 out of 134) are pulmonates. The most diverse fauna of water snails was found in the Irtyshian zoogeographical province, and the least diverse in the Lower Obian one. There is a clear latitudinal gradient of gastropod species richness in Western Siberia. Differences in species composition between zoogeographical provinces as well as possible pathways of snails migration through Western Siberia are discussed. It was found, the gastropod fauna of Western Siberia inland waters has a European origin with a participation of autochtonous species and migrants from Eastern Siberia and Northern America.
The patterns of spatial variation in gastropod diversity in the waterbodies of western Siberia have been revealed. The highest species and generic diversity of freshwater gastropods is found in the waterbodies of the forest steppe zone; from there, these parameters significantly decrease northwards, reaching their min imum beyond the polar circle. The proportion of gastropods of non European origin increases in the same direction. The possible reasons for these changes in the spatial diversity of aquatic gastropods and the likely connections between the latitudinal variation of their diversity and the geological history and features of the relief of western Siberia are discussed. It is assumed that the forest steppe zone of western Siberia is a local center of aquatic gastropod diversity.
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