Continuity of Messinian Biota in the Mediterranean Basin

Abstract

The Messinian species are the oldest permanent inhabitants of the Mediterranean while most other forms are "newcomers" of Pliocene or younger age. Criteria are suggested for the recognition of old species in the recent faunal assemblages. The species-groups of the genera Cyprideis, Diamysis, and Aphanius are the most characteristic; several other species are proposed for the recent Messinian inventory. These comprise a complex of polymorphic species-groups, characterized by high genetic and phenetic variability. A comparison is made between Paratethyan and Messinian species. The Mesopotamian lowlands are seen as the evolutionary cradle of the Neogene euryhaline fauna of the Mediterranean-Red Sea-Persian Gulf region. A regional limnology of the Messinian basins is proposed on the basis of actualistic models. Sites such as the Bardawil Lagoon in Sinai are suggested for future research, including experimental study of the ecological genetics of Messinian species.