Diversity of gastropods in the inland waterbodies of Western Siberia

Abstract

The results of long-term (1973-2005) 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.