Bony fishes from the late miocene and pliocene strata of popovo locality (ukraine): Taxonomic changes and their palaeoecological explanation

Abstract

Bony Fishes from the Late Miocene and Pliocene Strata of Popovo Locality (Ukraine): Taxonomic Changes and Th eir Palaeoecological Explanation. Kovalchuk, ?. ?. - Th e present paper deals with results of studying of the fossil fi sh remnants from the Late Miocene and Pliocene strata of Popovo locality (Southern Ukraine). Our aim was to show local taxonomic changes in freshwater fi sh communities through-out the specifi ed range of geological time. Twenty seven species of the 20 genera, 6 families (Cyprinidae, Cobitidae, Siluridae, Salmonidae, Esocidae, Percidae) and 5 orders (Cypriniformes, Siluriformes, Salmoniformes, Esociformes, Perciformes) were identifi ed from the 4 heterochronous bonyferous layers. Basing on taxonomic richness, diversity, complexity and similarity of communities, it can be assumed, that changes in their qualitative and quantitative composition were caused by hydrological regime transformation, palaeogeographical alterations and also local taphonomic features.