РАСПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ И ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ МОЛЛЮСКА HYDROBIA ACUTA (DRAPARNAUD, 1805) У ПОБЕРЕЖЬЯ КРЫМА

Abstract

Background. The distribution of the gastropod mollusc Hydrobia acuta in relation to seasons, temperature, depth, salinity and biotopes along the Crimean coast from Karkinit Bay to the Cape Kazantyp for the period from 2001 to 2023 has been considered. This species is abundant and wide-spread in the Black and Azov Seas; however, there have been no papers dedicated to it specifically since 1976. Some biotopes, in particular the epiphyton of some Chlorophyta, have not been previously investigated. It contributes to the relevance of this work, which is aimed at providing the summary of the data on the ecology of H. acuta. Sampling was carried out according to the generally accepted benthic methods with special consideration for the biotopes. According to the results, this mollusc was the most abundant (39,625 ind./m2) in the Crimean coastal area at the mouth of the Chernaya (Black) River on loose substrates in August 2011, and its highest biomass (28.48 g/m2) was recorded in the same area and substrate in September 2022. On macrophytes, the highest abundance and biomass were recorded in the associations of algae Cladophora sp.+ Chaetomorpha sp. in the Kazantyp area in July 2009—23,333 ind./kg and 23.33 g/kg, respectively. The conclusion is that the mollusc H. acuta is distributed along the Crimean coast non-uniformly; it has been found to prefer silty bottoms and thickets of green algae, shallow-water sites at the heads of bays and in Karkinit Bay itself (sometimes with increased salinity), as well as in the river estuary (mostly with reduced salinity).