Preliminary study of the benthic fauna in lakes of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and Vaigach Island (the Russian Arctic)

Abstract

The biodiversity of freshwater fauna of the Arctic Islands of the Russian Federation is currently poorly studied and to date there are insufficient molecular genetic data concerning most of the taxa. This study presents the new data on species composition and distribution of freshwater benthic invertebrates in lakes of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and Vaigach Island based on both the published and the original records. A total of 29 species of invertebrates in 4 classes and 14 orders were found. Considering the published data, the list of species expands to 136 species. The copepod Mesocyclops leuckarti, the pontoporeid amphipod Monoporeia affinis, the ostracod Leucocythere mirabilis, and the mollusk Euglesa globularis were recorded for the first time from the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago. The oligochaete Rhyacodrilus coccineus, the stonefly Nemoura sahlbergi, the caddisflies Agrypnia obsoleta, Micrasema gelidum and Philarctus bergrothi were registered for the first time from Vaigach Island; P. bergrothi was also recorded for the first time from Europe. The crane fly larvae of Tipula (Arctotipula) were recorded as inhabitants of the bottom layer of Arctic lakes for the first time. The obtained molecular data are in accordance with the tabula rasa hypothesis that the invertebrate fauna of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and Vaigach Island are the result of recent species immigration after the Last Glacial Maximum. Our data can be used in further ecological studies and conservation management. The molecular data are of considerable interest for the taxonomy and biogeography of the fauna of the Arctic islands during the Pleistocene.