Wesselingh, F. P.; Neubauer, T. A.; Anistratenko, V. V.; Vinarski, M.; Yanina, T.; ter Poorten, J. J.; Kijashko, P.; Albrecht, C.; Anistratenko, O. Y.; D'Hont, A.; Frolov, P.; Gándara, A. M.; Gittenberger, A.; Gogaladze, A.; Karpinsky, M.; Lattuada, M.; Popa, L.; Sands, A. F.; Van de Velde, S.; Vandendorpe, J.; Wilke, T. (2019). Mollusc species from the Pontocaspian region – an expert opinion list. ZooKeys. 827: 31-124.
Wesselingh, F. P.; Neubauer, T. A.; Anistratenko, V. V.; Vinarski, M.; Yanina, T.; ter Poorten, J. J.; Kijashko, P.; Albrecht, C.; Anistratenko, O. Y.; D'Hont, A.; Frolov, P.; Gándara, A. M.; Gittenberger, A.; Gogaladze, A.; Karpinsky, M.; Lattuada, M.; Popa, L.; Sands, A. F.; Van de Velde, S.; Vandendorpe, J.; Wilke, T.
2019
Mollusc species from the Pontocaspian region – an expert opinion list
ZooKeys
827: 31-124
Publication
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Defining and recording the loss of species diversity is a daunting task, especially if identities of species
under threat are not fully resolved. An example is the Pontocaspian biota. The mostly endemic invertebrate
faunas that evolved in the Black Sea – Caspian Sea – Aral Sea region and live under variable salinity conditions
are undergoing strong change, yet within several groups species boundaries are not well established.
Collection efforts in the past decade have failed to produce living material of various species groups whose
taxonomic status is unclear. This lack of data precludes an integrated taxonomic assessment to clarify species
identities and estimate species richness of Pontocaspian biota combining morphological, ecological,
genetic, and distribution data. In this paper, we present an expert-working list of Pontocaspian and invasive
mollusc species associated to Pontocaspian habitats. This list is based on published and unpublished data
on morphology, ecology, anatomy, and molecular biology. It allows us to (1) document Pontocaspian mollusc
species, (2) make species richness estimates, and (3) identify and discuss taxonomic uncertainties. The
endemic Pontocaspian mollusc species richness is estimated between 55 and 99 species, but there are several
groups that may harbour cryptic species. Even though the conservation status of most of the species is
not assessed or data deficient, our observations point to deterioration for many of the Pontocaspian species.
