Fresh- and Brackish-Water Cold-Tolerant Species of Southern Europe: Migrants from the Paratethys That Colonized the Arctic

Analysis of zoogeographic, paleogeographic, and molecular data has shown that the ancestors many fresh- brackish-water cold-tolerant hydrobionts Mediterranean region Danube River basin likely originated in East Asia or Central Asia. The fish genera Gasterosteus, Hucho, Oxynoemacheilus, Salmo, Schizothorax are examples these groups among vertebrates, Magnibursatus (Trematoda), Margaritifera, Potomida, Microcondylaea, Leguminaia, Unio (Mollusca), Phagocata (Planaria), invertebrates. There is reason to believe their spread Europe through Paratethys (or proto-Paratethys preceded it), where intense speciation took place new aquatic organisms arose. Some forms colonized Mediterranean, overwhelming indicate representatives Caspiomyzon, Ecrobia migrated during Miocene from modern Caspian Araks Strait, which existed at time. From Ponto-Caspian regions, noble salmon, three-spined stickleback, European pearl mussel, seals, mollusks genus Atlantic Ocean Subarctic Arctic regions North America. Our study indicates area former retains its significance as a center origin species it been starting point migration “corridors” up present