Proceedings of the National Museum of Natural History, 2009, Nr 7, pp. 172-213

Mammals of the North-Eastern Ukraine: Changes of Fauna and Views on Fauna Composition
Since Review by A. Czernay (1853) to the Present. Communication 1

Zagorodniuk I. V.

Summary:
Detailed analysis of changes in species composition of mammal fauna occurring in former Kharkiv government during last 160 years since review by O. Czernay (1853), who has prepared the first annotated systematic review of mammal fauna and compared data with descriptions of all adjacent regions, is carried out. Main attention is given to two questions: 1) changes in taxonomy and nomenclature of species, and 2) actual changes in fauna composition. The first communication is devoted to former of two named topics. An analysis is carried out by orders, with corresponding comments to each of them (bats, insectivores, rodents, carnivores), separately for each of three fauna lists: 1) basic composition of fauna (species known for the government and most of adjacent regions), 2) species which have limits of their distribution in the region, 3) expected species, though not discovered by the researcher. For each mammal species mentioned by O. Czernay comments on their modern status are prepared, including remarks on taxonomy, nomenclature, distribution and abundance. Although most of species are listed under old and often unclear and mistaken names, the accordance to modern views on systematics of mammals is established for all of the described species. The presented analysis allows to estimate the concernment of all the subsequent biogeographical comparisons and to do the correct comparing of the modern state of mammal fauna of the region with the fauna, described by O. Czernay. Such analysis will be presented in the next communication.

Keywords:
mammals, taxonomy, fauna, historical changes, Kharkiv government, Ukraine.

Address:
Taras Shevchenko Luhansk National University.
E-mail: zoozag@ukr.net

summary ukr., summary ros., summary eng, pdf

return