Range expansion of rotan Perccottus glenii, sunbleak Leucaspius delineatus, and bleak Alburnus alburnus in the Ob River basin

Abstract

The ranges of three alien fish species (rotan Perccottus glenii, sunbleak Leucaspius delineatus, and bleak Alburnus alburnus) in the Ob River basin, West Siberia, have expanded. Our data prove the expansion of rotan and sunbleak ranges to the north. In particular, for the first time, populations of rotan are reported from the lower section of the Ob. We also present new data about range expansion of the studied fish species southward. All three species have probably reached the southern limits of their possible distribution in the Upper Ob system, entering the potamon/rhithron transition zone, because the species under study prefer lowland waters. The spatio-temporal dynamics of their expansion reveals the role of the Ob River as the main invasion corridor, enhancing their distribution mostly in meridional direction. In the system of the Upper Ob, rotan and sunbleak were found by us in isolated ponds and lakes, as well as in floodplain systems. This is in agreement with the concept of two invasion vectors: the translocation of fish by humans between water bodies and self-distribution along the river courses.