Distributional patterns and habitat characteristics of Amphipoda (Crustacea) in the inland waters of Israel and Sinai

Gershon N. Herbst*, Chanan Dimentman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ten amphipod (Crustacea) species from the inland waters of Israel and Sinai have been identified (Gammarus syriacus, G. pseudosyriacus, Echinogammarus n. sp., E. foxi, E. veneris, Corophium orientalis, Orchestia cavimana, O. platensis, Bogidiella hebraea and Metacrangonyx n. sp.). These species display two principal distribution patterns: a marine origin derived pattern and a north-south pattern typical of the freshwater fauna of the Levant. The understanding of these patterns aids in the elucidation of the zoogeography of the region. Within their ranges the common Gammarus and Echinogammarus species display differences in preference for current velocities, salinities and habitat types. The influence of man-induced habitat destruction on the amphipod fauna is also discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17-24
Number of pages8
JournalHydrobiologia
Volume98
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1983

Keywords

  • Amphipoda
  • fresh and brackish waters
  • habitat characteristics
  • Israel
  • Levant
  • zoogeography

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Distributional patterns and habitat characteristics of Amphipoda (Crustacea) in the inland waters of Israel and Sinai'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this