#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Zoologists from the Laverov Federal Research Center for Comprehensive Study of the Arctic have found a population of relict Arctic leeches in the lakes of Altai for the first time. At the same time, Hyperboreomyzon Polaris became the first leech species with an arctic-alpine type of range, which means that the species lives in the Arctic and in the highlands.
In 2022, Hyperboreomyzon was discovered in the Arctic: one specimen was found on Kolguyev island, two more on the Putorana plateau. The new relict genus and species differ from its relatives in additional body segmentation: in flat leeches, the body segments are divided into three rings, while Hyperboreomyzon has six rings, TASS writes.
It turned out that the new species is a dangerous parasite of ducks and geese. Birds help these leeches to spread over significant distances. This explains the huge gap between habitats and confirms the concept that the Arctic fauna is closely related to the fauna of the highlands, primarily Central Asia and, in particular, the Altai mountains.
Earlier, scientists explained how tundra rodents survive Arctic winters. Scientists assessed the birds’ impact on the Taimyr lakes’ ecosystems.
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Text: Anzhelika Stepanova, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
