On the present habitats and ecology of Vertigo pseudosubstriata Ložek, 1954 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Vertiginidea) in Central Asia and its distribution history in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

The small terrestrial gastropod Vertigo pseudosubstriata Ložek, 1954 is one of the rarest glacial indicator species in the Pleistocene of Central and Eastern Europe. In all, this species has been found at only about 15 sites in Europe. V. pseudosubstriata was initially described as a fossil in Central Europe and was discovered only later alive in Central Asia. With regard to its modern distribution, 25 habitats with V. pseudosubstriata have been examined in Tien Shan and in the central and southern Altai. These findings seem to capture the contemporary distribution of the species and provide information on the boundaries of its ecological requirements. These data are of great significance for the interpretation of the fossil assemblages. Since the few fossil specimens in Europe date from very different glacial periods in the Elsterian, Saalian Complex and Weichselian, it can be concluded that V. pseudosubstriata apparently immigrated in at least three distinct waves. Most of the Pleistocene specimens in eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe are reported from archaeological sites of the Upper Middle Weichselian (Gravettian), roughly between 33 and 29 ka cal BP. In this paper, we review all reported modern and fossil occurrences and discuss the species' ecological range.

Grain-size and geochemical investigations on the Novyi Tik site (NW Ukraine) and their significance for understanding the local sedimentary environment in the Pleistocene

“…The loess-palaeosol cover of the Volyn' Upland has been intensively studied since the 1970-s (Bogucki, 1986;Bogucki et al, 1975;1995;Tsatskin, 1980;Morozova, 1981;Nechaev, 1983;Melnychuk, 2004;Bezusko et al, 2011;Kusiak et al, 2012;Bezusko, 2013;Jary and Ciszek, 2013;Fedorowicz et al, 2013;Hlavatskyi et al, 2016;Łanczont and Madeyska (Eds. ), 2015; Nawrocki et al, 2018;Bonchkovskyi, 2019;2020a;2020b;Meng et al, 2021), however some problems still exist, including the reconstruction in sedimentary conditions. Though, several articles dedicated to loess material in the studied area have been recently published (Chlebowski et al, 2003;Nawrocki et al, 2006;Jary and Ciszek, 2013;Pańczyk et al, 2020).…”