Harpacticoida (Copepoda) of the Caspian Sea: Faunistics, ecology and biogeography

A comparative analysis of the faunas of the Caspian, Aral, Azov, Black and Mediterranean Seas was performed. The faunas clearly diverge into two groups: the Mediterranean and the Sarmatian, which indicates the relationships among the faunas of the fragments of the common relict Sarmatian Sea Basin. The harpacticoid fauna also differs considerably within the Sarmatian cluster. The faunas of the Azov, Caspian and Aral Seas are mainly represented by brackish-water species, while marine species dominate in the Black Sea. However, these faunas share numerous brackish species that likely formed earlier the major part of the harpacticoid fauna of the Sarmatian Basin.