THE SPECIES COMPOSITION OF VERTEBRATE AND HYDROBIONTICINVERTEBRATES OF LAKE BELOYE OF THE REPUBLICAN LANDSCAPERESERVE “OZYORY”

Abstract

The Republican Landscape Reserve “Ozyory” was formed on the territory of Grodno and Shchuchinsky
districts of Grodno region. Ecosystems of 16 lakes are of particular value in the reserve. The largest lake is Beloye,
which also includes a number of interconnected longitudinal lake hollows –– Lake Zatskovo, Molotchnoe, Antozero,
Stav, Belyashka, Sorotchye, Derveniskoye. Lake Beloye belongs to the system of the river Pyranka, the Neman river
basin. The identification of the species composition of invertebrates-hydrobionts of Lake Beloye system as well as
vertebrate animals both on Lake Beloye and on the territory adjacent to it (the Republican landscape reserve “Ozery”,
Grodno region) was carried out in 2012––2022. Representatives of four types of invertebrates –– Plathelminthes
(Flatworms), Mollusca (Mollusks), Annelida (Annelid worms) and Arthropoda (Arthropods) and 7 classes ––
Turbellaria (Ciliary worms), Hirudinea (Leeches), Gastropoda (Gastropoda), Bivalvia (Bivalves), Crustacea
(Crustaceans), Arachnida (Arachnids), Insecta (Insects) have been found in the Lake Beloye. Among flatworms, three
species of three-branched turbellaria have been identified. Annelids were represented by 6 species of leeches, of which Glossiphonia complanata (Linnaeus, 1758) and Herpobdella octoculata (Linnaeus, 1758) were the most numerous.
The habitat of 3 species of bivalve mollusks and 10 species of gastropods, of which the most numerous were pond
snails (Lymnaea stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758), Radix auricularia (Linnaeus, 1758)) and Planorbarius corneus
(Linnaeus, 1758), was established. Among insects, larvae of mayflies, chironomids, dragonflies were numerous. The
fish living in the lakes belong to lake-river species, a total of 11 species were identified. In the lake and near-water
ecosystems, 6 species of amphibians and reptiles were revealed, waterfowl and near-water birds were numerous. The
habitat of the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca Laurenti, 1768), the big bittern or bull (Botaurus stellaris (Linnaeus,
1758)), the little bittern or spinning top (Ixobrychus minutus) (Linnaeus, 1766), the osprey (Pandion haliaetus
(Linnaeus, 1758)), which included in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus, was revealed.

Fig. 2. Ref.: 10 titles.