Subterranean Fishes of the World

3873

1997

Journal of Biogeography

263-280

24

Abstract. Approximately 250 localities of the nominal paleoclimatological data, in combination with the species Proteus anguinus Laurenti 1768 have been evaluated physiological requirements of Proteus, strongly suggest that and listed. The species is limited to the Dinaric Karst; it these animals invaded the caves, at least in the NW parts ranges from the Isonzo-Soca River in southeastern Venezia of their ranges, only after the last glaciations, within the Giulia, Italy, through the southern half of Slovenia, southern last 10,000 years. It is suggested that the high heterozygosity Croatia, and parts of Bosnia and Hercegovina, to the of populations can best be explained by fusion of some Trebisnica River in eastern Hercegovina. In some regions, locally restricted immigration waves. The close morpho- populations have been extinguished or endangered by logical similarity of nearly all populations of Proteus is pollution or human-induced hydrographical changes. probably due to the convergent evolution of previously The distribution of Proteus is compared with those of differentiated populations (or even species) after their some cave Crustacea: Troglocaris (Crustacea: Decapoda), withdrawal underground. Monolistra, and Titanethes (Crustacea: Isopoda). The similarity of distribution patterns within this ecologically diverse assemblage supports their paleogeographic rather Key words. Proteus, Urodela, distribution, historical than ecological foundation. The paleogeographical and biogeography, Dinaric Karst, biospeleology (speleobiology).

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