A peer-reviewed open-access journal Subterranean BiologyDistribution 18: 49–70 (2016) and a comparative analysis of the aquatic invertebrate fauna... 49 doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.18.8648 RESEARCH ARTICLE Subterranean Published by http://subtbiol.pensoft.net The International Society Biology for Subterranean Biology Distribution and a comparative analysis of the aquatic invertebrate fauna in caves of the western Caucasus Elena S. Chertoprud1, Dmitry M. Palatov2, Rostislav R. Borisov2, Vadim V. Marinskiy1, Michail S. Bizin3, Roman S. Dbar4 1 Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1/12, 119991, Moscow, Russia 2 Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, Verchnjaja Krasnoselskaja, 17, 107140, Moscow, Russia 3 Department of Soil Biology, Faculty of Soil Sciences, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, 1/12, 119991, Moscow, Russia 4 Institute of Ecology Academy of Science Abkhazia, Kra- snojamskaya, 67, 384905 Sukhumi, Abkhazia Corresponding author: Elena S. Chertoprud (
[email protected]) Academic editor: O. Moldovan | Received 30 March 2016 | Accepted 31 May 2016 | Published 17 June 2016 http://zoobank.org/AAA68ABB-945E-421B-9B45-7C3FAE3AA2C3 Citation: Chertoprud ES, Palatov DM, Borisov RR, Marinskiy VV, Bizin MS, Dbar RS (2016) Distribution and a comparative analysis of the aquatic invertebrate fauna in caves of the western Caucasus. Subterranean Biology 18: 49–70. doi: 10.3897/subtbiol.18.8648 Abstract The freshwater fauna of nine caves in central Abkhazia, western Caucasus, revealed 35 species of stygo- bionts, including 15 new species to be described elsewhere. The number of species per station increased from the depth towards the entrance in caves Golova Otapa and Abrskila, becoming the highest in the epi- gean part.