Macrozoobenthos of river ecosystems of Nakhchivan

The article presents a comparative analysis of the results of studying macrobenthofauna of two flowing water bodies formed in the territory of Sharur district of Nakhchivan. In the macrozoobenthos of the Arpachay River 56 species of bottom organisms were found, and in the macrozoobenthos of the Shahbulag River - 48 species. It was found that the macrozoobenthos of the Shakhbulag gorge water bodies surpasses the Arpachay River ecosystems in terms of average annual abundance (124 spec./m2) and biomass (0.270 g/m2) of benthic organisms. This is due to the low susceptibility of the Shakhbulag River to anthropogenic and zoogenic impacts and the relative stability of rocky and vegetated biotopes. In both ecosystems, the maximum development of benthic fauna occurs in spring and early summer. Glossiphonia paludosa (Carena, 1824), Sphaerium solidum (Normand, 1844) and Habrophlebia fusca (Curtis, 1834) were first indicated for the fauna of Nakhchivan. Rare species Helix pomatia (Linnaeus, 1758) and Epallage fatime Charpentier, 1840, which are widespread in the current water bodies of the study area, were recommended to be included in the Red Books of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.