DEVELOPMENT OF ECOMORPHOLOGY OF FISHES IN RUSSIA

A brief overview of the origin and application of the ecomorphological concept in Russia is presented: It all started with S.G. Kryzhanovsky at the Severtsov's Laboratory of Comparative Morphology' who studied the respiratory function of embryonic blood circulation (1933). Later Kryzhanovsky and V.V. Vasnetsov formulated a theory of qualitative 'et aps' (ontogenetic intervals) in the development of fishes, a theory wh ich their students and collaborators subsequently applied to many diff erent taxa. At the same time Kryzhanovsky proposed a second theory acc ording to which fishes can be assigned to ecological groups based on f eatures of their spawning habitats and on specific characteristics of their early and late ontogeny. In the last forty years many followers expanded and tested these theories as is demonstrated by the partial b ibliography compiled at the end of this paper.