Big value of a small natural monument of regional signifi cance Mys Devich’y Peski (Primorsky Krai, Russia)

Abstract

This is the fi rst biota description of the regional nature monument Mys Devich’y Peski, located on the west coast of Lake Khanka (Primorsky Krai, Russia). The Amur softshell turtle Pelodiscus maackii (Brandt, 1857) and a large bivalve mollusk Lanceolaria chankensis Moskvicheva, 1973, listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, inhabit the coastal waters, while Oxytropis chankaensis Jurtz., a coastal endemic of Lake Khanka, grows on the sandy beaches. This natural monument is one of the few places of successful breeding of the Amur softshell turtle after the catastrophic rise of water in the lake. The local group of P. maackii is dominated by mature individuals of medium size with a track width of 190–229 mm. Average number of tracks of these reptiles per 1 km of coastline is 38.2, maximum is 60 (n = 109). We have noted a high number of predators – raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834) and otters Lutra lutra Linnaeus, 1758, ravaging turtle clutches.The geographical location of the Mys Devich’y Peski natural monument should be clarifi ed in its cadastral case, and the monument should be assigned with a zoological profi le.