‘Apex’ or ‘visible’ fauna: concept and application

Descriptions of local faunal complexes often contain incomplete data on their species composition and seasonal and other characteristics, but are valuable for various types of analysis. Moreover, descriptions of local or zonal faunas (faunal assemblages) are often characterised by only a few index species, genera, or even families, which serve as key features of such faunal complexes. The concept of fauna cannot be reduced to the names of a few index species, since the fauna is a certain level of biota organisation with its own emergent properties, a list of which is presented. The article considers the value of incomplete descriptions of local faunas based on rapid studies and reconstructions using OSINT tools.