New records of Darevskia praticola at the northern limit of its distribution range in Romania

By

Maier, Alexandra-Roxana-Maria
Cupșa, Diana
Ferenți, Sára
Cadar, Achim-Mircea

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-2-21

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

35

Pages

45--50

Subjects

barrier , Distribution , introduction , range limit , suitability , water course

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.35.e79892

 

Abstract

In the summer of 2021 we identified three new distribution localities of Darevskia praticola north of the Mureș River, and one locality south of the river. The habitats populated by D. praticola (broad-leaved forest with wet areas) and the altitude (175–245 m) of the new records are typical for this species. Nevertheless, D. praticola had not been recorded in 12 other localities with similar conditions from an area previously considered suitable for this species. Thus, D. praticola may be slowly expanding from a bridgehead north of the Mureș River, occupying new favorable habitats. Probably, D. praticola recently crossed the Mureș River, possibly on a bridge, or with the timber trucks which exploit the woods from both sides of the river.