New contributions regarding the fauna of the Rumanian Carpathians

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New contributions regarding the fauna of the
Rumanian Carpathians
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The Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural
History
Research Team
Dr. Corneliu Pârvu Insecta Diptera Brachycera
Acalyptratae E-mail cparvu_at_antipa.ro Dr.
Victoria Tatole Insecta Diptera
Chironomidae E-mail tatolev_at_antipa.ro Alexandru
Iftime Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia E-mail
aiftime_at_antipa.ro Dr. Angela Petrescu
Aves E-mail angelap_at_antipa.ro Dr. Dumitru
Murariu Mammalia E-mail dmurariu_at_antipa.ro Nastas
e Radulet Mammalia E-mail nesti_at_antipa.ro

• Dr. Iorgu Petrescu
• Crustacea Amphipoda
• E-mail iorgup_at_antipa.ro
• Oana Popa
• Mollusca Gastropoda
• E-mail oppopa_at_antipa.ro
• Aurora Stanescu
• Insecta Heteroptera
• E-mail auroras_at_antipa.ro
• Dr. Melania Stan
• Insecta Coleoptera Staphylinidae
• E-mail mstan_at_antipa.ro
• Rodica Serafim
• Insecta Coleoptera Cerambycidae
• E-mail serafim_at_antipa.ro
• Dr. Mihai Stanescu
• Insecta Lepidoptera
• E-mail mihaist_at_antipa.ro

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The Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural
History Research Team has long time developed
research projects in which the main objective was
the assessment of the biodiversity in different
sites all over Rumanian territory. This
presentation offers brief, synthetic data for
several areas of the Oriental, Meridional and
Occidental Carpathians (e.g. Maramures
Depression, Piatra Craiului and Banat mountains).
The sites are placed in very interesting regions,
bearing in mind their ecological diversity and
zoogeographical influences. The taxonomical
structure of the invertebrate as well as
vertebrate fauna is comparatively analyzed. The
taxa found in those areas are listed from
macro-taxonomic to species level. The importance
of these species from zoogeographical as well as
from conservationist point of view (e.g. endemic,
relictary and threatened species) is briefly
presented. For each studied area, many species
have been recorded from Romania for the first
time.
The Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural
History Research Team
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Investigated habitats
Freshwater habitats
Running waters (CORINE code 24. mostly alpine
rivers) have been investigated in ? Maramures
tributaries of the rivers Viseu, Iza, Sapânta and
Mara ? Piatra Craiului mountains tributaries of
the Bârsa Mare River ? Banat Nera Spring and
Nera River, rivers Beul, Caras and other
tributaries of the Danube River (Moldova Noua,
Berzeasca, Sirinia, Plavisevita etc)
Danube River, at Cazanele Mari
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Investigated habitats
Standing waters
Standing waters (CORINE code 22) have been
investigated in ? Maramures Dumitru Lake,
Iezerul Mare Lake ? Piatra Craiului mountains
Bârsa Mare Pond ? Banat Ochiul Beiului Lake
(photo)
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Investigated habitats
Scrub and grasslands
Grasslands (CORINE code 3.) have been largely
investigated in ? Maramures alpine grasslands
(Pietrosul Rodnei), scrubs with Pinus mugo and
Rhododendron kotschky (Poiana Brazilor),
Nardus-Gallium grasslands (Rodna, Ignis Plateau),
wet grasslands (Plesca, Rodna, Repedea, Sapânta)
etc. ? Piatra Craiului mountains scrubs with
Pinus mugo (ridge of Piatra Craiului),
Nardus-Gallium grasslands (Grind Plateau,
Vladusca, Spârla), wet grasslands (Padina lui
Calinet, Plaiul Foii) etc. ? Banat calcareous or
basophilic grasslands (Valea Rea), orchid sites
(Semenic - Cheile Carsului), Vaccinium heath
(Semenic and Nera Spring), sub-mediterranean
scrubs (Cheile Nerei, Iron Gates) etc.
Mara River valley, Maramures
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Investigated habitats
Bogs marshes
Bogs and marshes (CORINE code 5.) have been
investigated in ? Maramures Dumitru Lake, Ieud,
Colibi, Nires, Jelerescu, Sacaturi, Iza Spring,
Pârâul Rosu, Cheile Tatarului, Slatioara, Rodna
Spring, Smereceni, Frumusaua ? Banat Nera Spring
Valea Brazilor River valley, Maramures
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Investigated habitats
Rocks screes
Inland rocks and screes (CORINE code 6.) have
been investigated in ? Maramures Pietrosul
Rodnei, Ignis Plateau etc. ? Piatra Craiului
mountains Prapastiile Zarnestilor, Curmatura,
Cheile Dâmbovicioarei, in ridge area (photo)
etc. ? Banat Semenic - Cheile Carasului, Cheile
Nerei, Cheile Gârlistei etc.
Piatra Craiului massif, northern front view
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Investigated habitats
Forests
Forests (CORINE code 4.) have been largely
investigated in ? Maramures Rona de Sus and
Rona de Jos (Dacian subcarpathic beech forests),
Iza valley (medio-european woods), spruce woods
etc ? Piatra Craiului mountains Bârsa Mare,
Bârsa Fierului, Barsa lui Bucur (bog woodlands),
spruce woods etc ? Banat Cheile Carasului
(panonic woods with Quercus petraea and Carpinus
betulus), mixed thermophilous forests (Cheile
Nerei, Iron Gates), ravine forests (Tilio-Acerion)
Cheile Nerei, Banat
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Amphipoda

• About a half of the amfipods of Rumanian fauna
  have been recorded from different sites of
  Carpathians Mountains. Four of these species
  (Niphargus puteanus banaticus, N.
  transsylvanicus, N. phreaticolus and Synurella
  coeca) are endemic.

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Snails (Mollusca Gastropoda)

• Many snail species can be found in Rumanian
  Carpathians. Almost all of these species are
  included in the family Clausiliidae, a critical
  group of molluscs fot the entire fauna of the
  Carpathian chain.

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Snails (Mollusca Gastropoda)

• The genus Alopia includes about 90 species in
  Romania (about two third of the Clausiliidae
  fauna of Rumanian Carpathians). It is considered
  to be an endemic genus for the Rumanian fauna.

Alopia canescens striaticollis
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True bugs (Heteroptera)

• Many species of true bugs can be found at
  different altitude in Carpathians mountains. Some
  of them, from families Coreidae (Gonocerus
  juniperi and Ulmicola spinifer), Alydidae
  (Megalotomus junceus) and Miridae (Alloetomus
  germanicus, Dicyphus constrictus, Trigonotylus
  caelestialium, Pantilius truncatilius, Phytocoris
  longipennis, Ph. dimidiatus, Ph. obscuratus, Ph.
  ustulatus and Alloonotus egregius) are quite rare.

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Rove beetles(Coleoptera Staphylinidae)

• More than a third of the rove beetles from
  Rumanian fauna are found in different places from
  the Carpathian mountains. Some of them are
  endemic for restricted areas in Rumanian
  Carpathians (Carcinocephalus mehadiensis in
  Banat, Coryphioides deubeli, Niphetodes
  schoenmanni and N. semicarinatus in Rodnei
  massif, Maramures) others are specific to the
  Carpathians Mountains as a whole (e.g.
  Hypsonothrus deubeli, Niphetodes spaethi, N.
  redtenbacheri, Lathrobium taxi, Othius
  transsilvanicus).

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Longhorn beetles(Coleoptera Cerambycidae)

• The longhorn beetle fauna of Romania comprises
  231 species of these, 163 (70,56) have been
  found at different altitudes in Rumanian
  Carpathians. The presence of Pseudogarotina
  excellens, a carpathic endemite, has been
  reported in various mountains from Romania.
  Cerambyx nodulosus, C. welensii, Purpuricenus
  globulicollis (Banat), Rosalia alpina
  (widespread) are among the vulnerable species.

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Butterflies moths (Lepidoptera)

• A large number of lepidoptera species from 78
  families can be found at different altitudes in
  Rumanian Carpathians. Despite the efforts made in
  the last decade of the XXth century, the fauna of
  several massifs and the distribution of a number
  of alpine species is still insuficient known.

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Butterflies moths (Lepidoptera)

• 991 species of macrolepidoptera are recorded in
  the proposition of the Red list of the
  lepidoptera of Romania (Rakosy, Goia Kovacs,
  2003). Most of the species from this list are
  threated mainly by the habitat destruction
  (especially by overgrazing) and reduction of the
  species richness in their natural homeland, but
  some of them are suffering of severe
  overcollecting (e.g. Parnassius apollo).

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Diptera(Brachycera Acalyptratae)

• Species belonging to these seven families are
  found in great number in Rumanian Carpathians
  out of 921 species, 792 (i.e more than 85 !) are
  montane species.

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Diptera(Brachycera Acalyptratae)

• Despite the fact that a larger number of species
  has been recorded from Maramures (401, comparing
  to 347 in Banat and only 295 in Piatra Craiului
  mountains), endemic as well as rare species are
  found in larger number in Banat .

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Chironomid dipterans(Diptera Chironomidae)

• Species from five subfamilies of chironomid
  diptera can be found in Rumanian Carpathians
  most of them are included in the subfamilies
  Orthocladinae and Chironominae. Banat, with a
  rich hidrographic net and a favourable climate,
  has many more species when comparing with other
  two sites.
• Several species of chironomidae are valuable
  bioindicators in environment monitoring.

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Chironomid dipterans(Diptera Chironomidae)

• The fauna of chironomidae displays a large number
  of zoogeographical influences. Most of the
  species (about a half of them) have a palaearctic
  distribution. 11 species of chironomidae from the
  Rumanian fauna are considered to be endemic (e.g.
  Heleniella extrema, Bryophaenocladius
  (Odonthocladius) pectinatus, Pseudosmittia
  mathildae, Rheocricotopus barbatus, Smittia
  antelobata, Micropsectra lobatifrons, Zavrelia
  inopinata, Cryptochironomus psamophila,
  Harnischia angularis, Polypedillum (Polypedillum)
  intermedium and P. (Tripodura) elongatum).

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Fishes

• The ichthyofauna of the three investigated
  mountainous areas comprises montane species
  common to all three regions (e.g. Phoxinus
  phoxinus, Salmo trutta, Cotus gobio, Barbatula
  barbatulus), mid- and low-altitude species common
  to Banat and Maramures, as well as species which
  are only found in one of the three areas
• Barbus petenyi for Piatra Craiului
• numerous balkanic (Barbus balcanicus, Cobitis
  elongata), danubian (Gymnocephalus baloni) or
  ponto-caspian (gobiids, Syngnathus abaster)
  species, for Banat.
• Hucho hucho, Leuciscus souffia, L. leuciscus
  Barbus carpathicus and Cottus poecilopus are
  specific for Maramures

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Fishes
Barbus petenyi (up) Barbus balcanicus (down)
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Amphibians

• Among amphibians, the most numerous species are
  the montane ones, common to all three areas
  (Salamandra salamandra, Triturus alpestris,
  Bombina variegata, Rana temporaria etc)
  lower-altitude species are common to Banat and
  Maramures (Rana dalmatina, Bufo viridis, Rana
  ridibunda). One Carpathian endemic (Triturus
  montandoni) is common to Maramures and Piatra
  Craiului, but not to Banat. Rana arvalis is only
  found in Maramures, while thermophile, balkanic
  or danubian species such as Triturus dobrogicus
  or Pelobates syriacus are only found in Banat.

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Amphibians
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Reptiles

• A large proportion of reptiles are montane or
  tolerant of a wide range of altitudes and thus
  common to all three areas (Vipera berus,
  Coronella austriaca, Anguis fragilis, Lacerta
  agilis, Lacerta vivipara etc). Lower-altitude
  species are common to Banat and Maramures (Emys
  orbicularis, Natrix tessellata, Elaphe longissima
  etc) while thermophile elements are restricted to
  Banat (Testudo hermanni, Ablepharus kitaibelli,
  Lacerta praticola, Podarcis taurica, Coluber
  caspius, Vipera ammodytes)

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Reptiles
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Birds

• A large number of bird species are showing
  stabile number of individuals in their local
  populations. The bird fauna of Maramures is
  particularly interesting, because all 86 bird
  species recorded are nesting there.

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Birds

• Many rare bird species can be found in the fauna
  of all three sites
• ? Aquila chrysaetos, Ciconia ciconia and Ciconia
  nigra in Piatra Craiului mountains
• ? Hieraaetus penatus in Banat mountains
• ? Aquila chrysaetos and Circaetus gallicus in
  Maramures

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Mammals

• The species of six terrestrial orders of mammals
  can be encountered in the fauna of the three
  sites.
• Remarcable are Microtus tatricus (carpathic
  endemite) and Sicista betulina (tertiar relic),
  both recorded from Maramures, as well as Lynx
  lynx and Rupicapra rupicapra (protected species,
  recorded mostly from Piatra Craiului mountains).

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Mammals
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Thank you for your attention
The Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural
History Research Team