SFÂNTU GHEORGHE (TULCEA, ROMANIA) AN IMPORTANT

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Analele tiinifice ale Universitii Al. I. Cuza Iai, s. Biologie animal, Tom LVI, 2010

SFNTU GHEORGHE (TULCEA, ROMANIA): AN IMPORTANTHERPETOLOGICAL AREA

tefan R. ZAMFIRESCU, Alexandru STRUGARIU, Iulian GHERGHEL andOana ZAMFIRESCU

Al. I. Cuza Iasi University, Faculty of Biology, Carol I, 20A, 700505, Iasi, Romnia. e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. Amphibians and reptiles are endangered at European level. The aim of the study is to present thedetailed distribution of the herpetofauna of the area surrounding the village of Sfntu Gheorghe. We identified 7amphibian and 6 reptile species of which only one is not legally protected. The main threats for the amphibiansand reptiles are the habitat alteration and killing.

Keywords: amphibians, reptiles, habitats, Danube Delta, Directive 92/43/EEC.

Rezumat. Sfntu Gheorghe (Tulcea, Romnia): o zon de importan herpetofaunistic. Amfibienii ireptilele sunt specii ameninate la nivel European. Scopul acestui studio este de a prezenta distribuia d etaliat aheretofaunei din mprejurimile satului Sfntu Gheorghe. Am identificat 7 specii de amfibieni i 6 specii dereptile, dintre care doar una nu se afl sub protecia legii. Principalele ameninri pentru amfibieni i reptile sunt

degradarea habitatului i uciderea.

Cuvinte cheie: amfibieni, reptile, habitate, Delta Dunrii, Directiva 92/43/EEC.

IntroductionThe amphibians and reptiles are one of the most endangered animals. At

European level, almost a quarter of the amphibians and nearly one fifth of the reptiles are

considered threatened (Cox & Temple, 2009; Temple & Cox, 2009). These animals alsoplay an important part in the protection of nature. According to Romanian and Europeanenvironmental regulations, the presence of some of these species constitutes arguments forthe continuous protection of certain areas (European Council Directive 92/43/EEC,transposed as Romanian Government Ordinance no. 57/20.06.2007). Therefore, theidentification and monitoring of areas were these species concentrate is very important.Such an area is the Danube Delta, especially the part near the coast, which offers a greatvariety of habitats and environmental conditions. Although a biosphere reserve, the deltais not deprived of human influence and alteration. The area around Sfntu Gheorghe isrepresentative in this respect for putting together wilderness and civilisation in variousdegrees.

Thus, we aim to present the herpetofauna of the area surrounding the village ofSfntu Gheorghe, emphasising on species with protective value and their habitats. Even

though there are several herpetofaunistic records for the locality Sfntu Gheorghe, ourstudy presents for the first time a detailed distribution of the species.

Material and MethodsThe study area (Fig. 1) lies in the south-eastern tip of the Srturile natural

marine levee, which is an economical zone of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. It isalso included in the Natura 2000 network of protected areas as ROSCI0065 Delta Dunrii(The Danube Delta) established through the Order of the Minister of Environment andDurable Development 776/05.09.2007.

The area is a mosaic of natural and anthropogenic habitats: permanent andtemporal ponds and channels, flat areas, dykes and beach. Average altitude is around 0 m.

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tefan R. Zamfirescu et al.

The sandy substratum is covered with vegetation that varies from hydrophilous to

xerophilous. The climate of the area is semi-arid, with mean annual temperatures andprecipitations of 11.4oC and 403.6 mm, respectively (Gtescu & tiuc, 2006).The study zone it is considered as formed of 4 areas: the village, which includes

anthropic habitats, the area to the north-west of the village (Fig. 2), includes smalltemporary ponds and elevated terraces covered mostly by Juncus sp., the area to the eastof the village (Fig. 3), includes marshes and sand dykes, and the seashore, which includessmall dunes with scares vegetation (Fig. 4).

Figure 1. The study area.

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Figure 2. The north-western area.

Figure 3. The eastern area.

Figure 4. The small dunes of the beach.

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The herpetofaunistic study consisted of extensive, visual and aural, transect

surveys (Coglniceanu, 1997; Sutherland, 2006) carried out during spring and summer ofthe following periods: May 2007, July 2008 and May and August 2010. The specimenswere identified following the literature (Fuhn, 1960; Fuhn & Vancea, 1961; Nllert &Nllert, 1995; Coglniceanu, 2000; Arnold & Burton, 2002) and photographed. Speciesprotection status has been set according to Directive 92/43 EEC, RGO 57/2007 and theRed Data Book of Romanian Vertebrates (Iftime, 2005) Habitat situation has beenassessed through vegetation analysis. The vegetation study was done according to theBraun-Blanquet methodology (Braun-Blanquet, 1964, Cristea et al. 2004).

Results and DiscussionSpecies accountDuring the investigations we recorded 7 amphibian species and 6 reptile species.Bombina bombina (Fig. 5) have been cited previously from the study area (Fuhn,

1971; Coglniceanu et al., 2000; Szkely et al., 2009). We found it in channels andtemporary and permanent ponds especially during the reproduction period. Theindividuals prefer the habitats with shallow water and lush aquatic vegetation. The speciesis distributed everywhere in the area, except for the beach.

Pelobates fuscus (Fig. 6). The records of this species are relatively old (Fuhn,1971; Oel, 1992). The situation may be due to its nocturnal activity pattern. Indeed, weobserved numerous individuals after dusk when they were emerging from the sand toforage. During the day we accidentally sow a few specimens. The highest densities for thespecies were observed on the sand dykes covered that cross the wet area between thevillage and the beach. It seems that the individuals prefer the sands with vegetation, andavoid the barren ones, as they are absent on the sands near the sea shore.

Figure 5.Bombina bombina Figure 6.Pelobates fuscus

Bufo viridis (Fig. 7) has been previously recorded from the area (Fuhn, 1971;Oel, 1992; Szkely et al., 2009). We found it mainly in and around the village, inanthropogenic habitats.

Hyla arborea. This species is diffusely distributed in the area. We manage torecord its presence mainly by hearing its calls that occur especially during the sunset. Theindividuals were recorded from the habitat in the north of the village and from the flat areatowards the sea (Fig. 8). The species was previously mentioned from Sfntu Gheorghe(Oel, 1992).

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Figure 7.Bufo viridis Figure 8.Hyla arborea

Pelophylax esculentus complex. The green frogs are present in every body of

water, especially permanent ones (in the channel in that surrounds the village, the one thatborders the study area to the west, and in the marshes between the village and the sea, tothe east). All the three species have been recorded previously from the area: Pelophylaxlessonae(Oel, 2000),Pelophylax kl. esculentus andPelophylax ridibundus (Fuhn, 1960;Popescu, 1973; Oel, 1992; Coglniceanu et al., 2000; Szkely et al., 2009). WhereasP.kl. esculentus andP. ridibundus have a constant presence,P. lessonae is less frequent andwe observed it in the eastern marshes. Species identification was carried out through thepulse structure and duration of the calls: very jerky forP. ridibundus, jerky and relativelyshort forP. kl. esculentus, and smooth and relatively longer forP. lessonae (Zamfirescu,2004).

Emys orbicularis (Fig. 9) has been previously recorded from the area (Fuhn,1971). We saw individuals near the marshes between the village and the sea. In the area tothe north-west from the village and in the village we found dead individuals (Fig. 10).

Probably, they were killed by vehicles.

Figure 9.Emys orbicularis Figure 10.Emys orbicularis killed specimen

Eremias arguta (Fig. 11) appears only on some small dunes with vegetation, onthe beach. It was previously recorded from the area (Fuhn, 1971).The lizards are activeonly during the day, especially in spring. They may coexist with Lacerta agilis in thesame habitats.

Lacerta agilis has been previously and recently recorded from the study area asL. agilis euxinica. (Fuhn, 1971, Trk, 1999, 2004; Gherghel & Strugariu, 2009). Wefound the individuals of in large numbers in the area to the north-west from the village.Fewer individuals have been observed on the small vegetated dunes near the sea shore

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together with the previous species. Our observations confirm also the presence of the

erythronotus morph (Fig. 12).

Figure 11.Eremias arguta Figure 12.Lacerta agilis euxinica erythronotusmorph

Natrix natrix is constantly present in the study area towards north-west, in thevillage, and to the seashore. The species has been recorded in the past, as well (Fuhn,1971; Trk, 2004). The snakes live near the ponds and channels, but they can also befound relatively far from water. We encountered many dead specimens, which wereprobably killed by vehicles, humans or boats (Fig. 13). In the study area there are twomorphs, apart from the normal one, i.e. persa (Fig. 14) and melanistic (Fig. 15).

Figure 13.Natrix natrixkilled specimen

Figure 14.Natrix natrixpersa morph Figure 15.Natrix natrixmelanic morph

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Natrix tessellata although previously observed (Fuhn, 1971) it is quite rare in the

study area. We could see only one dead specimen in the village channel (Fig. 16).

Figure 16.Natrix tessellatadead specimen

Vipera ursinii (Fig. 17) is the most documented reptile from the study area (e.g.:Fuhn, 1971, Trk, 2002, Halpern et al., 2007; see Krecsak & Zamfirescu, 2008 for acomprehensive review). The population is concentrated in the area toward the north-westfrom the village, and has a density estimated around 5 individual/ha and an estimated sizeof 321 individuals (Strugariu et al., 2011). The vipers occur on the slighted elevatedterraces covered with vegetation formed of plant communities of the associationsJuncetum maritimi (Rbel 1930) Pignatti 1953, Juncetum littoralis Popescu et Sanda1976, and Agropyretum elongati I. erbnescu 1968. This vegetation has a coveragebetween 50% and 100% that insures optimal conditions in terms of thermoregulation andrefuge against predators. The population might cover a larger area that spans almost nearthe beach. This hypothesis is supported by the finding of a dead specimen on the path tothe beach (Fig. 18). The specimen might have been carried to that location, but other

observations (I. Popescu, pers. comm.) increase the likelihood of our hypothesis.Some species we have not observed have been recorded from the study area inthe past:Lissotriton vulgaris (Fuhn, 1971), Triturus dobrogicus (Fuhn, 1971).

Fugure 17.Vipera ursinii

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Figure 18.Vipera ursiniikilled specimen

Anthropogenic impact and conservation

Eleven of the identified species are included in the annexes of the Directive92/43/EEC/1992 (Table 1.). One amphibian and two reptiles are species of Communityinterest whose conservation requires the designation of special conservation area. Other

four species of amphibians and two species of reptiles are species of Community interestin need of strict protection.

Of the 13 identified species 12 are included in the annexes of the RGO 57/2007.From the Romanian Red List perspective, three are vulnerable, one is endangered

and one is critically endangered.The threats for the studied species fall into two main categories: habitat alteration

and killing with or without intention (see Figs. 10, 13, 16, 18). The most evident habitatalteration consists of construction (Fig. 19) littering (Fig. 20), which alters the very areawhere Vipera usrinii, the critically endangered species exists.

Figure 19. Construction site in the habitat ofVipera urinii.

Figure 20. Village dump site in the habitat ofVipera urinii.

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Table 1. Identified amphibian and reptile species and protection status.

Class Order Family SpeciesDirective

92/43/EEC1992

RGO57/2007 Red list(Iftime 2005)

Amphibia Anura

Bombinatoridae Bombina bombina 2a 3aNearly

threatened

Bufonidae Bufo viridis 4a 4AaNearly

threatenedHylidae Hyla arborea 4a 4Aa VulnerablePelobatidae Pelobates fuscus 4a 3a Vulnerable

Ranidae

Pelophylaxridibundus

5a 5Aa

Pelophylax kl.esculentus

5a 5Aa

Pelophylax

lessonae4a 4Ba

Reptilia

Chelonii Emydidae Emys orbicularis 2a 3a Vulnerable

Squamata

Lacertidae Eremias arguta 4Ba EndangeredLacerta agilis 4a 4Aa

ColubridaeNatrix natrix

Natrix tessellata 4a 4AaNearly

threatened

Viperidae Vipera ursinii 2a 3aCritically

endangeredDirective 92/43/EEC/19922aAnnex IIa: Animal species of Community interest whose conservation requires the designation of specialareas of conservation4aAnnex IVa: Animal species of Community interest in need of strict protection5a Annex Va: Animal species of Community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may besubject to management measuresRGO 57/20073 Annex 3a: Animal species of Community interest whose conservation requires the designation of specialareas of conservation

4AaAnnex 4Aa: Animal species of Community interest in need of strict protection4BaAnnex 4Ba: Animal species of national interest in need of strict protection5Aa Annex 5a: Animal species of Community interest (except birds) whose taking in the wild andexploitation may be subject to management measures

Because of the high number of protected species, the studied area is important forthe protection of amphibians and reptiles at national and European level, and thereforeefficient protective measures must be taken to reduce the above mention threats.

AcknowledgementsThis work was supported by CNCSIS-UEFISCSU, project PNII-IDEI

2098/2008.We express our gratitude to CMN and INDD for issuing the research permits.We wish to thank Mihail V. Huuleac-Volosciuc, Andrei Mizeru and Valentina

Moraru, Anca Pavel, Tiberiu C. Sahlean and Cristina Strugariu for their valuableassistance during fieldwork.

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SFÂNTU GHEORGHE (TULCEA, ROMANIA) AN IMPORTANT