Referenţi ştiinţifici - Muzeul Judeţean Satu Mare

Satu Mare – Studii şi Comunicări Ştiinţele Naturale -– Vol. VI (2005)
lowlands. One single specimen was captured, on the
Sighiştel Valley, near the village. In 1995 it was
captured both at Beliş (11 individuals) and Răcătău
(3), but only in the traps places near the buildings
(Banaru and Coroiu, 1997).
Considering the whole number of captures from
Apuseni Natural Park in 2005, illustrated by the live
trapping results in the nine stations, the most striking
feature is the low populational density. This situation
is not restricted to this area, the strong numerical
decline of the dominant small mammal populations
being recorded also in other mountain areas, as
mentioned before.
Another interesting feature is represented by the low
frequency of the species, only A. flavicollis and M.
avellanarius being captured in three stations, and none
more often. This fact is probably explained also by the
low density of the populations, thus the reduced number
of traps could not reveal most of the species in the
stations. It is more unlikely that these species (most of
them - except M. musculus, anthropophilous species
C. glareolus
17%
M.
avellanarius
14%
79
found only in the proximity of human settlements) have
a discontinuous distribution, being present only in some
areas.
Also due to the low population densities, in two
of the stations (at Casa de Piatră and Scăriţa) no
individual was captured, although at Scăriţa there are
dormice (M. glis) in the area (according to local
people).
The specific structure of the small mammal fauna
from the area during the research period (fig. 1)
resembles the medium image of the small mammal
communities from mountain regions. Higher
percentages than usually are recorded by N. fodiens
and M. avellanarius (14%), while some species
that frequently have abundant populations in
mountain forests, dominating the community,
recorded in 2005 low values of the relative abundance
- A. flavicollis (although the dominant species, it
represents only 31% of the captured mammals) and
C. glareolus.
A. flavicollis
31%
M. musculus
5%
S. araneus
14%
N. fodiens
S. minutus
14%
5%
Fig. 1 The relative abundance of small mammals captured in August-September 2005
in the Apuseni Natural Park
Conclusions
Moş, Director of Apuseni Natural Park and Ms. PhD.
From the Apuseni Natural Park area 18 small Milca Petrovici.
mammals species (8 insectivores and 10 rodents) are
References
known in the present. Among these 8 were captured Banaru, V., Coroiu I. 1997. Preliminary Studies
during the authors’ study in 2005, S. minutus being concerning the Fauna of Small Mammals in some
recorded for the first time in the area.
Mountain Zones of the Someşul Mic Basin, Apuseni
In 2005 the fauna of small mammals in the area of Mountains, Romania. Studia Univ. Babeş-Bolyai,
reference had a series of peculiarities: the population Biologia. XLII (1-2) 97-102.
densities were very low, the species were captured Banaru, V. 1998. Cercetări faunistice, ecologice,
with a reduced frequency, in some stations no animals biometrice şi biologice privind populaţiile de
were captured at all, N. fodiens and M. avellanarius micromamifere (Insectivora, Rodentia) din Bazinul
presented a slightly higher relative abundance than in Someşului Mic, România. Teză de doctorat. Clujmost
of the years in mountain areas. A. flavicollis and Napoca.
C. glareolus were the dominant species, although they Călinescu, R.. 1956. Sciuridele din R.P.R.. Edit. Ştiinţifică.
recorded very low densities.
Bucureşti 1-123.
Acknowledgments
Hamar, M., Kovács, A. 1964. Neue Daten über die
The present study was accomplished in the frame Gattung Neomys Kaup. (1829) in den rumänischen
of the PHARE CBC RO 2003 / 005-702.01 Volksrepublik. Acta Theriol. 9 (20) 377-380.
“Romanian-Hungarian Corridor for Biodiversity Murariu, D. 2001. Rodentia. Fauna României. XVI
Conservation” coordinated by the Oradea Forestry (Mammalia) 2.
Directorate. Special gratitude for those who lead this Pucek, Z. (edit) 1981. Keys to Vertebrates of Poland -
project and the scientific research, namely Mr. Alin Mammals, Polish Scientific Publishers, Warszawa.