Ardelean, Gavril (szerk.): Satu Mare. Studii şi comunicări. Seria ştiinţele naturale 6. (2005)

Small mammals (ordo insectivora and ordo rodentia)

Satu Mare - Studii şi Comunicări Ştiinţele Naturale — Voi. VI (2005)

SMALL MAMMALS (ORDO INSECTIVORA AND ORDO RODENTIA)

from the Apuseni Mountains Natural Park area (Western Carpathians, Romania)

BENEDEK ANA MARIA, IOAN SÎRBU, MIHAI VASILE Ludan Blaga University Sibiu, School of Sdences,

Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, R0-550337, 31 Oitu^St. Sibiu benedek_ana@yahoo. com

Rezumat. Lucrarea prezintă o sinteză a datelor bibliografice privind mamiferele mici din aria Parcului Natural Munţii Apuseni, precum şi rezultatele investigaţiilor proprii din anul 2005, întreprinse pe teritoriul parcului. In total au fost semnalate 18 specii (8 de insectivore şi 10 rozătoare). Dintre acestea 8 au fost capturate în decursul studiului (3 insectivore şi 5 rozătoare), 5 specii au fost observate vizual sau există dovezi ale prezenţei lor în zonă, iar pentru alte 5 dispunem numai de date din bibliografie. In anul 2005 fauna de mamifere mici din Parcul Natural Apuseni a prezentat o serie de caracteristici particulare. în primul rând, abundenţa comunităţilor a fost foarte scăzută, asemănător cu situaţia înregistrată în alte masive (Munţii Retezat şi Lotru). Datorită densităţii scăzute mamiferele au fost capturate cu frecvenţe reduse. Dominante au fost cele două specii de rozătoare tipice pentru pădurile montane (Apodemus flavicollis şi Clethrionomys glareolus), care însă au prezentat valori mult mai scăzute ale densităţii decât cele înregistrate în majoritatea anilor în zonele montane.

Summary. The paper presents a synthesis of biblographic data concerning the small mammals from Apuseni Mountains Natural Park area, as well as the results of the authors’ investigations carried out in 2005 in the park. 18 species of small mammals (8 insectivores and 10 rodents) are known to inhabit the mentioned area. Among them 8 species (3 insectivores and 5 rodents) were captured during the researches in 2005, for other 5 there are evidence on their recent presence in the area, while the other 5 are quoted only by references. In 2005 the fauna of small mammals from Apuseni Natural Park had a series of peculiarities. The communities’ abundance was very low, a situation similar to that from other massifs in the Romanian Carpadans (Retezat and Lotru Mountains). Due to the low densities the species were captured with a reduced frequency. Dominant were the two rodent species typical for mountain forests (Apodemus flavicollis and Clethrionomys glareolus), which recorded however, much lower values of the population densities than in most years in mountain areas.

Introduction

There is only scarce information on small mammals in Apuseni Mountains. Some unpublished data were obtained by different zoologists from Cluj- Napoca (especially from Babeş-Bolyai University) during their studies on other systematical groups in the eastern part of the Bihor-Vlădeasa Mts. Thus, T. Ceuca (in the Irişoara area) and I. Coroiu (at Scăriţa- Belioara) mentioned the presence of some small mammal species (Banaru, 1998). Published data concerning these groups result from studies in several stations, especially in the eastern part of the mountains, at Beliş and Răcătău (Banaru and Coroiu, 1997). During this study, in both stations 70 traps were set for 10 nights. Some researches were carried out in the northern part, in the Drăgan Valley (Hamar and Kovács, 1964). In 1956 R. Călinescu published his paper on the Sciuridae from Romania. He quoted every locality where the two species of the genus were mentioned. From the Apuseni Natural Park area several localities are cited for the presence of Sdurus vulgaris.

In the summer and autumn of 2005 the authors started the investigations on the small mammals from Apuseni Natural Park, situated inside the Bihor- Vlădeasa Mountains, Western Carpathians.

Study area and method

The research was based on small terrestrial mammals live capturing. Live box-traps, made of wood and iron sheet, with a mobile wall of glass, 15 X 8X8 cm large, were used. They were set at 10 m distance one from another, either in line, when set along the river banks, or in a rectangular net, when forests were researched. The traps were baited using oil soaked bread and meat paste and were checked twice a day, in the night and at dawn. The captured animals were identified to species according to Z. Pucek (1981). They were measured, marked by cutting their fur in different parts of the body and released. Sex and age class was also noted when possible (not for insectivores).

The investigations took place during August and September 2005, in 9 stations from the Apuseni Mountains Natural Park. Their GPS coordinates (meaning the geographical coordinates of a 300 m radius circle within which the traps were placed) and characterstics are given below:

1. 11-12* of August 2005 - Crăiasa Valley - upstream the village of Chişcău (46°55422 N, 22°57734 E) - 20 traps were set on the left side of the river, in two lines - one at 10 m from the bank, under the shrubs, and the other above these, on the slope edge.

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