North-Western Journal of Zoology Vol. 2, No. 1, 2006, pp.44-46
Contributions to the distribution of Amphibia, Caudata
in Neamţ County, Romania
Iulian GHERGHEL1, Radu-Dorin ILE2
1Forest Technical College, Piatra Neamt,
67 Stefan cel Mare Street, Piatra Neamt, Romania, iuliangherghel@gmail.com
2University of Oradea, Department of Biology, Romania
The first data synthesis of the caudate
spreading in Neamt County was done by
Fuhn in 1960. Subsequently, some other
scientists had been presenting data about
the caudate in this area (Ionescu et al
1968, Şova 1970, 1972, Geormăneanu
1975, Borcea & Vancea 1981, Ion &
Valenciuc 1986, Ghiurcă et al. 2005).
Nevertheless, the precise distribution of
the caudate in Neamţ County is far from
being known.
Our study was done between May and
October of 2003 - 2005. We have
investigated the newts’ breeding habitats,
mainly consisting of ponds with luxuriant
vegetation and dens.
The lowest altitude of the studied area
(Fig. 1) was in the proximity of the
village Români (250 m a.s.l.), located in
the centre of the Neamţ County. The
highest altitude of the studied area was in
the village Potoci (570 m), on the left
shore of the Izvorul Muntelui reservoir.
Salamandra salamandra – in the
studied area this species doesn’t appear to
be endangered.
Triturus vulgaris was found only in
half of the localities but it is not an
endangered species here.
Tritururs cristatus is represented by a
small number of specimens, due to the
forest exploitations which destroyed the
breeding puddles by log dragging, forest
roads, temporary dry-ups or deviations of
water streams and by earth flows as a
result of clearing activities. We have not
discovered any specimens belonging to
the Triturus dobrogicus species, the
closest known habitat with this species
being several hundred kilometres away in
the South of Moldavia (Arntzen et al
1997, Iftimie 2005).
Figure 1. The area that was subjected to our study.
We consider the Triturus alpestris
species just as vulnerable in the studied
area due to the forest exploitations that
are destroying their breeding habitats and
also because of the fact that it is abusively
collected by tourists and local people for
their impressive look.
Contributions to the distribution of Amphibia, Caudata in Neamţ County, Romania 45
Table no.1. The distribution of Caudata in Neamţ
Locality Ss Tv Tc Ta Tm
Agapia - Gh* Gh* Gh* F*
Agarcia Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh*
Bicaz Chei ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Bicaz ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ F*
Bicazul
Ardelean - - - ∗ ∗
Bistrita Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh*
Borleşti ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Brasauti Gh* Gh* Gh* - -
Buhalnita Ic* Ic* Ic* ∗ ∗
Cuejdiu ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Cut Gh* Gh* Gh* - -
Doamna Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh*
Dulcesti - ∗ Gh* - -
Durau - - S2 S0 -
Farcasa ∗ - - ∗ Gh*
Făurei ∗ ∗ ∗ - -
Gîrcina Gh* Gh* Gh* - -
Goşmani - ∗ ∗ - -
Gura Vaii Gh* Gh* Gh* - -
Hangu ∗ Ic* ∗ ∗ ∗
Hârţeşti - ∗ ∗ - -
Hoiseşti - ∗ ∗ - -
Izvoare - Gh* Gh* - -
Leghin Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh*
Magazia ∗ Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh*
Mastăcan - ∗ ∗ - -
Mărgineni - ∗ ∗ - -
Micşuneşti - ∗ ∗ - -
Mitocu Balan ∗ Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh*
Nechit ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Nemtisor - ∗ ∗ Gh* Gh*
Oanţu Ic* ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Pangaracior Ic* ∗ ∗ - ∗
Pângăraţi Ic ∗ ∗ Ic Ic*
Piatra neamti Gh* Ic* F* Gh* ∗
Poiana Teiului Ic ∗ ∗ Ic* Ic*
Poieni ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗
Potoci Ic - ∗ ∗ ∗
Prăjeşti - ∗ ∗ - -
Rediu - ∗ ∗ - -
Roman - Gh* S2* - S2
Români - ∗ ∗ - -
Ruseni - ∗ ∗ - -
Sabasa ∗ ∗ ∗ - Ic*
Tarcău F ∗ ∗ S0* S2*
Tatomireşti - ∗ ∗ - -
Tazlău F* S2* F* F* F*
Turtureşti - Gh* Gh* - -
Văleni Gh* Gh* Gh* - -
Văratec ∗ Gh* Gh* Gh* Gh*
Viisoara Gh* Gh* Gh* - -
Legend: ∗-this study; Gh-Ghiurcă et al.2005; F-Fuhn
1960; S0-Şova 1970; S2-Şova 1972; BV-Borcea & Vancea
1981; Ic-Ionescu et al. 1968; IV-Ion & Valenciuc 1986; G-
Geormăneanu 1975;
Triturus montadoni – it is not
endangered in the studied area but as a
result of the factors mentioned for the
previous species, their number drops
worryingly each year.
The main particularity of the ponds
from the area of Oantu-Doamna (which
will be a natural reservation in the future
– as proposed by I. Gherghel) is that the
four species belonging to the Triturus
genus share the same breeding sites.
Those newt habitats are ponds with small
(10-20 cm) and medium (20-40 cm)
depth, and of relatively small sizes (10-20
m2). These ponds are filled by vegetal
remnants and many times filled with
grassy vegetation. They can also be found
where secondary brooks conjoin, or in
swampy areas with the same type of
vegetation as mentioned above.
The lowest altitude where we found
all four species of newts in one habitat
was 340m at Oanţu and Poieni, while the
highest altitude with all four was 570 m at
Potoci (which is situated out of the area
proposed as natural reservation). Also
worth mentioning is the fact that Triturus
alpestris and Triturus montadoni appear
at 340 m altitude, these two being
considered as mountain species, found in
Romania at altitudes over 500 m or 700 m
(Fuhn 1960, Cogălniceanu et al 2000).
Nevertheless, these species had been
spotted before at lower altitudes (210 m at
Baia Mare - Micluţă 1970 and recently
Triturus alpestris at low altitudes in
North-West Romania - Covaciu Marcov
et al 2003, 2005 a, b). In Neamţ County
this phenomenon was not previously
noticed, probably due to the small number
of studies made there; only recently, the
presence of the newt between 300 m and
I. Gherghel, R.D. Ile 46
400 m has been indicated (Ghiurcă et al
2005).
The main factors that have a negative
effect on the caudate from Neamţ County
are:
-uncontrolled forest exploitations that
are destroying the breeding ponds.
-the abusive capture by the locals and
tourists for commercial purposes
(commercialisation as pets).
-the use of pesticides and herbicides
-the deliberate dry-ups of the ponds
from Prăjesti and Goşmani that led to
disappearance of the newts’ breeding
habitats.
-the heavy traffic in the forested areas
of the county (Potoci, Bicaz, Bicaz Chei,
Bicazul Ardelean, Tazlău, Neachit, Oanţu,
Poieni, Cuiejdiu and Pângăraţi), which
claims some victims among the newts.
Acknowledgements. We would like to thank
the group of teachers from The Technical College of
Forestry from Piatra Neamţ for their support and my
mother, Elena Gherghel, for the financial support.
We also want to thank Mr Al. Iftimie and Dan
Cogălniceanu for their useful observations on the
material.
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Submitted: 17 October 2005 / Accepted: 22 June 2006
Corresponding Editor: I. Sas
English Language Editor: V. Flutur
North-Western Journal of Zoology Vol. 2, No. 1, 2006, pp.44-46
