Transylv. Rev. Syst. Ecol. Res. 9, (2010), "The Rodna Mountains National Park" 113

TERRESTRIAL GASTROPOD FAUNA OF THE REPEDE RIVER VALLEY IN THE RODNA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK (TRANSYLVANIA-MARAMURE Ş, ROMANIA)

Voichi ţa GHEOCA *

* “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Dr. Ioan Ra ţiu Street 5-7, Sibiu, Sibiu County, Romania, RO-550012, [email protected]

KEYWORDS : Romanian Carpathians, Rodna Mountains, Repede River valley, terrestrial gastropods, diversity, human impact.

ABSTRACT In the frame of investigating the flora and fauna of Rodna Mountains National Park, this paper aims to supplement the data on the fauna of terrestrial gastropods of the area. The study analyzes the terrestrial gastropod fauna of Repede River Valley in the Northern area of Rodna Mountains National Park. Qualitative samples were taken from 7 locations between Vi şeu River and the confluence of Repede River with Buh ăescu. After analyzing the collected material, 33 were identified. In each sampling station were identified 5 to 17 terrestrial gastropod species, the highest value was recorded in the town of Bor şa. Among the species the more common are vicinus, Faustina faustina and Trichia bielzi.

RĖSUM Ė: La faune de gastéropodes terrestres de la vallée de la rivière Repede du Parc National des Montagnes de Rodna (Transylvanie-Maramure ş, Roumanie). Dans le contexte de l’investigation de la flore et la faune du Parc National des Montagnes de Rodna, ce papier vise à compléter les données sur la faune de gastéropodes terrestres de la région mentionee. La présente étude analyse la faune de gastropodes terrestres de la vallée du Rivière Repede, dans le nord du Parc National. Des prélèvements qualitatifs ont été réalisés en 7 points entre la Rivière Vi şeu et la confluence de la Rivière Repede avec Buh ăescu. Apres l’analyse, 33 espèces de gastropodes terrestres ont été identifiées. Le nombre d’espèces dans chaque point de prélèvement varie entre 5 et 17, le plus élève étant identifie dans la ville de Bor şa. Parmi les espèces le plus communes sont Monachoides vicinus, Faustina faustina et Trichia bielzi.

REZUMAT : Fauna de gastropode terestre din valea râului Repede în Parcul Na ţional Mun ţii Rodna (Transilvania-Maramure ş, România). În contextul investig ării florei şi faunei Parcului Na ţional Mun ţii Rodnei, lucrarea de fa ţă î şi propune s ă completeze datele referitoare la fauna de gastropode terestre a zonei men ţionate. Lucrarea analizeaz ă fauna de gastropode terestre din Valea Râului Repede, în nordul Parcului Na ţional Mun ţii Rodna. Au fost colectate probe calitative din 7 sta ţii amplasate de la v ărsarea în Vi şeu pân ă la confluen ţa cu pârâul Buh ăescu. În urma analizei materialului colectat au fost identificate 33 de specii de gastropode terestre. Num ărul de specii identificate în fiecare sta ţie este cuprins între 5 şi 17, cel mai mare num ăr de specii fiind înregistrat în localitatea Bor şa. Speciile cele mai comune în probele analizate sunt Monachoides vicinus, Faustina faustina şi Trichia bielzi.

114 V. Gheoca – Terrestrial Gastropod fauna of the Repede River valley (113 ~ 122)

INTRODUCTION The study area (Fig. 1) is located in the northern part of the Rodna Mountains National Park, northern Transylvania and Maramure ş areas.

Figure 1: The study unit and location. (Badea et al., 1983; http://www.parcrodna.ro/ - modified).

Concerning the geology, the studied area is localized on crystalline schists substrata, as is the most important part of the Rodna Mountains. The limestone substrata are present only in the south-western area of these mountains. Favored by heavy rainfalls, the natural grasslands are present here on extended surfaces, most of them being constantly overgrazed. This human activity (grazing) has lead in the most of the past decades to a high local and regional degradation, Repede River valley being one of the most affected from this point of view (Iacob, 1987). Spruce forests cover over 75% of the forested area. The first data concerning gastropods of the Rodna Mountains area are known since the XIX Century (Bielz, 1867; Kimakowicz, 1883, 1890, 1894). Only after a long period, almost a century later, in his valuable and comprehensive work, Grossu (1981, 1983, 1987), presents new data regarding also about this area, but they are most often sporadic and incomplete. More recent studies are more or less directly related to this mountainous area. Some papers present the fauna of the neighboring Maramure ş Mountains Nature Park (Fehér et al., 2008; Gheoca et al., 2008; Transylv. Rev. Syst. Ecol. Res. 9, (2010), "The Rodna Mountains National Park" 115

Sîrbu et al. 2008). Some recent papers concerning the Rodna Mountains where published by Andrei (1997) and Bába and Sárkány (1999), which presents aspects regarding the fauna of the Some ş River valley, three of the sampling points being located in the southern area of the Rodna Mountains, on Some şul Mare River, as well as Feher et al. (2008). The last one presents a synthesis of data from the scientific literature and some still unpublished material from the Wagner collection of Hungarian Nature History Museum, including some data from the Rodna Mountains area. The present study aims to examine the terrestrial gastropods fauna of Repede Valley, in the northern area of Rodna Mountains National Park.

MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, qualitative samples were taken during one single campaign, in the month of June in 2009, in the Repede River valley. A total of seven sampling sites were chosen from the Vi şeu River to Izvorul Repede - Buh ăescu confluence, as shown in the figure 1. The sampling sites are as follows: S1 - Vi şeu River downstream the confluence with Repede River; modified, with cut wood, and coarse woody debris; vegetation consisting of Salicetum fragilis with Urtica dioica , Impatiens glandulifera and Petasites sp.; S2 - Repede River in Bor şa, at the confluence with Vi şeu River; vegetation - Salicetum fragilis with Urtica dioica, Rubus idaeus , Dryopteryx filis-mas ; S3 - Repede River in Bor şa; Salicetum fragilis with Urtica dioica and Impatiens glandulifera ; waste deposits on the side of the river; S4 - 1 km upstream Bor şa; rocks with mosses and ferns near the river, S4 - 3 km upstream Bor şa; Picea abies , rocks with mosses and ferns on a small side stream; S5 - 4 km upstream Bor şa, exposed rocks on the side of the river; S6 - 5 km upstream Bor şa; small stream with rocks and decomposing logs; wooden vegetation dominated by Picea abies. S7 - 6 km upstream Bor şa; Izvorul Repede - Buh ăescu confluence; slope which is generally very steep and unstable with much bare ground; Picea abies , some damper patches with Petasites sp . The sampling stations were chosen according to the valley’s morphology, the habitat type and the type and degree of human impact, in order to highlight the diversity of terrestrial gastropods. The biological material containing terrestrial gastropods was sorted and analyzed in the laboratory, preserved in 70% alcohol and included in the collections of the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Zoology Laboratory. The collected biological material was identified using Grossu (1981, 1983, 1987). The nomenclature follows Fauna Europaea v. 2.3 (Bank, 2007).

116 V. Gheoca – Terrestrial Gastropod fauna of the Repede River valley (113 ~ 122)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS In the seven sampling points, we have found 33 terrestrial gastropod species, belonging to 20 families. The following list presents the terrestrial gastropods taxa identified in the studied area; the is based on Fauna Europaea (Bank, 2007); zoogeographical range and ecological preferences: H - hygrophilous; MH - mezohygrophilous; M - mezophilous; MX - mezoxerophilous), mentioning the collecting points.

Ordo Cuvier, 1814

Fam. Carychiidae Jeffreys, 1830 1. Carychium tridentatum (Risso, 1826) European; H. S2; Fam. Succineidae 2. Succinea putris (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurosiberian; H. S2; 3. Succinea oblonga (Draparnaud, 1801) Eurosiberian; H. S2; Fam. Cochlicopidae Pilsbry, 1900 4. Cochlicopa lubrica (O. F. Müller, 1774) Holarctic; H. S2; Fam. Orculidae Pilsbry, 1913 5. Sphyradium doliolum (Bruguière, 1792) Central-South European; original data: S4; Fam. Valloniidae Morse, 1864 6. Acanthinula aculeata (O. F. Müller, 1774) European; M. Original data: S4; Fam. Enidae Woodward, 1903 7. Ena montana (Draparnaud, 1801) European; MH. original data: S6; Fam. Punctidae Morse, 1864 8. Punctum pygmaeum (Draparnaud, 1801) European; M. Original data: S6; Fam. Clausiliidae A. Schmidt, 1857 9. Cochlodina orthostoma (Menke, 1828) European; MH. Original data: S2, S4; 10. Clausilia dubia Draparnaud, 1805 European; MH. Original data: S2, S4, S5; 11. Ruthenica filograna (Rossmässler, 1836) Central European; M. Original data: S4, S5; 12. Macrogastra latestriata (Schmidt, 1857) Carpathic; M. original data: S3; 13. Alinda (Pseudalinda) fallax (Rossmässler, 1836) Carpathic; MH. original data: S1; Fam. Arionidae Gray, 1841 14. Arion subfuscus (Draparnaud, 1805) European, MH. original data: S6, S7;

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15. Arion circumscriptus Johnston, 1828 European; MH. Original data: S2, S7; 16 . Arion hortensis (Férussac, 1819) European; MH. Original data: S1, S7; Fam. Vitrinidae Fitzinger, 1833 17. Vitrina pellucida (O. F. Müller, 1774) Holarctic; original data: S2; 18. Semilimax semilimax (Férussac, 1802) Alpino-Carpathic; original data: S2; Fam. Cockerell, 1891 19 . transsylvanica (Clessin, 1877) Central-East European; MH. original data: S2, S4, S5; Fam. Oxychilidae Hesse, 1927 (1879) 20 . Nesovitrea hammonis (Ström, 1765) Palearctic; M. original data: S1, S3; 21 . Aegopinella pura (Alder, 1830) European; M. original data: S3; 22. Aegopinella epipedostoma (Fagot, 1879) Central European; MH. original data: S7; 23. Oxychilus orientalis (Clessin, 1887) Carpathic; MH. original data: S3, S7; Fam. Daudebardiidae Hartmann, 1821 24. Carpathica calophana (Westerlund, 1881) Carpathic; MH. Original data: S2, S3; Fam. Rafinesque, 1815 25 . Limax cinereoniger (Wolf, 1803) European; MH. original data: S7; 26 . Bielzia coerulans (M. Bielz, 1851) Central-East European; MH. original data: S7; Fam. Bradybaenidae Pilsbry, 1939 27 . Fruticicola fruticum (O. F. Müller, 1774) Palearctic; MH. original data: S2; Fam. Tryon 1866 28 . dibothrion (M. von Kimakowicz, 1884) Carpathic; MH. original data: S2; 29 . Monachoides vicinus (Rossmässler, 1842) Central-European; M. original data:S1,S2 S3, S5, S6, S7; 30 . Trichia bielzi (Schmid, 1860) Carpathic; M. original data: S4, S5, S7; Fam. Helicidae Rafinesque, 1815 31 . Isognomostoma isognomostomos (Schröter, 1784) European; M. original data: S2, S3, S4, S7; 32 . Faustina faustina (Rossmässler, 1835) Central-Eastern Europe; M. Original data: S1, S2, S3, S4, S6; 33 . Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758 European; M. Original data: S2;

118 V. Gheoca – Terrestrial Gastropod fauna of the Repede River valley (113 ~ 122)

The number of recorded species per stations varies between 5, for station number 1 and 5, and 17 for station number 2 (Fig. 2).

S7 9

S6 7

S5 5

S4 8

S3 9

S2 17

S1 5

0 5 10 15 20

Figure 2: The number of species in each sampling station (S1-S7).

In general, the diversity is rather low as compared to that reported in other mountainous areas. The small number of species is probably due to the characteristics of the habitats. Thus, some authors such as Evans (1972), have suggested that soil characteristics are the principal determinants of gastropod species' distributions, while others consider the litter characteristics to be the most important factor, followed by soil characteristics and vegetation type (Bishop, 1977). Many subsequent studies have confirmed the importance of soil characteristics. It is known that lime-rich habitats often support abundant and diverse land-snail communities (Kerney and Cameron, 1979; Nekola, 1999). In fact, one of the most important global trends identified in land-snail ecology is the strong positive correlation between individual abundance, species richness and the pH of soil and organic litter (Hermida, Ondina and Rodreiguez, 2000; Pokryszko and Cameron, 2005). So, the low diversity can be explained by soil characteristics (crystalline schist) and the presence of spruce forest. There are yet some gastropod species which tolerate well a low pH value. Mänd et al. (2002) find in a study concerning different types of forest in Estonia, that the most common species in pine and spruce forests are Nesovitrea hammonis, Nesovitrea petronella, and Aegopinella pura. Especially the first one has been found to tolerate lower pH values and calcium levels than other species (Wäreborn, 1970). The restrictive ecological factors as pH and vegetation have effect on terrestrial gastropod diversity outside the town of Bor şa (S4-S7). Transylv. Rev. Syst. Ecol. Res. 9, (2010), "The Rodna Mountains National Park" 119

Although the land snail communities are generally considered to be among the most sensitive to anthropogenic and other disturbances (Frest and Johannes, 1995), frequently the anthropogenic habitats shelter a valuable high diversity of terrestrial snail communities. Some anthropogenic habitats are characterized by rich herbaceous vegetation (in general with low diversity) - the effect of an anthropogenic contribution to soil fertility. This is completed by humidity conservation in the shelter of buildings and planted wooden vegetation. In these conditions in towns and villages are conserved patches of proper habitats with relatively diverse terrestrial snail communities. Station 2 with the 17 species is an example of such a case. The other two stations located in the town are much more affected by anthropic impact: station 3 has a relatively rich vegetation but this is covering a layer of household waste, while the only five species present in station 1 are the prove of a more important human impact, the wooden debris present here generate restrictive conditions for the majority of land species. Shirov (1984) considers that the expansion of croplands occurs simultaneously with the development of the human settlements and the anthropogenic mollusks communities are closely correlated with this specific evolution. Among the mollusks species able to successfully colonize agricultural and settlement habitats the author is mentioning Carichium minimum, Succinea putris, S. oblonga, Oxyloma elegans, Cochlicopa lubrica, Vallonia costata, V. pulchella, Zonitoides nitidus, Nesovitrea petronella, N. hammonis, Deroceras leave and D. reticulatum. Due to anthropogenic activity, many of these species have been able to expand their ranges as the case of Carichium minimum and Succinea putris . In our study N. hammonis was found only in two of the three stations from Bor şa locality, and Carichium minimum, Succinea putris and S. obloga in one (S2), also inside the town. Concerning the frequency, the most common mollusk species are Monachoides vicinus (found in a total of six stations) and Faustina faustina (found in five stations). Less common are Trichia bielzi and Isognomostoma isognomostomos (found in three stations), while the rest of the mollusk species were found only in one or two points.

CONCLUSIONS Relatively recent studies on the fauna of the terrestrial gastropods of the Rodna Mountains showed a low diversity compared to other mountains. Thus, Fehér et al, (2008) found 41 species of terrestrial gastropods in their work investigating the whole Maramure ş County. Concerning the diversity distribution along the studied Repede River valley, the highest level was recorded inside the small town of Bor şa (17 species), while the sampling points located in natural habitats have a very low diversity (5-9 species/sampling station). This low diversity is due to the local specific soil and also vegetation characteristics. The presence of spruce on crystalline schist acts as a limitative factor on terrestrial gastropod communities. This action is diluted inside the town due to different human activities, which sometimes generate propitious microhabitats for these invertebrates.

120 V. Gheoca – Terrestrial Gastropod fauna of the Repede River valley (113 ~ 122)

The fact that 33 species have been identified in a relatively small area, namely one valley, makes us believe that, all the studies under valuated the terrestrial gastropod fauna diversity of the Rodna Mountains. We can assume a much higher diversity of the whole national park, considering that the most interesting habitat types (limestone) were not yet entirely evaluated. The conservative importance of this mountainous area imposes in the future a global study of terrestrial snail communities.

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