North-Western Journal of Zoology Vol. 5, No. 1, 2009, pp.142-164 P-ISSN: 1584-9074, E-ISSN: 1843-5629 Article No.: 051115 The herpetofauna of the south-western part of Mehedinţi County, Romania Severus D. COVACIU-MARCOV1,*, Alfred Ş. CICORT-LUCACIU1,2, Ovidiu GACEU3, István SAS1,2, Sara FERENŢI1 and Horia Vlad BOGDAN2 1. University of Oradea, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology; Universităţii str.1, Oradea 410087, Romania. 2. “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Faculty of Biology and Geology; Kogălniceanu str.1, Cluj-Napoca 400084, Romania. 3. University of Oradea, Faculty of of History, Geography and International Relations, Department of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Fitts, Universităţii str.1, Oradea 410087, Romania * Corresponding author: S.D. Covaciu-Marcov, E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract. The south-western part of Mehedinţi County comprises many herpetofauna species, compared to most regions in Romania. This is how we managed to encounter 14 amphibian species (Salamandra salamandra, Lissotriton vulgaris, Triturus cristatus, Triturus dobrogicus, Bombina bombina, Bombina variegata, Pelobates fuscus, Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Hyla arborea, Pelophylax ridibundus, Pelophylax lessonae, Rana dalmatina, Rana temporaria) plus Pelophylax kl. esculentus and 15 reptile species (Emys orbicularis, Testudo hermanni, Ablepharus kitaibelii, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta viridis, Podarcis muralis, Podarcis taurica, Darevskia praticola, Anguis fragilis, Zamenis longissimus, Dolichophis caspius, Coronella austriaca, Natrix natrix, Natrix tessellata, Vipera ammodytes). Salamandra salamandra, Bombina variegata and Rana temporaria were identified at very low altitudes, lower than any other indication from Romania up to present. This is explained by the fact that mountain valleys, bearing here a typical aspect, reach all the way to the Danube, carrying with them the occurring species.