Pelophylax lessonae (Amphibia) in Râul Doamnei, Argeş County, Romania. How have we arrived here?

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1 Biharean Biologist (2010) Vol. 4, No.1, Pp.: P-ISSN: , E-ISSN: Article No.: Pelophylax lessonae (Amphibia) in Râul Doamnei, Argeş County, Romania. How have we arrived here? Severus D. COVACIU-MARCOV 1, *, István SAS 1 and Alexandru ILIEŞ 2, * 1. University of Oradea, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology; Universităţii str.1, Oradea , Romania. 2. University of Oradea, Faculty of of History, Geography and International Relations, Department of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning, Universităţii str.1, Oradea , Romania * Corresponding author s S.D. Covaciu-Marcov: scovaciu@uoradea.ro, A. Ilies: ilies@uoradea.ro Abstract. In the summer of 2009 we identified a new Pelophylax lessonae population in the southern part of Romania. It lies at 683 m altitude, upstream of Nucşoara locality, in the hydrographic basin of Râul Doamnei, which is tributary to Argeş River. The habitat is represented by a bogging area formed at the level of the main course of the river, following human activities. The presence of the species in the area is probably a consequence of its survival in a secondary glacial refuge situated at the level of the hydrographic basin of Argeş, refuge which is also used by other species. Key words: Pelophylax lessonae, high altitude, secondary glacial refuge, Argeş River, southern Romania. Pelophylax lessonae is the rarest form from the green frog complex present in Romania (Sas 2009a). After the classical herpetological literature from Romania, the species is present in only 11 localities (Cogălniceanu et al. 2000). More and more data have been gathered in the past years, regarding the distribution of the species in the country. Thus, presently most of the localities and areas in which the species is continuously distributed in Romania are found in the north-western part of the country (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2007). Another region in which P. lessonae is well represented is the northern part of Moldavia (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2006a, 2008a, Strugariu et al. 2006, 2008a). Recently, some populations were signalled in northern Dobrudja (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2006b, Strugariu et al. 2008b, Székely et al. 2009). The most surprising populations of the species from the country are the ones from Mehedinţi County (Covaciu- Marcov et al. 2008b, 2009a). These seem to be isolated from the rest of the species populations from the country, being present in atypical habitats (Covaciu- Marcov et al. 2008b) and in unusual chromatic variations (Sas 2009b). The presence of the populations from Mehedinţi was put upon the basis of the existence in the region of a secondary glacial refuge for the species (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2008b). The problem of the main distribution areas of the species seemed thus basically solved in Romania. However, in the summer of 2009, on 20 th August, we identified a new population of P. lessonae in an area situated at a distance of the previously known populations. It is found at the level of the hydrographic basin of Râul Doamnei, tributary to Argeş, in the higher part of Argeş County, Romania (Fig.1). The species was accidentally encountered, during that period we were studying the yellow-bellied toads from the level of an artificially formed bogging area on the main course of Râul Doamnei. Luckily, we noticed the back of a green frog that was too yellow. Afterwards, we managed to capture 16 green frogs. From these, four were P. lessonae, five were P. ridibundus and seven belonged to the hybrid P. esculentus. Thus, from the previously described population systems (Tunner & Heppich-Tunner 1992), the R.E.L. system is present in the area. The habitat (Fig.2) of the green frogs is situated at 683m altitude, this being the highest altitude from Romania at which P. lessonae (Fig.3) has been identified so far. All of the captured individuals that were released after having been determined, had the colour and biometric characters typical to the forms at which they were attributed to. We also observed other individuals in the habitat, but we did not manage to capture them. The population is found upstream of Nucşoara village, being bordered to the east by Iezer Mountains, to the west by Ghiţu Mountains and to the north by Făgăraş Mountains (Posea & Badea 1984). The habitat is atypical for the species requirements, which is generally attached to the wide-field-bogging areas, being mainly present in the forestry marshes (Rybacki & Berger 1994, Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2007, 2009b). Therefore, in Râul Doamnei P. lessonae is present in a flowing-bogging area, formed as a result of an old gravel exploitation from the riverbed. This rose a one- Biharean Biologist, Oradea, Romania, Oradea, Romania

2 84 Covaciu-Marcov, S.D. et. al. Figure 1. The distribution record of Pelophylax lessonae in the hydrographic basin of Râul Doamnei. (map source Cucu 1972, modified) Figure 2. The studied habitat in the hydrographic basin of Râul Doamnei. Figure 3. Indiviual of Pelphylax lessonae from the studied habitat.

3 Pelophylax lessonae in Râul Doamnei, Argeş County, Romania 85 metre-high rock dam, which separated for several tens of meters the respective bogging area from the main riverbed. The bogging area is also fed by a permanent stream, beside the water entrance. Due to the slower speed of the water than that of the river, on the shores of the bogging area there is amphibious vegetation and even aquatic one in the water, fact which enables the frogs to hide. The initial substratum was a rocky one, being a typical riverbed from the mountainous sector. Afterwards, it was partially covered by sand and silt, once with the decrease of the water speed. In Romania, the species was identified only occasionally in the mountainous streams with a rocky substratum (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2008b). The identification of the species in the basin of Argeş raises questions regarding its distribution in the region and its general distribution in the country. This is seen through the fact that the population, or the group of populations, appear to be completely separated of other conspecific populations, although the species was recently identified in the neighbouring area, in Cozia Mountain (Iftime & Iftime 2007) and older records exist from Govora (Vancea et al 1989). The respective populations, together with the ones from Nucşoara, with which their connection is disputable, seem to be separated from all of the other populations from Romania. Thus, eastwards of the studied region, the herpetofauna southwards of Iezer Mountains has been recently investigated and only P. ridibundus was identified in the similar altitudes areas, this being a rare presence (Covaciu-Marcov et al. manuscript in preparation). Meanwhile, only P. ridibundus is rarely present to the west, alongside Jiului Gorge (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2009c). The studied area is bordered to the north by Făgăraş Mountains, therefore a zone excluded for the green frogs, due to the high altitudes. The species has not been recorded in the southern part, where the altitude is gradually descends towards the plains (Cogălniceanu et al. 2000). Thus, the explanation of the species presence at Nucşoara can not take into consideration the present conditions. The situation must be interpreted through the mechanism offered in the case of the populations from Mehedinţi (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2008b), and meanwhile, through the special zoogeographic scenario generally characteristic to Argeş region. The populations or the group of populations probably represent relict ones, surviving in a secondary refuge, as the one from Mehedinţi. These populations did not leave the refuge after the warming of the climate. In other cases as well, the groups belonging to refuges situated in the southern part of a species area have never wandered too much northwards (Magri et al. 2006). In the case of the population from Râul Doamnei, the situation is even more complicated due to the presence northwards of Făgăraş Mountains, therefore the species has practically nowhere to go. It cannot move southwards and has no reason to do so, because once with the warming of the climate the only possible migration direction was northwards, which was blocked by the mountains. Therefore these populations practically became trapped in the refuge. Anyhow the P. lessonae populations from southern Romania are situated very closely to the general southern area of the species, at least the populations from Mehedinţi represent the absolute south-eastern limit of its area (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2008b). The premise of the existence of a secondary refuge of the species in the area of the hydrographic basin of Argeş must not be surprising. Other species connected to the aquatic medium also probably had their glacial refuge in the region. First of all, it is the case of Romanichthys valsanicola, endemic species and gender in the area (Dumitrescu et al. 1957). The species definitely survived during the glacial periods in Argeş Basin, presently being distributed only in Vâlsan River, the records from Râul Doamnei being considered uncertain (Bănărescu 2005). Meanwhile, remaining to the fish from Argeş basin, Cottus transsilvaniae, a more recently described species with a limited area in the region (Freyhof et al. 2005), probably had refuge here. Among the amphibians, there is a species that probably had a glacial refuge in the area of the rivers tributary to Argeş. The case is about Lissotriton montandoni, recently identified in the upper sector of Râul Târgului, where it is found at the extreme south-western limit of its area (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2009d). Close by, in the area of Curburii Carpathians, the refuge of a Bombina variegata group has been recently identified (Hofman et al. 2007). Therefore, we can also add P. lessonae to this list. However, one can also wonder why each species is present only in a certain tributary of the river Argeş, for example Lissotriton montandoni has been intensely searched westwards of Râul Târgului river basin and has not been identified (Covaciu-Marcov et al. 2009d). The fact is probably the consequence of the fragmentation of the refuge from the region in different sectors for each species, according to their own ecological requirements. Probably not all of the species found optimum conditions on all of the tributaries and thus survived on only some of them, where they found proper conditions. The fragmentation of classical refuges in secondary ones has been recently demonstrated in the case of the Iberic refuge (Gomez & Lundt 2006). In the past years, it has been proved that many species have survived the glacial periods in several refuges (Babik et al. 2005, Magri et al. 2006, Ursenbacher et al. 2008, Liepelt et al. 2009). Thus,

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