Faunistic review of amphibians in protected areas of Ukrainian Roztochia

Abstract

Background. Study of amphibian fauna as a necessary component of ecosystems is always relevant and requires a regular renewal of information, especially in protected areas. We conducted a field investigation of amphibians, a literature review and an inventory of the collections of herpetological funds in relation to three protected areas: the Roztochia Biosphere Reserve, the Yavorivskyi National Park, and the Cholgini Ornithological Reserve. Materials and Methods. The field study was performed by classical methods: route method with manual catching and with herpetological nets, vocalization method, sampling of amphibians crushed on the road, and catching individuals with frog fences. We also analyzed the literature and amphibian collections in the Zoological Museum of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Results. According to the available literature, the amphibian fauna of these three areas under protection is similar and typical of this region. The results of our field research slightly differ from the literature data, thus, there is a need for further studies. On the study areas, we found 12 species of amphibians, which is more than half of the number of amphibian species in Ukraine, in particular: Smooth Newt Lissotriton vulgaris, Great Cres­ted Newt Triturus cristatus, Fire-bellied Toad Bombina bombina, Eastern Tree Frog Hyla orientalis, Common Spadefoot Toad Pelobates fuscus, Common Toad Bufo bufo, Green Toad Bufotes viridis, Common Frog Rana temporaria, Moor Frog Rana arvalis, Marsh Frog Pelophylax ridibundus, Edible Frog Pelophylax esculentus and Pool Frog Pelophylax lessonae. We detected 2 species of Caudata and 10 species of Anura. 10 species of amphibians were found in the Roztochia Biosphere Reserve, 5 species – in the Yavorivskyi National Park, and 9 species – in the Cholgini Ornithological Reserve. Conclusions. According to the field results, 4 species inhabit all three protected areas – Common Toad, Eastern Tree Frog, Marsh Frog and Edible Frog. A relatively small variety of amphibians found in the Yavorivskyi National Park can be due to the homogeneity of habitats and a proximity of one of the largest military proving grounds in Europe, which limits amphibians in choice of the reproductive and trophic habitats. These habitats deserve special attention because of their fast degradation for the last 10 years. Keywords: amphibians, fauna, protected areas, Ukrainian Roztochia, the Roztochia Biosphere Reserve, the Yavorivskyi National Park, the Cholgini Ornithological Reserve