Non-volant mammals of the ‘Lago di Tarsia’ Regional Nature Reserve and Special Conservation Area (IT93100055; Cosenza, Southern Italy)

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In this study we improved the knowledge on terrestrial mammals (excluding Chiroptera) of the ‛Lago di Tarsia’ Regional Nature Reserve (Special Conservation Area; Cosenza; Southern Italy), collecting a large amount of both direct and indirect original data (including road kills, small mammal trap catches, owl pellets, and camera traps), and bibliographic ones. We obtained 424 records belonging to 23 taxa classified at species level. Hystrix cristata, Vulpes vulpes and Martes sp. were the taxa with the highest number of records (> 10%). Sciurus meridionalis, Martes foina, Glis glis, Apodemus cfr. flavicollis, Lepus europaeus, Talpa romana, Rattus cfr. rattus, Arvicola italicus were the taxa with the lowest number (<1%). Almost half of the records have been obtained by indirect traces (hairs, excrements, fingerprints, burrows, etc.). Records from owl pellets represented an important percentage. Notwithstanding the small size of the study area, the high environmental heterogeneity allows the co-occurrence of a high number of species, including specialized taxa (e.g., forest mammals, mustelids and Soricomorpha). Some species, occurring in the neighbouring areas, although not recorded in our study (e.g. Sorex spp., Neomys sp., Elyomis quercinus), could be confirmed improving the research effort. Further studies are necessary in this regard, also focusing on the role of this reserve as dispersal corridor for rare carnivores, occurring in the massifs and rivers neighbouring to the Reserve (e.g. Lutra lutra and Canis lupus).
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