title: Diversity and distribution of reptiles in Romania.
abstract: The reptile fauna of Romania comprises 23 species, out of which 12 species reach here the limit of their geographic range. We compiled and updated a national database of the reptile species occurrences from a variety of sources including our own field surveys, personal communication from specialists, museum collections and the scientific literature. The occurrence records were georeferenced and stored in a geodatabase for additional analysis of their spatial patterns. The spatial analysis revealed a biased sampling effort concentrated in various protected areas, and deficient in the vast agricultural areas of the southern part of Romania. The patterns of species richness showed a higher number of species in the warmer and drier regions, and a relatively low number of species in the rest of the country. Our database provides a starting point for further analyses, and represents a reliable tool for drafting conservation plans.
authors.affiliation: University Ovidius Constanţa, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Agricultural Sciences, Al. Universităţii nr. 1, corp B, 900470, Constanţa, Romania.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cogălniceanu
authors.forename: Laurentiu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rozylowicz
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Székely
authors.forename: Ciprian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Samoilă
authors.forename: Florina
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stănescu
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tudor
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Székely
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iosif
keywords: Reptilia; biodiversity data; rarity; species distribution; species range; species richness