Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 2
Written by Florin PRUNAR, Adorian ARDELEAN, Mihaela FERICEAN, Ana-Maria VÎRTEIU, Silvia PRUNAR
Carabus hampei is a Natura 2000 species, primarily distributed within the inner Carpathian arc, predominantly in the hilly areas, but also, albeit in small, often isolated populations, found in alpine regions and lowland areas of Romania. Distinguishing it from Carabus rothi, Carabus incomptus, and Carabus comptus remains challenging, as morphological criteria are not always sufficient for reliable differentiation. In most cases, geographic distribution is used as a distinguishing criterion, but this is only effective in areas where the species' ranges do not overlap. The species identified as hampei in the Apuseni Mountains is morphologically difficult to distinguish from the alpine form of comptus, which occurs in Banat. Previous reports of hampei in this area are outdated, and our attempts to locate the species over the past decade were unsuccessful until 2021. A morphological comparison between hampei from the Apuseni Mountains and comptus was conducted to distinguish the two species. The confirmation of hampei in the Apuseni Mountains highlights the necessity for intensifying habitat inventory efforts in this region. The morphological findings should be further validated through future molecular genetic analyses.
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