Ioan Ghira

Babeş-Bolyai University | UBB · Department of Taxonomy and Ecology

The Meadow and Steppe viper, Vipera ursinii-renardi complex is a well-studied group that is divided into several morphological subspecies. In this study, we combine the analyses of two mitochondrial genes with 9 microsatellite markers to compare both phylogenetic signals. Whereas the signal is similar between both genomes within most subspecies, th...

Most cases of envenomation by common European vipers (Vipera berus) have not been reported to have neurotoxic manifestations. However, these manifestations have been demonstrated in some cases of envenomation by subspecies of V. berus, found in the Carpathian Basin region of south-eastern Europe. Here, we report the case of a 5-year-old girl from t...

The rare and endangered Vipera ursinii rakosiensis is a small sized (up to 60 cm) lowland steppe subspecies of the V. ursinii species group. Its distribution is strictly associated to the natural or semi natural steppe grassland remnants, and displays a similar insular distribution pattern. Up to now, the only living population of the subspecies wa...

Technical documentation - support for the guide with the method for assessing the current status of Triturus montandoni populations in Romania.

Technical documentation - support for the guide with the method for assessing the current status of Triturus vulgaris ampelensis populations in Romania.

Technical documentation - support for the guide with the method for assessing the current status of Podarcis muralis populations in Romania.

Technical documentation - support for the guide with the method for assessing the current status of Vipera ursinii rakosiensis populations in Romania.

Natural diets of anuran larvae vary widely in their relative amounts of nutrients. The proportion of these ingested nutrients has significant influence on larval and post-metamorphic performance. Here, we use the Common Toad to address the role of diet (exclusively carnivore, exclusively vegetarian and mixed) on growth and development of tadpoles a...

The decline of amphibian populations promoted ex situ conservation actions as one of the tools used to address this problem. Environmental enrichment techniques used in combination with the ex situ conservation protocols can increase the survival rate and the overall success of reintroduction programs. In this study we assessed the preference of po...

The book is the result of author’s eight years of field and lab research. 20 new localities for Vipera a. ammodytes subspecies were found in South-western Romania, and some morphological differences among the isolated populations were identified. Special attention was paid to Feeding, Shedding, Venom production, and Ethology of the nose-horned vipe...

Immune genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are among the most polymorphic genes in the vertebrate genome. Due to their polymorphic nature, they are often used to assess the adaptive genetic variability of natural populations. This study describes the first molecular characterization of 13 partial MHC class IIB sequences from three E...

The book provides details on the amphibians and reptiles of Community Interest occurring in Romania: distribution/range, monitoring methods, target areas, reporting to the European Commission the current conservation status of the species.

The present paper is intended to be an impulse for achievement of some studies on ticks that parasitize different reptile species in Romania. Such reports have increased lately in Europe, in the context of increased frequency of diseases that ticks can spread. In Romania there are currently very few data on this subject. However, recent information...

In the herein study we investigated the phylogeographical structure and genetic variability of the agile frog (Rana dalmatina) populations in the vicinity of the Carpathian Mountains, including the Transylvanian plateau and Northern Dobruja. The agile frog being on the IUCN Red List needs a special attention regarding its genetic variability. We ha...

Herein we present the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) based phylogeography of the dice snake (Natrix tessellata) in Eastern Europe and The Balkans. Eight haplotypes were identified. Phylogenetic reconstruction has showed 3 major clades: 1) Greece, 2) Balkans, Central and Eastern Europe, 3) Eastern Europe (Ukraine and Russia only). Our data are i...

In 4th September 2011 we identified 8 dead specimens of Dolichophis caspius in 7 localities, on a road from southern Romania, near the loess walls that border the meadow of Danube at north. Road mortality was recorded only in areas in which the road is located north of the Danube's meadow, in the high part of the loess walls, cutting off from the a...

Aim The aim of this study was to elucidate the phylogeographical pattern of taxa composing the Vipera ursinii complex, for which the taxonomic status and the dating of splitting events have been the subject of much debate. The objectives were to delimit potential refugia and to date splitting events in order to suggest a scenario that explains the...

The current paper is a synoptic review of the distribution and host associations of the 25 species of hard tick fauna (family Ixodidae) in Romania. In addition to a full literature survey, original data is presented, based on eight years of occasional or targeted sample collection. The literature data on geographical distribution was transposed dig...

The aim of this study was to elucidate the phylogeographical pattern of taxa composing the Vipera ursinii complex, for which the taxonomic status and the dating of splitting events have been the subject of much debate. The objectives were to delimit potential refugia and to date splitting events in order to suggest a scenario that explains the dive...

Immune genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are among the most polymorphic genes in the vertebrate genome. Due to their polymorphic nature, they are often used to assess the adaptive genetic variability of natural populations. This study describes the first molecular characterization of 13 partial MHC class IIB sequences from three E...

Dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) can reach exceptionally large population densities where local conditions permit. Here we report on a study of one large population from Histria, the southern-most area of the Danube Delta in Romania. There the dice snakes forage in the brackish waters of Lake Sinoe. Many snakes are visibly infected by parasitic nema...

An archaeological excavation site among ancient ruins in Histria, south-eastern Romania, that harbours several thousand dice snakes (Natrix tessellata), is the focus of various ongoing studies. The current work evaluates seasonal variation of gender specific movements. Seasonal movements were estimated from captures of adult snakes over four years....

In Romania, the dice snake (Natrix tessellata) has been, until recently omitted from any specific studies and its national distribution and ecology is only known from accounts in numerous dispersed papers which discuss the general distribution of the herpetofauna in several regions. Here we aim to present an updated review of the histori-cal and cu...

MHC genes are well characterized in mammalian and bird species however few data are available from reptile species, especially from snakes. Herein we report the identification of a 113 bps long sequence of the MHC class II B gene exon 2 in two Natricine species, Natrix tessellata (dice snake) and Natrix natrix (grass snake). Being too short our seq...

The different conditions from populated habitats induce important modifications in the feeding of the yellow-bellied toads. The differences affect both the number of consumed prey, the percentage abundance of the most important prey taxa and their origin from aquatic or terrestrial environment. Feeding is influenced both by the characteristics of t...

Aspects of the predator–prey relationship between dice snake, Natrix tessellata and gobiid fish infected with Eustrongylides excisus were studied in Lake Sinoe, Romania. A population of snakes residing here shows a high prevalence of subcutaneous larvae of this nematode. The hypothesis of the altered motility in infected fish leading to increased d...

Paedomorphosis is a widely distributed evolutionary change of salamanders and newts, where larval structures remain in adult animals due to hard conditions of the terrestrial environment (e.g. Semlitsch and Wilbur, 1989; Denoel et al., 2005a). This feature is considered to be both genetically and environmentally influenced in the choice to keep the...

The present paper presents the results of a study focused on one of the most important herpetofaunal areas from Romania, the Macin Mountains. Twelve amphibian (Triturus dobrogicus, Lissotriton vulgaris, Bombina bombina, Pelobates fuscus, Pelobates syriacus balcanicus, Hyla arborea, Bufo viridis, Bufo bufo, Pelophylax lessonae, Pelophylax ridibundus...

During an extensive study regarding the epidemiology of larval Eustrongylides infestation in a free-ranging endangered population of dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) from Histria, Romania, an adult female was euthanized to evaluate pathologic changes. Parasites appeared as nodules at various locations: in subcutaneous connective tissues, on the sero...

The evolution of viviparity in squamates has been the focus of much scientific attention in previous years. In particular, the possibility of the transition from viviparity back to oviparity has been the subject of a vigorous debate. Some studies have suggested this reversal is more frequent than previously thought. However, none of them provide co...

In Dobrudja we encountered 10 species of amphibians (Triturus dobrogicus, Bombina bombina, Hyla arborea, Pelobates fuscus, Pelobates syriacus, Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Rana dalmatina, Rana ridibunda, Rana lessonae), 16 species of reptiles (Emys orbicularis, Testudo graeca, Ablepharus kitaibelli, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta viridis, Lacerta trilineata,...

The ultra-structural study was carried out on fourth stage Eustrongylides sp. larvae collected form paratenic hosts represented by dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) from Histria (ConstanŃa county) in 2005. The SEM technique revealed the presence of 12 cephalic papillae, arranged in two circles. The inner circle with 6 papillae (two subdorsal, two sub...

Mosaic hybrid zones arise when ecologically differentiated taxa hybridize across a network of habitat patches. Frequent interbreeding across a small-scale patchwork can erode species differences that might have been preserved in a clinal hybrid zone. In particular, the rapid breakdown of neutral divergence sets an upper limit to the time for which...

Mosaic hybrid zones arise when ecologically differentiated taxa hybridize across a network of habitat patches. Frequent interbreeding across a small-scale patchwork can erode species differences that might have been preserved in a clinal hybrid zone. In particular, the rapid breakdown of neutral divergence sets an upper limit to the time for which...

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Based on a survey of 1046 localities from Transylvania distributional map for 15 species of amphibians (Salamandra salamandra, Triturus vulgaris, Triturus cristatus complex, T. alpestris, T. montandoni, Bombina variegata, B. bombina, Pelobates fuscus, Bufo bufo, B. viridis, Hyla arborea, Rana temporaria, Rana dalmatina, R. arvalis, R. esculenta com...

The lacertid lizard Lacerta vivipara is one of the few squamate species with two reproductive modes. We present the intraspecific phylogeny obtained from neighbor-joining and maximum-parsimony analyses of the mtDNA cytochrome b sequences for 15 individuals from Slovenian oviparous populations, 34 individuals from western oviparous populations of so...

Herein we report the characterization of cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI) partial sequence in two closely related European Rana species, Rana dalmatina and Rana temporaria. The sequences should be useful for both phylogenetic and phylogeographic in these two species.

This paper presents the results of herpetological investigations in Crigul Repede and BarcSu river basins. In these areas, l4 amphibian and 11 reptile species live. Based on the occurrence of the specimens, the degree of threatening of species was estimated as follows: l2oh are common, 44Yo arerare,2lYo are vulnerable,2lo/o are endangered and 4%oha...

Abstroct This paper presents the herpetofauna of the Someg river basín. 20 species were recorded, from which 12 are amphibians and 8 are reptiles. ll habitat types favourable for amphibians and 8 types for reptiles have been identified_in the mountain area of the Somegul Cald where 7 amphibian species and 6 reptile .p.i?., were found.The number of...