Micromammals (Insectivora; Rodentia) of "Valle dell'Inferno" (Rome) / Micromammiferi (Insectivora; Rodentia) della Valle dell'Inferno (Roma)

Abstract

Abstract A research on micromammals in the area of (in the north-west of Rome) was carried out. The study was based on a previous phytosociological survey which describes a Quercus suber population in the valley (a once larger residua1 of a roman cork-tree wood which is now included in the town). Specimens from Rodents ( Apodemus sylvaticus , Mus domesticus , Rattus rattus , R. norvegicus , Pitymys savii ) and Insectivores ( Crocidura suaveolens , Erinaceus europaeus ) were captured by live traps. Most of Insectivores specimens are represented by C. suaveolens . Generally C. suaveolens lives in sympatry with C. leucodon but no specimens of the latter were found in this area. Three different kinds of landscape are present in the Inferno valley, namely, the wood, the meadow, and the bottom valley (with high anthropic impact); we have compared these three landscapes with biotic indexes (index of faunistic affinity, index of biocoenotic affinity and index of environmental evaluation). We have also compared through the same indexes, the micromammal fauna of the Inferno valley with six other differently polluted localities in Latium, where animals were captured with the same live traps. This area retains its natura1 environment in despite of the high anthropic impact. Riassunto E stato effettuato uno studio sulla micromammalofauna terrestre della Valle dell'Inferno situata a nord-ovest di Roma. Lo studio e basato su una precedente indagine fitosociologica effettuata per la caratterizzazione vegetazionale di una sughereta un tempo molto estesa ed ora racchiusa nell'abitato cittadino. E stato pertanto possibile tracciare, tramite gli indici biotici, una correlazione tra microteriocenosi ed effetti dell'impatto antropico.