Comparative study of Spanish and Italian terrestrial small mammal coenosesfrom different biotopes in Mediterranean peninsular tip regions

A comparison of terrestrial small mammal coenoses belonging to nine differe nt biotopes in the tips of the Iberian and Italian peninsulas was carried o ut using the pitfall trapping method. The influence of both habitat type an d peninsular effect on composition of small mammal coenoses was analysed. I n Southern Italy, 203 specimens belonging to seven species were trapped: Su ncus etruscus (Savi, 1822), Crocidura suaveolens (Pallas, 1811), C. leucodo n (Hermann, 1780), Microtus savii (de Selys-Longchamps, 1838), Apodemus syl vaticus (L., 1758), A. flavicollis (Melchior, 1834) and Mus musculus domest icus Schwarz & Schwarz, 1943. In Southern Spain 428 specimens belonging to five species were trapped: Suncus etruscus, Crocidura russula (Hermann, 178 0), Microtus duodecimcostatus (de Selys-Longchamps, 1839), Apodemus sylvati cus and Mus spretus Lataste, 1883. The relative density of small mammals oc curring in the nine Spanish sampling stations was twice that recorded in th e Italian stations; however the number of species recorded in the different biotopes show similar mean values, ranging from three to five in Andalusia and from three to six in Calabria. Apodemus sylvaticus was the dominant sp ecies in the Calabrian stations, whereas Crocidura russula prevailed in And alusia. The biotic diversity values are very similar in the Calabrian and A ndalusian biotopes. By contrast, the Insectivora/Rodentia ratio was always higher in Andalusia. The more xerophytic biotopes showed greater similariti es between the communities in Southern Spain and Southern Italy, while the cooler biotopes differed between these two peninsulas.