Studio dei micromammiferi terricoli all'interno del Parco Natura Viva e in aree limitrofe (Bussolengo, VR). Study of terrestrial micromammals in the "Parco Natura Viva " and neighbouring areas (Bussolengo, province of Verona, Italy).

Aims: We studied the terrestrial micromammals living in the “Parco Natura Viva” and in some surrounding areas, near Bussolengo (province of Verona). Animals were captured alive by non selective, Ugglan-type traps, which allow the imprisonment of multiple specimens at a time. We identified 5 terrestrial mammal species, 3 Rodentia and 2 Insectivora: Wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus, Brown rat Rattus norvegicus, Yellow-necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis, Lesser white-toothed shrew Crocidura suaveolens and Bi-coloured white-toothed shrew Crocidura leucodon. The Wood mouse was found widely spread (310 contacts) both inside and outside the park, in wooded and meadow areas, occupied mostly by neglected grasslands and shrubs and next to an unmanaged wood strip. The Yellow-necked mouse was found only in one out of 11 surveyed areas (13 captures), characterized by xeric-termophile shrub species and butcher’s broom undergrowth. The Brown rat (19 contacts) was detected both in areas outside the park and on internal but impoverished ones (as those near the dunghill). Lesser white-toothed shrew (5 contacts) and Bi-coloured white-toothed shrew (1 contact) were found only outside the park or near its boundaries.