New Data on the Tetrapod Fauna of Lyulin Mts., Bulgaria

Lyulin Mountain is located near the capital city of Sofia, but its fauna is relatively poorly studied. It offers a wide variety of habitats, which suggests the possible presence of many species of vertebrates. Older preliminary studies show that some of them are species of national and European importance. Our survey was conducted in 2021, between April and September. Transects were walked for direct visual or vocal observations of amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, or traces of their presence. A total of 12 species of amphibians and reptiles were observed during the current study. The most common species were the green lizard (Lacerta viridis), the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) and the yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata). 46 species of birds were registered, with the Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), Common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) and Common blackbird (Turdus merula) being the most common. 11 species of wild mammals were documented, including the endangered in Bulgaria pine marten (Martes martes). The most common and widely distributed mammals were the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The results of our study demonstrate that Lyulin Mts. hosts a large diversity of vertebrates and needs to be studied in more detail to aid their effective management and conservation.