Bombina variegata (Linnaeus, 1758) in rain pools in the Carpathian Mountains (Slovakia)

Rain pools (pluviotelmata or puddles) are common, small and non-permanent aquatic ecosystems. Data on the use of rain pools by amphibian taxa in the Carpathian Mountains, especially in Slovakia, are rare. In this study we describe the occurrence of Bombina variegata (Linnaeus, 1758), which may use these small aquatic ecosystems as part of their complex life cycle or where they spend their larval period. The most important hydroperiodic factors affecting the vertebrate fauna were the volume and area of the rain pools, the presence (respectively the absence) of shade, water temperature, biotope structure and the presence of several chemical compounds (NO⁻₃, GH, KH, pH). This study confirms that micro-habitats, such as rain pools, may play an important role for suitable reproduction sites of B. variegata, as stated by several authors from the different countries and regions of its large distributional range. At the same time, data on the presence or absence of different taxa with important conservation status in the monitored habitat aid in the detection of species.