First in-depth herpetological surveys of the Vulture Regional Park (Basilicata, Italy), reveal a new diversity hotspot for Southern Italy

Abstract

The present dataset was compiled during two field surveys (first one between March and August 2024; second one between March and September 2025) and integrated with records derived from the citizen science initiatives. It includes presence data for 11 Amphibian species (total records: 309) and 14 Reptile species (total records: 468) within the study area, encompassing the Vulture Regional Park and adjacent territories. Field surveys were held implementing V.E.S. (visual encounter surveys), active search in potential breeding sites and acoustic surveys. Occurrence data were subjected to spatial thinning using a minimum distance of 100 meters to reduce spatial autocorrelation: going from 779 observations in the original database to 649. Environmental data were sourced from the “La Carta della Natura d’Italia” (Bagnaia et al., 2009) - information system while references about altitude were extracted throughout the Geographic Information System. Exclusively for what concerns amphibians a further detail was considered in the dataset: the type of breeding site (natural lotic, natural lentic, artificial).

With Southern Italy in general, and Basilicata in particular, standing out for the low number of scientific contributions focusing on Amphibians and Reptiles, the dataset presented here provides a substantial contribution to improving current knowledge of these two taxa.

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18109168