Low alkaline bogs and damp woods among spring waters
The site represents the largest complex of wet freshwater vegetation and marshes of the region, with cladieti and low alkaline bog extensions. There are some rare stenoendemite points such as Armeria helodes, Centaurea forojulensis and Erucastrum palustre. There are also some edges of plains and hygrophilous woods (Alno-Ulmion). Among the bird species, there are Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) and Hen harrier (Circus cyaneus). Zootoca vivipara ssp. carniolica is mentioned here as a relict population, while the populations of Vipera aspis ssp. francisciredi are considered particularly important as they are mostly isolated. In the area, there also European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), Italian agile frog (Rana latastei), Italian crested newt (Triturus carnifex), Hyla (Hyla intermedia), Yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata), European polecat (Mustela putorius), Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus) and Arvicola terrestris italicus. Meles meles is sporadic, perhaps originating from the Tagliamento river, while the last documented Otters (Lutra lutra) date back to the sixties. In the area have been reported Daubenton’s bat (Myotis daubentonii), Geoffroy’s bat (Myotis emarginatus), Natterer’s bat (Myotis nattereri) and Pipistrellus kuhlii, which surely use the course of the Stella for their movements. The distribution of the fish fauna is conditioned by the large quantity of water, the low speed of the current, the low temperature and the high oxygen content. In this area, therefore, forms of slow water coexist such as Rutilus erythrophtalmus, Scardinius erythrophtalmus, Esox Lucius, Salmo [trutta] trutta, Barbus plebejus, Thymallus thymallus, Cottus gobio, Phoxinus phoxinus, Leuciscus souffia, and Cobitis taenia. The presence of some Po endemites is important: Lethenteron zanandreai, Sabanejewia larvata, Padogobius martensii, Knipowitschia punctatissima, and Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes). Among the insects it is worth mentioning the presence of Lucanus cervus, Coenonympha oedippus, Arytrura musculus, Vertigo angustior, Helix pomatia and Segmentina nitida, especially in the Virco, Flambro and Zarnicco peat bogs.
- The fact sheet
about the Site on:
(italian text)
