Land Snail Fauna of “Porţile de Fier” (“Iron Gates”) Nature Park (Banat, Romania)

The paper presents an analysis of terrestrial mollusc fauna of the “Iron Gates” Nature Park. Various types of habitats (e.g. forests, rocks, riparian areas) and substrates (e.g. limestone, conglomerate, crystalline schist) were analyzed. A total of 45 species of terrestrial gastropods were identified in 17 sampling points, four of which are mentioned for the first time in the area. Six other species cited in the literature were not found. Limestone substrate allows the development of large populations of terrestrial gastropods, but the specific diversity is larger when it is associated with a forest habitat. The current legal and illegal exploitation of limestone threatens the mollusc communities associated with this type of habitat. The subsequent erosion process and the low mobility of these animals make their colonization of habitats difficult.