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The Aesculapian snake ( Zamenis longissimus) is a widespread colubrid species, being present in much of central and southern Europe, with isolated populations occuring as far east as Iran. In Romania, the species is known from most of the country's regions, although it has been reported from very few areas from the Moldova region (eastern and north-eastern Romania). Here we present three new records for Z. longissimus in Romanian Moldova, including the first record for the species in Botoșani County, the north-easternmost region of Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, snakes are among the most threatened vertebrate groups. The Moldavian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii moldavica) is a critically endangered subspecies of Vipera ursinii, a species which is also endangered throughout its entire fragmented European range. V. u. moldavica has been previously recorded from several locations in Eastern Romania but was only known to have survived in two main habitats. In this paper, we present the first field records of the Moldavian meadow viper from a habitat in which the species was previously known from a single dead specimen collected by a local person more than a decade ago. In total, five live specimens (two adult females, one adult male and two immature individuals) and one freshly-killed immature individual were found in this site. Habitat characteristics and conservation issues are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]