The study of the environmental features affecting amphibian communities is a priority task for addressing effective conservation initiatives. In the southern edge of the Apennines (Sila Massif, Calabria Region, Italy), we surveyed the distribution of amphibians in lotic freshwater habitats (eight rivers, 17 sampling stations, 87 transects) and recorded nine environmental variables, including the occurrence of potential predators (fish and Eurasian otter Lutra lutra), potentially affecting the distribution and breeding success of amphibian species. A total of seven amphibian species was recorded (75.9% of transects). Fish occurred in all rivers while the otter was found in four rivers (Amato, Lese, Neto, and Savuto). Illuminance and bank heterogeneity were the main factors affecting amphibian reproduction, while neither otter nor fish presence showed significant effects on the amphibian community. Overall, habitat complexity and coevolution history seemed to shape the distribution of amphibians and their breeding sites, while the ongoing recolonization of the study area by the otter is expected to have a negligible impact on the richness of the amphibian community.

This brief report is the first comparative study of a photo-identification catalogue of the Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) in the Western Ionian Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea). The positive match of two photo-identified individuals observed in two neighbouring areas in different and non-consecutive years represents the first record of Risso’s dolphin re-sightings across two Ionian sub-regions. This suggests potential inter-regional connectivity for the species, as reported in other sub-regions of the Mediterranean basin. Further, this supports the hypothesis that Risso’s dolphins use a large home range with seasonally different critical habitats, as suggested in previous studies carried out in the Western Ionian Sea.