New Locality Records of Testudo graeca (L., 1758) in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Türkiye

Abstract

Objective: The literature does not clearly specify the locations inhabited by the spurthighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) from the eastern Black Sea coast of Türkiye. This study thus aimes to reveal new locality records for T. graeca in Trabzon province. Materials and Methods: Two adult male specimens were caught from the Darıca and Konaklar neighborhoods in the respective Akçaabat and Ortahisar districts. Some of the morphological characteristics of these specimens have been recorded using a digital caliper. After taking morphometric measurements, the tortoises were returned to their habitat. No anesthetic procedure was performed on the turtles. Results: Both the Darıca and Konaklar specimens have five vertebral scutes, 11 pairs of marginal scutes, and four pairs of costal scutes on their carapace. In addition, both specimens were seen to have one undivided supracaudal scute and one nuchal scute on their carapace. The Darıca specimen has a straight carapace length (SCL) of 208.19 mm, and plastron length (PL) of 188.08 mm while the Konaklar specimen has an SCL of 216.33 mm and a PL of 196.28 mm. Conclusion: The study compared its specimens’ the pholidosis and morphometric characteristics and color-pattern features with those of specimens reported in the literature. The morphological features of the Darıca and Konaklar specimens are similar to those for the samples of Testudo graeca ibera in the literature. The study’s findings concluded that the samples of Darıca and Konaklar belong to the T. g. ibera subspecies.

Keywords

• Pholidosis
• spur-thighed tortoise
• Trabzon
• distribution

References

1. Baran, İ. & Atatür, M. K. (1998). Türkiye HerpetoFaunası (Kurbağa ve Sürüngenler). Ankara, Türkiye: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Çevre Bakanlığı. google scholar
2. Baran, İ., Avcı, A., Kumlutaş, Y., Olgun, K., & Ilgaz, Ç. (2021). Türkiye Amfibi ve Sürüngenleri. Ankara, Türkiye: Palme Yayınevi. google scholar
3. Başoğlu, M. & Baran, İ. (1977). Türkiye Sürüngenleri. Kısım I. Kaplumbağa ve Kertenkeleler. Bornova-İzmir: Ege Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi, No. 76. google scholar
4. Escoriza, D., D^az-Paniagua, C., Andreu, A., & Hassine, J. B. (2023). Testudo graeca Linnaeus 1758 (Western Subspecies Clade: Testudo g. graeca, T. g. cyrenaica, T. g. marokkensis, T. g. nabeulensis, T. g. whitei) - Mediterranean Spur-thighed Tortoise, Moorish Tortoise, Libyan Tortoise, Moroccan Tortoise, Tunisian Tortoise, Souss Valley Tortoise. In A. G. J. Rhodin, J. B. Iverson, P. P. van Dijk, C. B. Stanford, E. V. Goode, K. A. Buhlmann & R. A. Mittermeier (Eds.), Conservation biology of freshwater turtles and tortoises: A compilation project of the IUCN/SSC tortoise and freshwater turtle specialist group (pp. 1-18). Chelonian Research Monographs, 5(16), 117. google scholar
5. Gür, H. (2016). The Anatolian diagonal revisited: Testing the ecological basis of a biogeographic boundary. Zoology in the Middle East, 62(3), 189-199. google scholar
6. Javanbakht, H., Ihlow, F., Jablonski, D., Siroky, P, Fritz, U., Rödder, D., Sharifi, M., & MikuHcek, P (2017). Genetic diversity and Quaternary range dinamics in Iranian and Transcaucasian tortoises. Biological Journal of Linnaean Society, 121(3), 627-640. google scholar
7. Lortet, L. (1887). Observations sur les tortues terrestres et paludines du bassin de la Mediterranee. Archives du Museum d’histoire naturelle de Lyon, 4, 1-26. google scholar
8. Mashkaryan, V., Vamberger, M., Arakelyan, M., Hezaveh, N., Carretero, M. A., Corti, C., Harris, D. J., & Fritz, U. (2013). Gene flow among deeply divergent mtDNA lineages of Testudo graeca (Linnaeus, 1758) in Transcaucasia. Amphibia-Reptilia, 34(3), 337-351. google scholar

9. MikuHcek, P, Landzik, D., Fritz, U., Schneider, C., & Siroky, P (2013). AFLP analysis shows high incongruence between genetic differentiation and morphology-based taxonomy in a widely distributed tortoise. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 108, 151-160. google scholar
10. Türkozan, O., Kiremit, F., Lavin, B. R., Bardakcı, F., & Parham, J. F. (2018). Morphological and mitochondrial variation of spur-thighed tortoises, Testudo graeca, in Turkey. Herpetological Journal, 28, 1-9. google scholar
11. Türkozan, O., Olgun, K., Wilkinson, J., Gillett, L., & Spence, J. (2005). A preliminary survey of Testudo graeca Linnaeus 1758 specimens from Central Anatolia, Turkey. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 29(3), 255-262. google scholar
12. Türkozan, O., Kiremit, F., Parham, J. F., Olgun, K., & Taşkavak, E. (2010). A quantitative reassessment of morphology-based taxonomic schemes for Turkish tortoises (Testudo graeca). Amphibia-Reptilia, 31(1), 69-83. google scholar
13. Türkozan, O., Javanbakht, H., Mazanaeva, L., Meiri, S., Korvilev, Y. V., Tzoras, E., Popgeorgiev, G., Shanas, U., & Escoriza, D. (2023). Testudo graeca Linnaeus 1758 (Eastern Subspecies Clades: Testudo g. armeniaca, Testudo g. buxtoni, Testudo g. ibera, Testudo g. terrestris, Testudo g. zarudnyi) - Armenian Tortoise, Zagros Tortoise, Anatolian Tortoise, Levantine Tortoise, Kerman Tortoise. In A. G. J. Rhodin, J. B. Iverson, P. P. van Dijk, C. B. Stanford, E. V. Goode, K. A. Buhlmann & R. A. Mittermeier (Eds.), Conservation biology of freshwater turtles and tortoises: A compilation project of the IUCN/SSC tortoise and freshwater turtle specialist group (pp. 1-33). Chelonian Research Monographs, 5(17), 120. google scholar
14. Van Dijk, P. P., Corti, C., Mellado, V. P. & Cheylan, M. (2004). Testudo graeca (Europe assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T21646A9305080. Accessed on 01 November 2023. google scholar