Caspian brook turtle
| Caspian brook turtle | ||||||||||||
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Caspian brook turtle ( Mauremys caspica ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Mauremys caspica | ||||||||||||
| ( Gmelin , 1774) |
The Caspian brook turtle ( Mauremys caspica ) is a species of brook turtle . It got its name from its distribution area in the countries east and south of the Caspian Sea .
features
The Caspian brook turtle has a dark belly and a back shell with light spots. It becomes 20 to 25 cm tall.
distribution
The Caspian brook turtle is found in Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. From the southern parts of Russia between the Caucasus and Caspian Sea to eastern Turkey and Iran.
For a long time, the West Caspian tortoise ( Mauremys rivulata ) was considered a subspecies of the Caspian brook tortoise under the name Mauremys caspica rivulata . Mauremys rivulata occurs only in a belt located to the west of the distribution area of Mauremys caspica , which extends from south-east Europe and Greece via western Turkey to Lebanon as well as to Israel and Syria.
Systematics
Three subspecies have been defined for the Caspian brook turtle, which reflect the range from north to south:
- East Caspian brook turtle ( Mauremys caspica caspica ) in the countries east of the Caspian Sea
- Persian brook turtle ( Mauremys caspica ventrimaculata ) in eastern Turkey and northern Iran
- Arabian brook turtle ( Mauremys caspica sevenrocki ) in southern Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Israel
protection
The Caspian brook turtle is listed by the European Union in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive and is therefore a species of community interest to be strictly protected, for whose preservation special protection areas must be designated by the member states.
