West Caspian Tortoise
| West Caspian Tortoise | ||||||||||||
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West Caspian Tortoise |
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| Mauremys rivulata | ||||||||||||
| ( Valenciennes , 1833) |
The West Caspian tortoise ( Mauremys rivulata ), also known as the Balkan river tortoise , Eurasian river tortoise or East Mediterranean river tortoise, is a species of river tortoise ( Mauremys ), which is sometimes also regarded as a subspecies of the Caspian river tortoise ( Mauremys caspica ). The West Caspian tortoise is also kept as a pet .
Taxonomy
So far, the West Caspian brook turtle has been viewed as a subspecies of the Caspian brook turtle , but in 1997 Uwe Fritz published something on the subject in which he described the previous Mauremys caspica rivulata based on some characteristics as a separate species and at the same time divided the other species, Mauremys caspica into three subspecies , namely the nominate form M. c. caspica and M. c. ventrimaculata and M. c. sevenrocki .
Distribution and occurrence
The western Caspian tortoise is found in Greece, southeastern Europe, western Turkey, Israel, and Syria.
It lives there as a pond turtle in and around fresh water, comparable to the European pond turtle ( Emys orbicularis ), which is not closely related in Germany and which shares part of its large range with this species.
The West Caspian tortoise is also found in man-made and even in polluted waters, but the threat of habitat change poses a threat to the species.
Recent research suggests that the West Caspian tortoise is also able to survive longer sea voyages. According to analyzes by German scientists, turtles that live spatially far apart have an almost identical genetic pattern.
Way of life
activity
According to observations in Jordan, the West Caspian brook turtle is usually active in the mornings and afternoons, while it usually sunbathes at noon and is inactive in the mud on the bottom of the water at temperatures around 12 ° C.
food
Mauremys rivulata is omnivorous. Insects, carrion, snails, amphibians as well as their spawn and the like are eaten, but also plants such as algae. They also take on unnatural foods such as pasta.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Uwe Fritz: On the systematics of West Asian-Southeast European brook tortoises (genus Mauremys). In: Zoological treatises of the Tierkundemuseum Dresden. Volume 49, Issue 2, Dresden 1997, pp. 223-260.
- ^ A b Lina B. Rifai, Zuhair S. Amr: Morphometrics and biology of the Striped-Necked Terrapin, Mauremys rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833), in Jordan (Reptilia: Testudines: Geoemydidae). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Zoological treatises. 2004, ISSN 0375-5231 , p. 177 (observations from the Jordan University of Science & Technology, PDF)
- ↑ M. Vamberger, H. Stuckas, D. Ayaz, P. Lymberakis, P. Široký, U. Fritz: Massive transoceanic gene flow in a freshwater turtle. In: Zoologica Scripta. April 3, 2014, doi: 10.1111 / zsc.12055
- ↑ Manfred Rogner: The Caspian turtle. In: The aquarium. 2, 199, p. 62.
literature
- Uwe Fritz: On the systematics of West Asian-Southeast European brook turtles (genus Mauremys). In: Zoological treatises of the Tierkundemuseum Dresden. Volume 49, Issue 2, Dresden 1997.
- Lina B. Rifai, Zuhair S. Amr: Morphometrics and biology of the Striped-Necked Terrapin, Mauremys rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833), in Jordan (Reptilia: Testudines: Geoemydidae). In: Zoological treatises. 2004, ISSN 0375-5231 .
- Hartmut Wilke: My turtle and I. Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-7742-1264-3 (a pet guide for turtles).
