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Ecologica Montenegrina 42: 109-115 (2021) This journal is available online at: www.biotaxa.org/em http://dx.doi.org/10.37828/em.2021.42.7

A new record of the freshwater rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833) in the Ofkos river, : Conservation actions required

HARIS NICOLAOU

Department of Forests, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Cyprus. E-mail: [email protected]

Received 23 April 2021 │ Accepted by V. Pešić: 25 May 2021 │ Published online 29 May 2021.

Abstract A range extension of the native Balkan Mauremys rivulata is documented along the Ofkos river at the upper part of the Morfou plain, in Cyprus. Several individuals of both sexes and of different age, were caught using turtle net traps in late April 2021; different measurements were recorded, including length, width and weight. The area where the were discovered consists of deep ponds on the Ofkos riverbed, which maintain permanent and semi-permanent aquatic refugia, even during prolonged periods of drought. This is the 5th river location in Cyprus, where M. rivulata has been documented. It is assumed that this particular population has been isolated from other populations, since there is very little chance of frequent dispersal over land between the nearest existing populations of the Klimos and Pedieos rivers, respectively. Since the majority of this type of river in Cyprus rapidly dries out during the long drought season, this area is of high conservation value for M. rivulata, as well as for other aquatic and wetland . Therefore, it is of vital importance that this location falls within a proposed newly planned protected area.

Key words: Balkan terrapin, ponds, conservation, Cyprus.

Introduction

The freshwater turtle Mauremys rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833), commonly known as the Balkan terrapin or stripe-necked terrapin, is found from the Adriatic coast of the Balkan Peninsula through to the Aegean region, western and southern , southwards to Jordan and Palestine. In addition, it can also be found on several Aegean islands, as well as on and Cyprus (Mantziou and Rifai 2014). Although the species is tolerant of a variety of aquatic environments, being even present in brackish waters, its populations on many of the islands have declined. In this paper, information is furnished on the conservation relevance pertaining to Mauremys rivulata in Cyprus, detailing the discovery and survival status at this fifth area were the population is identified on the island. For this study, in situ research was carried out within the island’s UN demilitarized Buffer Zone, created after the 1974 invasion of Cyprus by Turkey which has divided the island into the Turkish occupied north and the south. This buffer zone covers about 6 percent of the island, while the Turkish-occupied North covers approximately 39% of the island. The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty over the island,

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NEW RECORD OF MAUREMYS RIVULATA IN THE OFKOS RIVER, CYPRUS except for two United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas (SBA); but it de facto controls only about 59% the island, mostly south of the buffer zone. The study area is located within the UN Buffer Zone on a stretch of land, along the Ofkos river, a tributary of the Serrahis river; parts of the river basin lie both north and south and within the Buffer Zone. In Cyprus, the Balkan terrapin is known to inhabit rivers with permanent pools and ponds ranging from sea level up to 420 m (above sea level, thereafter a.s.l.); yet its surviving populations are few and extremely localized. Until know the species is known to have populations at the Chrysochou River (Pafos), Pediaios and Klimos rivers (), and the Alykos river (Kotsiatis-Nicosia) (Nicolaou et. al. 2014). In recent years, several surveys showed that this species is absent from many ‘suitable’ wetland in Cyprus, even though it was more widespread in the past (Baier et al. 2009). Moreover, some Balkan terrapin records remain poorly documented or unverified, as the island’s political division and many military zones impede natural history investigations. Baier et al. (2009) identifies a few scattered locations of the species, presumably just north of the UN Buffer Zone; but geographical coordinates are not provided. In 2007, Göçmen and colleagues found Balkan terrapins in a territory north of the UN Buffer Zone and more specifically at Gonyeli reservoir, in addition to the well-known population near Nicosia city, in the Pediaios river (Göçmen et al. 2008). Other than this, there are no recently published data on other populations, in other areas north of the Buffer Zone. Despite the fact that the species is endemic to the Mediterranean basin and protected under the EU Habitats Directive (Annex II), the IUCN Red List categorises the species as “least concern” (LC), due to its extensive distributional range, at the regional level (Mantziou & Rifai 2014). At the national and local level, especially on several eastern Mediterranean islands, demands have been made requesting for a higher conservation status (e.g. Bayrakcý et al. 2016). The species is considered to be as ‘highly endangered’ in Cyprus (Sparrow & John 2016). Part of the problem concerns both continued habitat degradation of wetlands due to water stress caused by climatic variability and climate change, and collecting for the localized illegal pet trade (Baier et al. 2009). Coastal zone areas, wetlands and streams in Cyprus, have exhibited widespread degradation, with many species’ numbers declining due to anthropogenic pressures; one such species is the freshwater fish Salaria fluviatilis, which is presumed to be extinct (Zogaris et al. 2014). On the other hand, the exploration of the rivers and wetlands around Cyprus is still incomplete, as attested by numerous recent new records of aquatic (e.g. Tziortzis et al. 2014; Englezou et al. 2018).

The Study Area

The Ofkos river was selected for this survey due to information gathered from local residents’ citations, indicating that the freshwater turtle was common in the river some 50 years ago. This area is not accessible to most citizens of Cyprus and a special permission is needed to enter. The local residents of the Greek- Cypriot villages of and Denia have access to agricultural lands within the buffer zone, only since 1985. The use of land along the valley of the Ofkos river, includes scattered plantations of cereals, legume plants and other irrigated vegetables and citrus fruits. The Ofkos River stretches over 34km and is located between dry flat and undulating landscapes west of Nicosia (Figure 1). The river flows primarily westbound, during the wet winter season; it crosses the western central plain of Cyprus (Morfou basin) and is joined by Serrahis river, northwest of the town of Morfou. The Ofkos has two tributaries that flow into the river; one originates south of the village of Fotta (altitude 210m) and the other west of the now abandoned Nicosia International Airport (altitude 200m), also near the UN Buffer Zone. The two tributaries join up into one main stream just north of the village of Mammari and this main river is fed by small ephemeral tributaries. According to recent water quality measurements, there are high salinity levels, a phenomenon that is common in the inland rivers of the and Mesaoria plains of Cyprus. The Ofkos river annually receives 300 to 400 mm rainfall. It is alleged by the locals, that up until the 1960s, the upper part of the river was flowing continually all year round. Older residents of the nearby villages state that after the 1960s, the river stopped flowing during the summer months and just retained deep, stagnant ponds. During the time when the river had frequent flows there were records of the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla), inhabiting these areas. These eels were harvested by the surrounding villages and used as a food resource.

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Figure 1. The study area (green) and drainage network of the Ofkos and Serrahis rivers. Satellite image from Sentinel-2 cloudless - httpss2maps.eu by EOX IT Services GmbH_ Copernicus Sentinel data.

The valley of the river and its surrounding area hosts many important archaeological sites (several prehistoric settlements found at many locations along the valley), ranging from the Bay of Morfou to further inland towards the centre of the island; many of Early Bronze Age. It is noted that the pottery from the region of Filia is similar to the ceramics found in areas of Minor, with the development of settlements along the valley of Ofkos roughly chronologically coinciding with the end of the civilization of the Early Bronze Age in Asia Minor. The ecological and historical significance of the Ofkos river valley makes this area ideal for further natural history surveys.

Materials and Methods

A recent observational survey of suitable terrapin habitats near Denia and Mammari villages led to the documentation of the Balkan terrapins, which are found in river ponds along the upper Ofkos river (Fig. 2). Turtle net traps were placed in eight ponds along the Ofkos river within the boundaries of the village municipalities of Denia and Mammari (Fig. 3). These net traps were baited with cat food containing fish, as an ingredient. Before placing the bait into the traps, holes were created in the cans of cat food to allow better scent dispersal, once in the water. The traps were tied to anchored structures, such as rocks or trees on the river banks, ensuring that the traps were only partly submerged to allow any trapped animals to breathe. They were checked later in the day and any trapped individuals were measured and released back to the location they were collected from (Fig. 3). Measurements of total length (TL) were taken in centimeters, using a measuring tape; mass was weighed in grams to an accuracy of ± 1 g using a scale and each individual turtle was sexed.

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NEW RECORD OF MAUREMYS RIVULATA IN THE OFKOS RIVER, CYPRUS

Figure 2. Ponds where fresh water were trapped.

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Figure 3. Turtle trap used for the research (upper right and lower left). Trap with two trapped individuals (upper left).

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NEW RECORD OF MAUREMYS RIVULATA IN THE OFKOS RIVER, CYPRUS

Results

Nine individuals of M. rivulata were trapped near the village of Denia in Ofkos river, between 22-30th April 2021 (six females and three males). The length and weight measurements are displayed in Table 1. M. rivulata individuals were observed in a total of six ponds out of the eight that were sampled.

Table 1. Standard measurements and counts of M. rivulata trapped in Ofkos river.

Individual Sex Weight (gr) Measurements (cm) 1 F 1010 18.1 W x 21.2 L 2 F 760 17.2 W x 19.4 L 3 F 390 13.8 W x 16 L 4 F 380 13.6 W x 15.8 L 5 F 410 14.1 W x 16.5 L 6 F 620 16.4 W x 18.7 L 7 M 730 16.9 W x 18.9 L 8 M 410 14 W x 16.3 L 9 M 960 17.9 W x 21 L

Discussion

Cyprus has a geography of long biogeographical isolation. After the Messinian salinity crisis (approximately 5.3 million years ago), the island was isolated from the adjacent Anatolian mainland, with the Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations not allowing the re-establishment of land bridges. The phylo-geography of Cypriot inland aquatic animals is of particular interest, with the local Balkan pond terrapins being of exceptional interest. A review of the Mediterranean Mauremys has shown that the insular population of Cyprus constitutes a distinct genetic unit related to the populations found in and Jordan and differing from the southern Anatolian populations that are geographically in closer proximity (Vamberger et al. 2014). Since it is presumed that terrapins can disperse through marine waters, founding populations may have arrived from southeast Levantine shores. Most rivers and wetland habitats on Cyprus are fragmented and are ephemeral or intermittent; many are still poorly researched for their biodiversity (Gücel et al. 2012; Markogianni et al. 2014). The documentation of a thriving population of Balkan terrapins in the Ofkos river is an important contribution to conservation planning in Cyprus. These findings demonstrate that M. rivulata has a fragmented distribution within a spatially scarce river wetland habitat in Cyprus. The population of the Ofkos river is geographically distanced from the other populations of the Pedieos and Klimos rivers. There is a distance of approximately 15 km between Ofkos river and the rivers of Pedieos and Klimos, and there is no connection between the aforementioned two rivers and Ofkos river. The conditions of the river wetlands in Cyprus are influenced by climatic variability, created by prolonged periods of drought that may lead to catastrophic habitat desiccation resulting in local extirpation. Despite very few surviving populations, the Balkan terrapin could make a ‘comeback’ in Cyprus, in the future, if adequate habitat and dispersal corridors are conserved. Up until the late 1970s, DDT was widely used in Cyprus to control mosquito populations. It is almost certain that the widespread use of DDT played a pivotal role for the loss of a large proportion of the river biodiversity in Cyprus (Zogaris et al. 2012), including species located along the Ofkos river. There is anecdotal evidence that after the cessation of DDT, some aquatic species have begun to disperse widely on the island. Despite the negative influence of the water stress and drought effects, special conservation management can help aquatic wildlife. Some semi- artificial water retention measures may also assist wildlife along the Ofkos river. In 2013, a low artificial weir in the Ofkos was approved by the president of Denia village. It was witnessed that the weir set up has helped to maintain permanent pools of water along the river, an action favouring the wildlife of the surrounding area, including the target species of this study, M. rivulata. It is strongly recommended that the Ofkos river, including all suitable river habitat to be declared as a ‘protected area’, as soon as it is feasibly possible in to protect and manage scarce wildlife habitats, particularly the study area’s riverine landscape. The entire river area, where the M. rivulata population is

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Acknowledgements This research was supported by the LIFE IP Physis (LIFE 18 IPE/CY/000006). We thank the President of Denia village Christakis Panayiotou for all his support and fieldwork assistance; Vassiliki Vlami for the cartography and Christina Baldwin for her assistance.

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