On the Possible Occurrence of the Marginated Tortoise, Testudo

208 CgEr-oNrnN CoNSERVATToN AND Btolocv, Volume 4, Nuntber I - 2001

l:132-142. tification was incorrect, or else that the specimen had ERxsr, C.H. 1970. The status of the painted tuftle. Chn,serll1,c ltictct, been transported there by man. in Tennessee and Kentucky. J. Herpetol. 4:39-45. The marginated tortoise occurs in southern and cen- GrLprN, M.E. AND SouLE, M.E. 1986. Minimurn viable populations: tral Greece as far north as the Vermion Oros (Loumbourdis processes of species extinction. In: Soul6, M.E,. (Ed.), Conserva- and Kattoulas, 1983 ) and on several Aegean islands tion Biology: An Evolutionary-Ecological Perspective. Sunderland, including Skyros and Kyra Panagia, in the Northern Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates, pp. 19-34. the IvERsoN, J.B. AND Svttu. G.R. 1993. Reprodurctive ecology of the Sporades, and Euboea as well as smaller islands in (Dirnitropoulos, painted turlle (Chn'serrr-\,ri' ltictct) in the Nebraska sandhills and Argo-Saronic Gulf 1985). It has been across its range. Copeia 1993:l-21. introduced on Sardinia and Tombola in southern Italy LtNnEvnN, P.V. l99l . A comparative spottin-e-scope study of the (Honegger, 1981; Kock and Storch, 197 9). The distance distribution and relative abundance of river cooters (Pseuclelr?.]'s from the Ktigtik Menderes Delta where the single re- cortcirtrta) in westem Kentucky and southem Mississippi. Chelo- ported Turkish specimen was found to the nearest known nian Conservation and Biolo-qy 2:318-383. insular site of the species, Paros (Dimitropoulos ,, 1985) is LrNoEvnN, P.V. 1998. Of deadwood and map turtles (Graptenlls): an nearly 250 km. analysis of species status for five species in three river drainages In the course of reachin-e maturity, T. marginata using replicated spotting-scope counts of basking tr-rftles. Linnaeus undergoes dramatic ontogenetic chan-ge, such that juve- Fund research report. Chelonian Conseruation and Biology 3: 131 -l4l . LrNnEvnN, P.V. 1999. Surveys of basking rnap tuftles Grapter,t-\'.s spp. niles are often confused with other species, even by in three river drainages and the impoftance of deadwood abun- professional herpetologists. There is no hint of the diag- dance. Biol. Conserv. 88:33-42. nostic posterior marginal flare in hatchlings and many SouLe, M.E. (Ed.). 1987. Viable Populations for Conservation. juveniles. The feature that hatchlings and adults have in Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press ,206 pp. common is the presence of paired triangular dark blotches TrNrcLe, D.W., CoNcooN, J.D., AND RosEN, P.C. 1981. Nesting fre- on the plastron scutes, from the pectorals to the anals quency and success: implications for the demography of painted (Bour, 1983). The interpectoral seam is long, approach- tuftles. Ecology 62: I 426- I 432. ing even exceeding the length the interfemoral. Voct, R.C. 1980. New methods for trapping aquatic turtles. Copeia or of Typically but not universally, T. ntarginata lacks thigh 1980:368-37 I . spurs, and although the coloration of the carapace varies Received: 22 October 2000 considerably, the large carapace scutes rarely have a dark Reviewed: 26 August 2001 central blotch but tend to be pale in the center, surrounded by Ret,ised and Accepted: 25 September 2001 contrasting dark pigment. In some adult specimens, the carapace may be entirely black (Bour, 1983). Methods. In this study, the estuary of the Ktigtik o 200, o, .iiliiliifl ?:3l;:r,zJoun,ro,inn Menderes River- and the nearby wetlands located close to ancient Ephesus (SelEuk) (Fig. 1) were investigated for the On the Possible Occurrence of the Marginated presence of tortoises. The research area was visited two Tortoise, Testudo marginatArin Turkey times, in August and September. We investigated areas in the vicinity of the ancient city of Ephesus, theZeytinkoy and Oeuz TUnrozANl, Yusur KuMLUTAS2, Barutgu regions, as well as Meryemana and Belevi. Tortoises were examined in the field and released AND lretz2 QErrN after the following measurements had been taken. SCL (straight carapace length): straight-line measurement I Adncm Menderes Unit,ersitesi, Fen-Edebil,ctT Fakiiltesi, from the outermost projection of the nuchal to the outer- Biyoloji Boliintii, 090I0 Aydut, Turkev most projection of the supracaudals; MW (median width): I Fax: 90-256-2 ] 3-5379; E-ntail : oguz.turkozan@ turk.netl ; 2Dokuz E),ltit Universitesi, Buca Egitim Fakiiltesi, Bivoloji straight-line measurement from the center of the cara- Bdlihnii, 35 I 50 Buca-lzmir, Turkev pace; MWM (maximum width at marginals): straight- line measurement between the widest section of the The possible occurrence of the marginated tortoise, marginals;CH (carapace height): maximum height within Testudo marginata Schoepff, I792, in Turkey was first the bridge area parallel to horizontal level; PL (plastron reported by Brinckmeier et al. ( 1989) from the vicinity of length): straight-line measurement from the outermost the ancient city of Ephesus, 80 km from Vilayetlzmir, in projection of the gulars to the outermost projection of the western part of Turkey. They based their report on a anals; PW (plastron width): maximum width across the single specimen, without providing an illustration or abdominals; GuL: length of gular scute at mid-seam; detailed description, and the fate of this specimen was HuL: length of humeral scute at mid-seam; PeL: length not mentioned. The area in which the specimen was of pectoral scute at mid-seam; AbdL: length of abdomi- found, the Ktigiik Menderes Delta, has been visited by nal scute at mid-seam; FemL: length of femoral scute at many herpetologists, including ourselves on several oc- mid-seam; AnaL: length of anal scute at mid-seam. casions, but no further T. marginata have been encoun- Results. A total of 9 tortoises were examined from tered. We therefore believe that either the original iden- Ephesus (Table- l). A combination of features led us to 210 CHpr-oNrnN CoNSERVATToN AND BtoLoGv, Volume 4, Nuntber I - 2001

Table 1. Morphometrics (in mm) of adult Testudo graeca ibetn specimens from Selguk (Ephesus), Turkey. For abbreviations, see text. overall f'emales males tt mean S.E S.D range n mean S.E S.D range tl mean s.E s.D range

SCL 9 190.9 10.82 32.47 t2t-23t 5 203.0 n.l9 26.37 t60-231 4 t76.0 t8.26 36.53 t2t-t96 I\/nV 9 r 38.3 7 .30 21.89 90- 160 5 148.4 7.00 15.65 t2l-160 4 t26.0 l 1.95 23.89 90-140 MWM 9 t4t.7 I .tl 2r.32 90- 16l 5 148.6 5.42 12.12 t29-l6l 4 l 33.0 14.46 28.9 r 90- 150 CH9 94.8 4.4 13.3 I 70- r08 5 100.4 5.39 t2.05 79- 108 4 87.8 6.33 t2.66 70- 100 PL8 168.3 t t.20 31.68 l 10- 197 4 t76.3 15.52 3t.M t3l-t97 4 160.0 17.31 34.74 I 10-190 PW9 t27.1 7.20 2t .61 80- r 53 5 t35.2 7 .23 r6.t6 I l0- 153 4 I17.0 t2.76 25.52 80-137 GuL 9 26.2 r.38 4.14 17.8-30.4 5 26.6 | .52 3.40 2t .3-29.8 4 25.6 2.7 I 5.43 t7 .8-30.4 HuL 9 27 .2 t.72 5.17 t8.l -31 .2 5 28.3 2.51 5.61 2t.t-31 .2 1 25.8 2.48 4.96 18.7-30.1 PeL 9 12.5 1.07 3.20 7.7-t6.8 5 t2.7 I .59 3.55 7 .7 -16.8 4 r2.2 r .60 3.21 8.6- r 6. l AbdL 9 59.5 4.33 13.00 39.6-19.2 5 65.4 5.78 t2.93 45.t-79.2 4 52.r 4.93 9.81 39.6-63.6 FemL 8 23.0 r.22 3.46 t6.3-26.9 4 23.7 1.34 2.68 2t.4-26.9 4 22.3 2.20 4.4t t6.3-26.4 AnaL 8 21.0 2.70 7.& n.5-32.r 4 24.3 4.54 9.09 | 1.5-32.1 4 t] .7 2.47 4.94 12.9-23.3 antakyensis) have been described from southern parts of Acknowledgrnents James Buskirk reviewed the Turkey (Weissinger [1987] and Per[lii [1996], re spec- content of our manuscript and reviewed our use of En- tively). However, the descriptions of these taxa have glish. The authors would like to thank Anders Rhodin been based upon limited material without providing and Peter Pritchard for their editorial reviews. significant statistical comparisons. While Weissinger's description has received widespread acceptance, Perdld' s LrrBnnruRE Crrpn is viewed with scepticism by Turkish herpetologists. Neither of these taxa were included in the most recent BRRRN, I. eNo Arnrun, M.K. 1998. Turkish Herpetofauna (Am- book on the Turkish herpetofauna (Baran and Atatiir, phibians and Reptiles). Ankara: Ministry of Environment, 214 pp. Bnsoclu, M. AND BnRnN, I. l97l . Tiirkiye Siirtingenleri. Kisim I. 1998). Nevertheless, it is true that the study of land Kaplurnbaga ve Kertenkeleler. [The Reptiles of Turkey. Part I. tortoises has been largely ignored by herpetolo- Turkish The Turtles andLizards.l Ege Univers. Fen Fakult. Kitaplar Ser. gi sts. 7 6:l -258. Boun, R. 1983. Espeges menaEes et exploit6es dans le monde. ,ff Guide pratique pour leur connaissance et leur identification. XXVIII. Les tortues terrestres du palearctique. Secretariat de la faune et de la flore, I I pp. BRrNcrvErER, C., BooE, F., AND HRvpe, A. 1989. First record of the marginated tortoise, Iestuclo marginotct, in Turkey. Zoology in { the Middle East 3:47 -48. ffi.rll DrnarrnopouLos, A. 1985. A case of living twins in a single egg of marginated tortoise, (Testuclo morginata, Schoepff, 1792) in a clutch taken from the wild. Herptile l0(3):79-80. ErsEr-r, J. AND SptrznruseRceR, F. 1967 . Ergebnisse zoologischer Samrnelreisen in der Turkei: Testudines. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien l0:357 -378. HoNeccrR, R.E. 198 I . Threatened Amphibians and Reptiles in Europe. Supplementary volume of Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas, Wiesbaden, 158 pp. Kocr, D. nNo SroncH, G. I 979. Testuclo marginn /a Schoepff, 1792 auf den Nordlichen Sporaden, Agiiis. Salanrandra I 5: I 0 I - I 05 Louir4eouRDrs. N.S. AND KnrroulAs, M.E. 1983. A northernmost locality for Testuclo margincra Schoepff 1192 in Greece. Brit. J. Herp. 6(9): 348-349 PEnAlA, J. 1996. Tortoises in southern Turkey. In: Kanza, M., Perrilzi, J., and Vikberg. J. (Eds.). Herpetokongressi I - The Official Congress Publication, Herpetological Society of Fin- land, pp. 14-26. SreepNnocK, F. 1913. Schildkroten aus Syrien und Mesopotamien. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Expedition nach Mesopotamien, l9 10. Ann. Naturhistor. Mus. Wien 27:17 I -225 WEtsstNGER, H. l98l . Testuclo groeca anenllu'ensis ssp. nov. alls Kleinasien. OGH-Nachr., Wien l0/l I : l4- 18.

Rec'eiy,ecl: l4 December 2000 Figure 2. Adult female T. graeca ibere from SelEuk (Ephesus). Revievv'ecl: 26 August 2001 Turkey. Revised ancl Accepted: 8 September 2001 NorEs AND FIEI-o Reponrs 209

i \ I \ i t Torbah I \ t.Yfr'- / . t-'J I Barutgu I / 11 -o -i (' qekdbogrz Belevi I I Ictucttr:cl---1 .t \y {P i Zeytinkiiy / I i Kllgiif Mcndcrc Rlvtr i l I

Antique E= E i city t-] i ! $irince I AEGEAII \ SEA ) i i \. I Acarlar Meryemana j \ I \

Camhk \. o' a Havutgulu \. SultaniYe \. i \. \ / Kugadast / /' N -.- SclgrL Cltt'Bordcr \. / ITITFI n.l*.y \l / I Rord l Giiksealun /' - \ ,/' 'rJ

Figure 1. Map of Ktigiik Menderes Delta, showing town border of Selguk (dashed line), with ancient (antique) city of Ephesus, Turkey.

conclude that all were Greek tortoises, Testudo graeca examined, were clearly projecting gulars and a movable ibera Pallas, 181a (Fig. 2). On all specimens, the plas- posterior lobe of the plastron. Thus, in their appearance, tron was more or less black blotched, the dark figures these tortoises from the Ktigiik Menderes lowlands con- sometimes fused but never appearing as symmetrical form to the description of T. graeca ibera and not to Z. dark triangles. The coloration of the carapace was highly marginata (Siebenbrock ,1913; Basoglu and Baran, 1977; variable; four of the specimens had a carapace that was Baran and Atatiir, 1998). 907o black. Conical thigh tubercles were present on all In conclusion , T. marginata does not appear to in- specimens. The supracaudal scute was more or less habit the Ephesus region, nor do we suspect it to occur folded downwards towards the caudal region, never flar- elsewhere in Turkey. For decades, Turkey has become a ing outwards. The interfemoral seam was twice as long regional mecca for foreign herpetologists, both amateurs as the interpectoral. The ratio of maximum width at and professionals. The last serious work on the tortoises marginals to the width at mid-point was almost 1.00. The of Turkey was carried out by two Austrians nearly 30 only ambiguous characteristics, that is, shared by both Z. years ago (Eiselt and Spitzenberger, 1967). In recent graeca ibera and T. marginata, present on all specimens years, two new taxa of Testudo Q. S. anamurensis and Z.