Spanish pond turtle

The Spanish pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa), also known as the Mediterranean pond turtle or Mediterranean turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa.

Spanish pond turtle
Female M. l. saharica in Morocco
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Geoemydidae
Genus: Mauremys
Species:
M. leprosa
Binomial name
Mauremys leprosa
Synonyms[2]

Subspecies

Including the nominotypical subspecies, there are two sub-species which are accepted:[3]

  • M. leprosa leprosa (Schweigger, 1812)[1] – Iberian pond turtle
  • M. leprosa saharica Schleich, 1996[1] – Saharan pond turtle
  • male M. l. saharica, Morocco
  • adults and juvenile M. l. saharica, Morocco
  • swimming
  • Juvenile

Distribution

M. l. saharica or m.l leprosa, also known as the spanish pond turtle,lives in the southern west of Spain,near Portugal.They are usually found in ponds and lakes,except when they eat and lay their eggs. This species of turtle also live in Portugal,south France, Italy, Morroco and some parts of Libya.

References
  1. Rhodin 2010, pp. 000.111-000.112
  2. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 230–231. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. Mauremys leprosa at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 25 September 2020.

Bibliography
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