Licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen der Langerhansschen Inseln von Schildkr�ten (Testudo graeca, Emys orbicularis L.)

M. Titlbach

doi:10.1007/bf00345062

Is the imperilled spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) native in Sardinia? Implications from population genetics and for conservation

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/017353710x541869 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 9-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Claudia Corti ◽

Uwe Fritz ◽

Heiko Stuckas ◽

Melita Vamberger

Keyword(s):

Population Genetics ◽

North Africa ◽

Mtdna Sequences ◽

Habitat Directive ◽

Emys Orbicularis ◽

Testudo Graeca ◽

Wild Fauna ◽

Sardinian Population ◽

Council Regulation ◽

Ec Law

AbstractUsing mtDNA sequences and 12 microsatellite loci, we compare populations of Testudo graeca from Sardinia and North Africa. The observed pattern of almost no differentiation combined with reduced variation in the Sardinian population is consistent with introduction in prehistoric or historic times from what is now Tunisia and neighbouring Algeria. Furthermore, in the light of the recently published recommendation to eradicate the non-native T. graeca from Italy, we review recent studies on the archaeological and fossil record, on the phylogeography and population genetics of the three other chelonian species occurring in Sardinia (Emys orbicularis, T. hermanni, T. marginata). We conclude that the extant Sardinian populations of all four species are not native. However, they are and should be safeguarded under EC law (Council Regulation No 338/97 on the Protection of Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; Flora Fauna Habitat Directive: Appendix IV, Art. 12) because they serve as a back-up for the declining mainland populations. Moreover, these populations constitute an important part of the human-shaped natural heritage of the Mediterranean.

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Temperature and Sex Differentiation in Embryos of Two Chelonians, Emys orbicularis L and Testudo graeca L.

Intersexuality in the Animal Kingdom ◽

10.1007/978-3-642-66069-6_31 ◽

1975 ◽

pp. 332-339 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

C. Pieau

Keyword(s):

Sex Differentiation ◽

Emys Orbicularis ◽

Testudo Graeca

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Etude autoradiographique des premiers stades du développement de l'ébauche du membre antérieur chez deux espèces de Chéloniens (Testudo graeca L. et Emys orbicularis L.)

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.29.3.585 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 585-600

Author(s):

Par J. Vasse

Keyword(s):

Tritiated Thymidine ◽

Flank Region ◽

Autoradiographic Study ◽

Labelling Index ◽

Limb Bud ◽

Chick Embryos ◽

Emys Orbicularis ◽

Testudo Graeca ◽

Histological Sections

Autoradiographic study of early stages of the anterior limb-bud in two species of chelonian embryos Embryos of two chelonian species (Testudo graeca L., Emys orbicularis L.) from 20-somites stage to 34-somites stage, fixed 2–4 h after an injection of tritiated thymidine or uridine or leucine, then emulsion-exposed 12–14 days, showed the following results: (1) When the labelling index was determined in the mesoderm of the somatopleure, the labelling index in the flank region (S13–S16) remained at about 0·3 but the labelling index in the prospective anterior limb region rose to 0·4–0·5 when the processes of the somites S6–S13 reached the somatopleure. The somites seem to induce the proliferation of the somatopleure and the transformation of the somatopleural cells in mesoblastic basophilic cells. (2) The dilated extremities of the processes of somites S6–S12 proliferate cells which become free from the somite and multiply. Thus, the somites S6–S12 participate materially in the constitution of the mesoblastic blastema of the limb-bud. (3) In the mesoblast, regionalizations appear in transverse histological sections – in the cranial-caudal direction. (4) An apical epiblastic crest develops, at 26–27-somites stage, in the area where the mesoblastic cells are the most abundant and the most active (between somites S8 and S11). At 28–29-somites stage, this crest Anlage synthesizes very little DNA; and at 34-somites stage the synthesis of RNA and proteins also decreases. These results are compared with results obtained in other reptiles and chick embryos, in the light of the theories on the role of the somites and of the apical crest in the development of the anterior limb-bud.

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Reconstructions of the past distribution of Testudo graeca mitochondrial lineages in the Middle East and Transcaucasia support multiple refugia since the Last Glacial Maximum

Herpetological Journal ◽

10.33256/31.1.1017 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 10-17

Author(s):

Oguz Turkozan

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Last Glacial Maximum ◽

Glacial Maximum ◽

Testudo Graeca ◽

Last Glacial ◽

The Past ◽

Precipitation Seasonality ◽

Multiple Refugia ◽

The Last Glacial Maximum ◽

The Last Glacial

A cycle of glacial and interglacial periods in the Quaternary caused species’ ranges to expand and contract in response to climatic and environmental changes. During interglacial periods, many species expanded their distribution ranges from refugia into higher elevations and latitudes. In the present work, we projected the responses of the five lineages of Testudo graeca in the Middle East and Transcaucasia as the climate shifted from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, Mid – Holocene), to the present. Under the past LGM and Mid-Holocene bioclimatic conditions, models predicted relatively more suitable habitats for some of the lineages. The most significant bioclimatic variables in predicting the present and past potential distribution of clades are the precipitation of the warmest quarter for T. g. armeniaca (95.8 %), precipitation seasonality for T. g. buxtoni (85.0 %), minimum temperature of the coldest month for T. g. ibera (75.4 %), precipitation of the coldest quarter for T. g. terrestris (34.1 %), and the mean temperature of the driest quarter for T. g. zarudyni (88.8 %). Since the LGM, we hypothesise that the ranges of lineages have either expanded (T. g. ibera), contracted (T. g. zarudnyi) or remained stable (T. g. terrestris), and for other two taxa (T. g. armeniaca and T. g. buxtoni) the pattern remains unclear. Our analysis predicts multiple refugia for Testudo during the LGM and supports previous hypotheses about high lineage richness in Anatolia resulting from secondary contact.

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