Original scientific paper
Allochthonous species of Turtles in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Lana Jelić
; Public institution Maksimir, Maksimirski perivoj 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Dušan Jelić
; Croatian Institute for Biodiversity, Croatian Herpetological Society HYLA, Lipovac I. br 7, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The release of reptiles imported for pet trade, by their owners, over decades has caused allochthonous species to become widespread in natural habitats all over the World. The turtles are among the most popular reptiles in the pet trade. There are reports of the presence of one allochthonous species of turtle (Trachemys scripta) on the Balkan Peninsula for the past 20-30 years. The presence of Pelodiscus sinensis, in Croatia was officially published in 2014 and the presence of Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii has been known since 2006 but not scientifically published. We gathered data on distribution and presence of Trachemys scripta elegans, Trachemys scripta scripta, G. p. kohnii, G. p pseudogeographica. and P. sinensis and produced the distribution map which shows heterogeneity in terms of rural/urban territories. The single largest allochtonous population (mostly comprised of T. scripta) in Croatia is found in Maksimir park (city of Zagreb) numbering over 300 individuals.
Keywords
allochthonous; turtles; distribution; Croatia; Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hrčak ID:
147163
URI
Publication date:
31.7.2015.
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