Mauremys leprosa saharica Schleich 1996:29

Bauer, Aaron M., DeBoer, Jonathan C. & Taylor, Dylan J., 2017, Atlas of the Reptiles of Libya, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64 (8), pp. 155-318 : 174-175

Mauremys leprosa saharica Schleich 1996:29 , fig. 2.2, pl. 5

1996 Mauremys leprosa saharica Schleich, Beitrag zur Systematik des Formenkreises von Mauremys leprosa (Schweigger) in Marokko. Spixiana, Supplement 22:29, pl. 5, fig. 2.2.

HOLOTYPE.— ZSM 1993/200, “ Fort Bou Jerif , Goulmime ” [ Morocco].

Mauremys leprosa, Le Berre 1989:108 .

Mauremys leprosa, Schleich, Kästle and Kabisch 1996:145 .

Mauremys leprosa, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:80 .

Mauremys leprosa, Trape, Trape, and Chirio 2012:442 .

DISTRIBUTION.— North Africa, from southern Morocco to northwestern Libya. Scattered localities in the central and southern

Sahara, including near Murzuq in Libya.

Northern Moroccan and some Algerian populations are referable to the nominotypic subspecies.

Libyan Records (Map 4): TRIPOLITA-

NIA: NALUT: 127: Bour and Maran 1999.

JABAL AL GHARBI: 147: FMNH 83188; Busack and Ernst 1980. MURZUQ: 298: Lortet 1887;

Loveridge and Williams 1957. “ Tripolitania ”:

Loveridge and Williams 1957. “ Eastern

Tripolitania ”: Lortet 1887.

COMMENTS.— Schleich (1996) and Bour and Maran (1999) described a number of North

African subspecies of Mauremys leprosa , all MAP 4. Distribution of Mauremys leprosa saharica in Libya.

from Morocco. Ducotterd and Bour (2002) considered two of these, M. l. saharica and M. l. vanmeerhaeghei, each from restricted areas of southern Morocco, to be valid. Fritz et al. (2005), however, found weak genetic differentiation of populations north and south of the Atlas Mountains and no support for the distinction between M. l. saharica and M. l. vanmeerhaeghei. Subsequently, all of the named subspecies from southern Morocco have all been synonymized under M. l. saharica (Fritz and Havaš 2006, 2007; van Dijk et al. 2014), with populations from Tunisia, parts of Algeria, and “probably western Libya ” as referable to this subspecies as well.

Loveridge and Williams (1957) mentioned localities in “ Murzuch (Murzouk) in Fezzan” and “Tripolitania.” Northwestern Libya was included in the distribution maps of Le Berre (1989) and Schleich et al. (1996), whereas northwestern Libyan localities were acknowledged, but not plotted by Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008). Trape et al. (2012) did not plot the record of Busack and Ernst (1980), but showed a single degree square (25°N, 13°E) near Murzuq, presumably that signaled by Loveridge and Williams (1957). Three points were plotted by Iverson (1986, 1992), presumably Murzuq, Busack and Ernst’s (1980) locality in Jabal al Gharbi, and one more slightly further to the east. However, this last locality does not appear on World Turtle Database (http://emys.geo.orst.edu/), which links to points on Iverson’s maps. Bour and Maran (1999) also plotted Ghadames as a locality for Mauremys , but provided no specimen details. There are also isolated records from northern Mauritania, southern Algeria and northern Niger (Loveridge and Williams 1957; Iverson 1986, 1992), suggesting relict or translocated populations in areas with permanent water.

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Vulnerable A2ac + 3c.