Search results for "Emydidae"
showing 10 items of 10 documents
Some like it cold: the glossiphoniid parasites of the Sicilian endemic pond turtle Emys trinacris (Testudines, Emydidae), an example of ‘parasite ine…
2016
The freshwater turtles of the genus Emys and some leech species of the family Glossiphoniidae are the only Palaearctic representatives of primarily Nearctic taxa, which jointly colonized Eurasia and the Maghreb during the Miocene. The strict trophic relationships occurring between the glossiphoniid parasite leech Placobdella costata and its host, the emydid Emys orbicularis, make them a prime example of host–parasite cophylogenetic evolution. In the light of the discovery of the Sicilian cryptic endemic species Emys trinacris, which is the sister species to the widespread Palaearctic E. orbicularis, the possible cophylogenetic divergence of the turtle hosts and their leech parasites was inv…
Stand out from the Crowd: Small-Scale Genetic Structuring in the Endemic Sicilian Pond Turtle
2020
The geographical pattern of genetic diversity was investigated in the endemic Sicilian pond turtle Emys trinacris across its entire distribution range, using 16 microsatellite loci. Overall, 245 specimens of E. trinacris were studied, showing high polymorphic microsatellite loci, with allele numbers ranging from 7 to 30. STRUCTURE and GENELAND analyses showed a noteworthy, geographically based structuring of the studied populations in five well-characterized clusters, supported by a moderate degree of genetic diversity (FST values between 0.075 and 0.160). Possible explanations for the genetic fragmentation observed are provided, where both natural and human-mediated habitat fragmentation o…
Morphological characterization of the blood cells in the endangered Sicilian endemic pond turtle,Emys trinacris(Testudines: Emydidae)
2014
AbstractIn this study, measurements of morphological parameters, sizes and frequencies of peripheral blood cells (erythrocytes, leukocytes, thrombocytes) on blood smear preparation devices stained with May-Grunwald stain were evaluated for both sexes in 20 Emys trinacris (Testudines: Emydidae) specimens. Erythrocytes were higher in male than in female specimens. The leukocyte of E. trinacris contains eosinophil, basophil, monocyte, heterophil and lymphocyte. The eosinophil was higher in males than in females whereas lymphocytes were higher in females than in males. The erythrocyte morphological parameters (EL [erythrocyte length], EW [erythrocyte width], L/W [length/width], ES [erythrocyte …
New distributional data on Haemogregarina stepanowi (Apicomplexa) and Placobdella costata (Hirudinea) parasitising the Sicilian pond turtle Emys trin…
2022
The host-parasite system "Emys trinacris - Placobdella costata - Haemogregarina stepanowi"is known for Sicily, but scarce information is available to date about the distribution of the two parasites P. costata and H. stepanowi on the island. Therefore, an extensive sampling effort through visual census and collection and analysis of blood smears of the endemic Sicilian pond turtle E. trinacris was carried out in 46 water bodies scattered throughout mainland Sicily. Our findings revealed that the distribution of both parasites is limited to the Nebrodi area, where the infection of H. stepanowi has shown a high incidence on the local turtle populations. Our data suggest no correlation between…
Postnatal neurogenesis in the telencephalon of turtles: evidence for nonradial migration of new neurons from distant proliferative ventricular zones …
1997
Postnatal neurogenesis in the the turtle telencephalon was investigated by using bromodeoxyuridine immunocytochemistry and [3H]thymidine autoradiography. Red-eared slider turtles Trachemys scripta elegans (Cryptodira, Emydidae) 2-3 months old were injected with the thymidine analogue 5'-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and allowed to survive for 7, 30, 90, and 180 days. Results indicate that cells in the walls of the lateral ventricles continue to proliferate postnatally. Shortly after BrdU treatment (seven days) most labelled cells were found in the walls of the lateral ventricles (ventricular zone: VZ). Labelled cells were particularly abundant in and around the ventricular sulci. The same patter…
New distributional data on <em>Haemogregarina stepanowi</em> (Apicomplexa) and <em>Placobdella costata</em> (Hirudinea) paras…
2021
The host-parasite system “Emys trinacris – Placobdella costata – Haemogregarina stepanowi” is known for Sicily, but scarce information is available to date about the distribution of the two parasites on the island. Therefore, an extensive sampling effort through visual census and collection and analysis of blood smears of the endemic Sicilian pond turtle E. trinacris was carried out in 46 water bodies scattered throughout mainland Sicily. Our findings revealed that the distribution of both parasites is limited to the Nebrodi area, where the infection of H. stepanowi has shown a high incidence on the local turtle populations. Our data suggest no correlation between the current distribution o…
Differences in gene flow in a twofold secondary contact zone of pond turtles in southern Italy (Testudines: Emydidae:Emys orbicularis galloitalica,E.…
2015
Using virtually range-wide sampling for three pond turtle taxa (Emys orbicularis galloitalica, E. o. hellenica, E. trinacris), we analyse gene flow across their southern Italian contact zone. Based on population genetic analyses of 15 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci and a mitochondrial marker, we show that the general genetic pattern matches well with the current taxon delimitation. Yet, single individuals with conflicting genetic identity suggest translocation of turtles by humans. In addition, we identify in south-western France and the vicinity of Rome populations being heavily impacted by introduced turtles. Cline analyses reveal that the major genetic break between E. o. galloit…
2020
Turtles, a speciose group consisting of more than 300 species, demonstrate karyotypes with diploid chromosome numbers ranging from 2n = 26 to 2n = 68. However, cytogenetic analyses have been conducted only to 1/3rd of the turtle species, often limited to conventional staining methods. In order to expand our knowledge of the karyotype evolution in turtles, we examined the topology of the (TTAGGG)n telomeric repeats and the rDNA loci by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on the karyotypes of two emydids: the Sicilian pond turtle, Emys trinacris, and the yellow-bellied slider, Trachemys scripta scripta (family Emydidae). Furthermore, AT-rich and GC-rich chromosome regions were detected …
Amendment of the type locality of the endemic Sicilian pond turtle Emys trinacris Fritz et al. 2005, with some notes on the highest altitude reached …
2016
The type locality of the Sicilian pond turtle Emys trinacris is here amended, and its correct name and geographical coordinates are provided. The locus typicus of the species lies at 1007 m a.s.l., i.e. nearly 400 m below what previously thought. The updated altitudinal distribution range of the species, based on verified published localities only, is between 0 and 1036 m a.s.l.
Where are you from, stranger? The enigmatic biogeography of North African pond turtles (Emys orbicularis)
2014
Abstract The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a Nearctic element in the African fauna and thought to have invaded North Africa from the Iberian Peninsula. All North African populations are currently identified with the subspecies E. o. occidentalis. However, a nearly range-wide sampling in North Africa used for analyses of mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA provides evidence that only Moroccan populations belong to this taxon, while eastern Algerian and Tunisian pond turtles represent an undescribed distinct subspecies. These two taxa are most closely related to E. o. galloitalica with a native distribution along the Mediterranean coast of northern Spain through southern France …