N. Pérez-Santigosa

Salmonella in free-living exotic and native turtles and in pet exotic turtles from SW Spain.

We screened 78 native and 94 exotic turtles from natural ponds and 39 exotic pet turtles for presence of Salmonella, resulting with infection rates of 6.61%, 6.4%, and 5.1%, respectively. Concurrent shedding of multiple serotypes of the bacteria was only detected in one pet turtle. Eleven isolates were obtained in free-living turtles, including serotypes commonly found in reptiles and also the serotype Typhimurium, which is commonly related to human infections. In pet turtles, the five serotypes isolated were different to those isolated in free-living turtles and had been reported to cause reptile-associated salmonellosis in humans. These results confirm the risk of transmission of Salmonella from free-living and pet turtles to humans, demanding the necessity of regulation of pet turtle trade in Europe.

Helminth communities of the exotic introduced turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans in southwestern Spain: Transmission from native turtles

We report the prevalence and diversity of helminth parasites found in native turtles Mauremys leprosa and Emys orbicularis from three localities in southwestern Spain and we describe the helminth communities of exotic turtles Trachemys scripta elegans coexisting in the wild with both native turtle species. Five nematodes species were identified, of which Serpinema microcephalus was the only species common between two localities, although infection parameters were different between them. This is the first report of cross transmission of S. microcephalus and Falcaustra donanaensis from native to exotic turtles and the first report of genus Physaloptera in turtles of the Palearctic Region. Continuous releasing of exotic pet turtles in wildlife ecosystems increases the risk of parasite introductions and, consequently, potential transmission to native species, and highlights the impending need for regulation of pet turtle trade in Europe.

Hematologic and Biochemical Reference Intervals of Free-Living Mediterranean Pond Turtles (Mauremys leprosa)

Reference intervals of hematologic and biochemical blood profiles were obtained from 56 male and 58 female Mediterranean pond turtles (Mauremys leprosa) captured from the wild in different periods of their annual cycle. Mean (or median in nonnormal distributions) values of leukocyte differential were 53.8% and 58.5% heterophils, 35.3% and 32.6% eosinophils, 6.3% and 5.8% lymphocytes, 4.3% and 2% monocytes, and 0% and 0% basophils in males and females, respectively. Biochemical values did not differ from other chelonians, but values were generally higher in females than in males.

Does the exotic invader turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans , compete for food with coexisting native turtles?

Nowadays, established populations of exotic turtles, Trachemys scripta elegans , coexist with native turtles in the wild in southern Spain. We analysed the diet of this exotic species and compared it with the diet of the two native species ( Mauremys leprosa and Emys orbicularis ) in two ponds. The exotic turtle is an opportunistic omnivore. In one of our study ponds where exotic invasive crayfish were very abundant, adult and juvenile exotic turtles fed mainly on this prey. In the other study pond, juveniles fed mainly on animal matter and adults ate similar proportions of plants and animals. Native turtles also ingested mainly crayfish in the first study pond, but M. leprosa were mainly herbivorous in the second pond. We did not detect strong differences among the diets of the three species. While native species significantly differ in their diets, the exotic turtles did not differ from some groups of native ones. Exotic turtles had the widest range of food, overlapping the food spectra of different age groups of the two native species in both localities. Comparing with previous reports on native turtles diet of the same area, our results did not reveal changes in the diet which could be associated to interactions with exotic turtles, but the observed shift to a higher proportion of animals in the diet in one of the ponds were mainly due to the high abundance of exotic crayfish.

Falcaustra donanaensis sp. nov. (Nematoda: Kathlaniidae) a parasite of Mauremys leprosa (Testudines, Bataguridae) in Spain

Falcaustra donanaensis sp. nov. (Nematoda, Kathlaniidae) from the large intestine of Mauremys leprosa (Testudines, Bataguridae) is described. By the absence of pseudosucker, arrangement of the male caudal papillae and the size of the spicules Falcaustra donanaensis sp. nov. resembles only to Falcaustra washingtonensis [Bursey and Aker (2001) J Parasitol 87:1082–1084], a species from Ambistoma tigrinum melanostictum in the Nearctic Region. Papillae pattern in the male of F. washingtonensis is similar to F. donanaensis, but differs by the presence of a median papilla in the American species, length of pharynx, spicule, and gubernacle in males, size of eggs, and number of eggs in female. This is the first species of Falcaustra reported in freshwater turtles in the Iberian Peninsula.

Comparing Activity Patterns and Aquatic Home Range Areas Among Exotic and Native Turtles in Southern Spain

Abstract We radiotracked individuals of the exotic aquatic turtle Trachemys scripta elegans and 2 coexisting species of native turtles (Mauremys leprosa and Emys orbicularis) in southern Spain. Aquatic home range areas differed among species only in winter, when T. s. elegans moved in larger areas and showed shorter inactivity periods than the native turtles. Differences in these activity patterns may provide an advantage for individuals of the exotic species, which were already moving widely when native turtles started their posthibernation activity and would have been expected to be recolonizing their home ranges in depleted physical condition.

The sexual behaviour of the pygmy newt, Triturus pygmaeus

The courtship behaviour of pygmy newts, Triturus pygmaeus, consists of three phases: orientation, static display (often not clearly differentiated from each other) and spermatophore transfer. The repertoire of male sexual behaviour consists of nine different movements. Exhibition, an alert posture in which the male advances with small jumps around the female, is the most frequent behaviour. The predominant tail movement is slow fan, in which the tail is softly undulated from approximately 30° to 140°. In contrast to the tail lashes of the large Triturus species, the tail only occasionally beats against the males flank and never touches the female. Bait mimic tail movements (described for T. boscai as flamenco) are used to attract the females attention. The duration of sexual encounters was 2203 s on average, in which males displayed in about 81% of this time. Although the courtship of T. pygmaeus shows clear differences from that of its closest relative, T. marmoratus, it should nevertheless be grouped with the larger Triturus species: conspicuous tail movementes are used to attract the attention of the female, but no direct response is required of her to complete the courtship. En el cortejo de los tritones enanos, Triturus pygmaeus, se pueden distinguir tres fases diferentes: fase de orientacion, fase de exhibicion estatica y fase de deposicion del espermatoforo. Las dos primeras no se distinguen claramente, sino que frecuentemente se alternan entre si. Los machos de esta especie realizan nueve pautas diferentes relacionadas con el comportamiento sexual. Entre ellas, destaca la que denominamos exhibicion , en la que el macho, en una posicion de alerta con todo su cuerpo muy estirado, realiza pequenos saltos alrededor de la hembra. Este comportamiento, que es el que se observa con mayor frecuencia, parece tener un papel importante como senal visual en el cortejo. Otra pauta importante por su frecuencia es la denominada abanico lento, en la que los machos ondulan lentamente su cola, a la vez que abren y cierran el angulo (que oscila entre 30° y 140°) que esta forma con su cuerpo. Otra pauta caracteristica es el latigazo corto, un movimiento brusco de la cola similar al de otras especies de tritones, de las que se diferencia porque la cola solo ocasionalmente alcanza a golpearse contra su propio cuerpo y nunca llega a tocar a la hembra. Se describe en esta especie una pauta de engano, flamenco, en la que los movimientos de la cola imitan a los de supuestas presas con el fin de atraer rapidamente la atencion de la hembra. Esta pauta habia sido descrita anteriormente para T. boscai. La duracion media de los cortejos fue de 2203 s, en los que el 81% de este tiempo los machos elaboran pautas de cortejo. Aunque el cortejo de T. pygmaeus muestra claras diferencias con la especie proxima, T. marmoratus, se considera que debe ser clasificado en el mismo grupo, entre los tritones de mayor tamano, en las que el cortejo se caracteriza por el uso de comportamientos muy conspicuos para la atraccion de la hembra, y en el que no se requiere un respuesta directa de la hembra para realizar la deposicion del espermatoforo.