Morphometric study of Balkan Terrapin, Mauremys rivulata (Testudines: Geoemydidae) in Çanakkale (Turkey)

Abstract

Mauremys rivulata (Family Geoemydidae ) is a medium-sized freshwater turtle inhabiting various natural and manmade habitats, including rivers, seasonal ponds, lakes, brackish coastal lagoons, irrigation canals, and reservoirs. In this study, the morphology of four different Mauremys rivulata populations in Çanakkale was evaluated between populations and sexes. The straight carapace length (SCL), carapace width (CW), plastron length (PL), plastron width (PW), body weight (W) measurements were obtained from a total of 114 adult specimens from four populations. The body sizes were examined comparatively in four Mauremys rivulata populations from Kavak Delta located in the Thrace region, City Center located in Anatolia, and two islands (Gökçeada and Bozcaada) which are the districts of Çanakkale. Significant differences were found between males and females in all populations, with females being larger than males. When the four populations were compared, it was determined that Gökçeada population is the largest specimens (Female SCL 197,23±7,545; Male SCL 187,47±13,757) and City Center population is the smallest specimens (Female SCL 152,02±23,391; Male SCL 129,67±20,466).