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A cleaning station used by juvenile green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, was found in Brewers Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Video observations identified three fish species previously undocumented to participate in this symbiotic relationship. From May 7th to August 12, 2020, a total of 27 h of video recordings of this cleaning station were made during various times throughout the daylight hours resulting in the capture of 612 min of cleaning behavior which consisted of 108 separate cleaning events. At least six green turtles were observed using the cleaning station, but the exact number of turtles could not be confirmed as individual turtles could not always be recognized. Large fish, such as barracudas and jacks, were also observed using the same cleaning station. Turtles were observed using the cleaning station for self-cleaning and cleaning by fish. Juvenile French angelfish, Pomacanthus paru, juvenile Queen angelfish, Holacanthus ciliaris, and small schools of slippery dick wrasses, Halichoeres bivittatus, were observed cleaning green turtles. The angelfish cleaned mainly the head, carapace, and plastron, while the wrasses cleaned mostly the soft parts of the turtle, which suggests some nitch partitioning. The most extended observed cleaning session was 69 min. However, short sessions were more common, with an average duration of 6.2 min and a median duration of 3.0 min. Self-cleaning was performed by rubbing on nearby rocks and a polypropylene rope suspended above the cleaning station. The shared use of a cleaning station and its cleaner fish by multiple turtles likely reduces the epizootic load on the turtles but may increase the transmission of diseases such as fibropapillomatosis. No statistical difference in the duration of cleaning was detected between turtles with and without apparent tumors during the limited observations of this study. Additional research is needed, but these findings may help determine the role of these cleaner fish in the ecology of marine ecosystems and the health of green sea turtles in the Caribbean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Future climate change scenarios project that the increase in surface temperatures will affect ocean temperatures, inducing shifts in marine biodiversity. Sea turtles are species that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change because temperature is a factor that influences embryonic development. We collected clutches of olive ridley turtles from a mass‐nesting beach in the Mexican Pacific, which were incubated in ex situ conditions. When the hatchlings emerged, we measured the body condition index—which evaluates the weight‐length relationship—and swim thrust, both were considered traits associated with fitness, termed "fitness proxies," and evaluated the effects of incubation temperature, maternal effects, and paternity on these fitness proxies. The body condition index was correlated positively and significantly with the arribada month and temperature during the last third of the incubation period but showed an inverse relationship with the maternal effect. While swim thrust was positively correlated with the maternal effect and the arribada month, there was an inverse relationship with incubation temperature during the first third of the period. Paternity, whether single or multiple, did not have a significant effect on either fitness proxies; however, it may have effects on the average fitness of a population of hatchlings. These results underscore the need to expand research on the sublethal effects of high incubation temperatures on the adaptation and survival of sea turtles, particularly in scenarios of rapid climate change. Research highlights: The body condition index was positively and significantly correlated with the temperature during the last third of the incubation period, while the swim thrust showed an inverse correlation with incubation temperature during the first third.Mother's carapace area showed a significant effect on the body condition index and swim thrust of olive ridley hatchlings, but multiple paternity within the clutches did not have a significant effect on either fitness proxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractSea turtles (Cheloniidae) are extremely rare in the Northern European archaeological record; however, sporadic finds have occurred. Here we used bioarchaeological tools to investigate two archaeological sea turtle specimens found in the Netherlands. The aim of this study is to investigate whether these represented stranded or imported specimens. The first specimen was excavated in Schagen, a city in the north-west of the country, and has an approximate age predating AD 1500. The second specimen was excavated in Leeuwarden, Friesland, from an early-modern deposit spanning AD 1650–1850. We employed a combination of zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry (ZooMS) and δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analysis. ZooMS analysis identified the Schagen and Leeuwarden specimens as a loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and a green turtle (Chelonia mydas), respectively. Isotope provenancing based on modern samples from different global regions indicated the Leeuwarden specimen was most likely imported during a period when sea turtle soup, a high-status meal, was at the height of popularity. This approach demonstrates how bioarchaeological methods, combined with ecological insights, can shed light into the history of sea turtle occurrences and trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybridization could be considered part of the evolutionary history of many species. The hybridization among sea turtle species on the Brazilian coast is atypical and occurs where nesting areas and reproductive seasons overlap. Integrated analysis of morphology and genetics is still scarce, and there is no evidence of the parental chromosome set distribution in sea turtle interspecific hybrids. In this study, chromosome markers previously established for pure sea turtle species were combined with morphological and molecular analyses aiming to recognize genetic composition and chromosome sets in possible interspecific hybrids initially identified by mixed morphology. The data showed that one hybrid could be an F2 individual among Caretta caretta × Eretmochelys imbricata × Chelonia mydas, and another is resulting from backcross between C. caretta × Lepidochelys olivacea. Native alleles of different parental lineages were reported in the hybrids, and, despite this, it was verified that the hybrid chromosome sets were still balanced. Thus, how sea turtle hybridism can affect genetic features in the long term is a concern, as the implications of the crossing‐over in hybrid chromosomal sets and the effects on genetic function are still unpredictable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to other kinds of biological interactions, symbiosis is a scarcely investigated aspect of the fossil record. This is largely due to taphonomic biases that often frustrate any attempt to make a strong case that two organisms shared an intimate association in life. Among extant marine vertebrates, the sea turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) bear a broad and diverse spectrum of epibiotic symbionts, including specialists such as the turtle barnacles (Chelonibiidae and Platyleapadidae). Here, we reappraise an early Oligocene (Rupelian) fossil cheloniid skeleton, featuring the remains of cirripedes on the exterior of its entoplastron, from the Rauenberg fossil-lagerstätte, southwestern Germany. The barnacle specimens are assigned to Protochelonibia melleni, an extinct protochelonibiine species and the geologically oldest known member of Chelonibiidae. In the light of taphonomic and palaeoenvironmental considerations, and given that the extant chelonibiids are mostly known as epizoic symbionts of sea turtles, we conclude that this unique fossil association resulted from the epizoic growth of the barnacles on the external surface of the plastron of the turtle during its lifetime. This remarkable fossil association provides evidence that chelonibiids, including the extinct protochelonibiines, have been chelonophilic epizoans for more than 30 Myr. A survey of the trace and body fossil records shows that platylepadids are also likely as old as the Rupelian as is their symbiotic association with cheloniid hosts. This early emergence of the modern-looking, turtle-dwelling barnacle lineages corresponds to a climate-driven phase of major radiation and taxonomic turnover among sea turtles at the Eocene–Oligocene transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil remains of turtles from the Kudinovka locality (Paleogene, Paleocene or Ypresian; Millerovo District, Rostov Province, Russia) are described. These remains, represented by 16 specimens, are referred to the sea turtle Tasbacka aldabergeni Nessov, 1987 (Cheloniidae), previously reliably known only from the Zhylga 1 type locality (Paleogene, Late Thanetian–Early Ypresian; southern Kazakhstan). One of the described specimens includes most of the postcranial skeleton in a phosphate nodule and appears to be the most complete postcranial specimen of Tasbacka aldabergeni, which provides previously unknown details of the morphology of this species. The new materials expand our knowledge of the geographical distribution of Tasbacka aldabergeni and the genus Tasbacka in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is devoted to detection of the phylogenetic relationships between nine specimens of turtles. Five species of them are sea turtles and included in family Chelonidae (Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata, Lepidochelys olivacea) and family Dermochelyidae (Dermochelys coriacea). Another two species are terrestrial and placed in family Testudinidae (Testudo kleinmanni and Testudo graeca). The other turtle is fresh water turtle and grouped in family Trioychidae (Trionyx triunguis). The last turtle is asemiaquatic turtle and belonging to the family Emydidae (Trachemys scripta elegans). A total of 18 blood samples were collected from turtles in different localities of Egypt. Analyses of partial mitochondrial and nuclear sequences have revealed phylogenetic inconsistencies within family Cheloniidae and regarding the placement of Dermochelys coriacea. A 645 bp, 562 bp, 555 bp and 395 bp control region fragment of COI, 16S, RAG-1 and 12S was analyzed. The high percentage similarity was confirmed in GenBankfor COI, RAG-1, 16S and 12S sequences with 99%-100%. Maximum Likelihood was used to construct a phylogenetic tree. The results showed also the position of Dermochelyidae as sister to the rest of the studied marine turtles. This study succeeded in amplification by using the DNA target of the control region and it will be useful for the conservation management of marine turtles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of the widespread occurrence of epibiotic turtle barnacles (Coronuloidea: Chelonibiidae and Platylepadidae) on extant marine turtles (Chelonioidea: Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae), and although the association between these cirripedes and their chelonian hosts has existed for more than 30 million years, only a few studies have investigated the deep past of this iconic symbiotic relationship on palaeontological grounds. We describe probable platylepadid attachment scars in the form of hemispherical/hemiellipsoidal borings on an Upper Miocene (Tortonian) fragmentary turtle carapace, identified herein as belonging to Cheloniidae, from the Pisco Lagerstätte (East Pisco Basin, southern Peru). When coupled with the available molecular data, this and other similar ichnofossils allow for hypothesising that platylepadid symbionts were hosted by sea turtles as early as in early Oligocene times and became relatively widespread during the subsequent Miocene epoch. Chelonian fossils that preserve evidence of colonisation by platylepadid epibionts in the form of pits on the turtle shell should be regarded as fossil holobionts, i.e., palaeontological witnesses of discrete communal ecological units formed by a basibiont and the associated symbionts (including the epibiota). A greater attention to the bone modifications that may be detected on fossil turtle bones is expected to contribute significantly to the emerging field of palaeosymbiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report the trauma suffered by a green turtle (Chelonia mydas), caused by a collision with a motorboat, and describe the case ante and post-mortem. An adult female green turtle was rescued alive on December 2, 2016 at Ponta Negra beach, municipality of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The rescued animal was sent to the Marine Fauna Rehabilitation Center (PCCB-UERN), municipality of Areia Branca (RN), in Brazil. Physical examination revealed an excellent body score, noisy breathing, moderate dehydration, absence of hind limb and cloacal reflexes when stimulated by pressure, and two traumatic injuries characteristic of a collision with a motorboat. After three days of supportive treatment, the animal died and was immediately sent for necropsy. The animal had a complete fracture of the vertebral bodies (dorsal elements D9 and D10) and spinal cord section. The entire gastrointestinal tract had food content, in addition to sharp injuries in the colon caused by the bone fragments of the fractured carapace. The lungs were congested, hemorrhagic with frothy and bloody secretion, and interstitial bronchiole fibrosis. There was also present some fibrin and a large number of leukocyte cells, consisting mainly of macrophages. The liver was enlarged, with rounded edges and thickening of the capsule, multifocal areas of hepatocellular necrosis, and dissociation of the hepatocyte cords. The collision resulted in the exposure of the coelomic cavity and spinal cord, causing the animal intense pain, paralysis of the hind limbs and cloaca, septicemia, and consequently, death.

Sea turtles have well developed lacrimal glands for their electrolyte homeostasis. In turtles, stapedial artery and palatine artery send branches to supply orbital region, but supply artery for lacrimal glands was not identified. Micro-CT scans showed dorsoventrally large lacrimal glands of sea turtle are supplied by both stapedial artery and palatine artery. The circulatory pattern in cranial region was reconstructed based on the micro-CT scans, showing that sea turtle has basically similar pattern with the common snapping turtle: stapedial artery supplies orbital region and mandibular artery is ramified from stapedial artery. We also investigate the foramen stapedio-temporalis in turtles using osteological specimens. The foramen stapedio-temporalis, where the stapedial artery passes through, has different size among four families of turtles. We compared the sum of cross sections of left and right foramen stapedio-temporalis since homeostasis of one individual is maintained by a pair of lacrimal glands. The size difference may reflect primarily the share of stapedial artery against palatine artery in cranial circulation pattern and blood supply of orbital regions. Our observations confirmed a significantly larger cross-section in the foramen stapedio-temporalis of sea turtles than other freshwater/terrestrial turtles. Since the circulatory pattern is shared, the size difference of foramen stapedio-temporalis reflects the amount of arterial blood supply to lacrimal glands. Therefore, the size of the foramen stapedio-temporalis may indicate marine adaptation of turtles and are applicable to both fossil and osteological specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standardisation of protocols and discussion of therapeutic procedures in the rehabilitation of turtles affected by oil spills are necessary to optimise the recovery time and increase the chances of survival of these animals. This study aimed at reporting the processes adopted for the stabilisation, decontamination, rehabilitation and release of an oiled olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), rescued alive on September 23, 2019, at Santa Rita Beach, Extremoz municipality, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Its entire body was covered by oil. At first, the animal was mechanically dry cleaned using a gauze soaked in mineral oil in the keratinised regions (carapace and plastron) and a gauze soaked in vegetable oil was used on the oral, nasal, ocular, and cloacal mucous membranes. The second stage of the oil removal consisted of washing the animal with heated pressurised water (39 °C) and a neutral detergent using a soft foam sponge. The animal received treatment with antitoxins, antibiotics, analgesics, gastrointestinal protectors, and fluid therapy. After 7 days of treatment, the blood count showed that all the parameters were within the normal range. The oil cleaning process and the therapeutic protocol used in the rehabilitation of the olive ridley sea turtle were efficient.

Turtles have been prominent subjects of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) analyses due to their compact taxonomy, mating systems, and habitat diversity. In prior studies, marine turtles were grouped with fully aquatic non‐marine turtles (NMATs). This is interesting because it is well‐established that the marine environment imposes a distinct selective milieu on body form of vagile vertebrates, driven by convergent adaptations for energy‐efficient propulsion and drag reduction. We generated a comprehensive database of adult marine turtle body sizes (38,569 observations across all species), which we then used to evaluate the magnitude of SSD in marine turtles and how it compares to SSD in NMAT. We find that marine turtles are only minimally sexually size dimorphic, whereas NMAT typically exhibit female‐biased SSD. We argue that the reason for this difference is the sustained long‐distance swimming that characterizes marine turtle ecology, which entails significant energetic costs incurred by both sexes. Hence, the ability of either sex to allocate proportionately more to growth than the other is likely constrained, meaning that sexual differences in growth and resultant body size are not possible. Consequently, grouping marine turtles with NMAT dilutes the statistical signature of different kinds of selection on SSD and should be avoided in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Turtles have been prominent subjects of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) analyses due to their compact taxonomy, mating systems, and habitat diversity. In prior studies, marine turtles were grouped with fully aquatic non‐marine turtles (NMATs). This is interesting because it is well‐established that the marine environment imposes a distinct selective milieu on body form of vagile vertebrates, driven by convergent adaptations for energy‐efficient propulsion and drag reduction. We generated a comprehensive database of adult marine turtle body sizes (38,569 observations across all species), which we then used to evaluate the magnitude of SSD in marine turtles and how it compares to SSD in NMAT. We find that marine turtles are only minimally sexually size dimorphic, whereas NMAT typically exhibit female‐biased SSD. We argue that the reason for this difference is the sustained long‐distance swimming that characterizes marine turtle ecology, which entails significant energetic costs incurred by both sexes. Hence, the ability of either sex to allocate proportionately more to growth than the other is likely constrained, meaning that sexual differences in growth and resultant body size are not possible. Consequently, grouping marine turtles with NMAT dilutes the statistical signature of different kinds of selection on SSD and should be avoided in future studies.

This study was carried out in the water intake unit of a marine aquarium established in Konyaaltı, Antalya Bay, between 2018-2019. The facility was built in 2012. Located perpendicular to the shore, extending up to 300 m in the sea and up to a depth of 23 m, this unit acts as an artificial reef in the sea. In this study, species were determined by non-abrasive underwater observation and photographing, and the living creatures in that area were identified without being killed. During the observations, Nile Soft-shelled Tortle (Trionyx triunguis), which is a freshwater turtle and can survive in the sea, Loggerhead Seaturtle (Caretta caretta) and Green Seaturtle (Chelonia mydas) from sea turtles were observed. In this study, it is one of the marine ringed worms, known as bearded Fire worm (Hermodice carunculata) and calcareous tubeworm (Serpula vermicularis); Orenge vented sponge (Spirastrella cunctatrix), Oyster sponge (Crambe crambe), Sarcotragus spinosula and feather hydroid (Pennaria disticha) were observed. It was observed that common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), European squid (Loligo vulgaris), common cuttlefish (Sepia ofıcinalis) from the cephalopod used the water intake unit as an artificial reef. It has been observed that octopus (Octopus vulgaris), squid (Loligo vulgaris), squid (Sepia ofıcinalis) from the cephalopod class use the water intake unit as their habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, sea turtles are affected by anthropic waste. Animals, unable to differentiate anthropic waste from food, ingest this waste from their surroundings. After ingestion, the waste may cause a digestive tract blockage, thereby compromising the feeding and digestion capacity of the turtles, causing malnutrition, which may lead to death. Radiological imaging can be performed in turtles under rehabilitation to identify alterations of the digestive tract, such as intussusceptions, impactions, obstructions, torsions, neoplasms, and foreign bodies. These alterations are a result of either the ingestion of anthropogenic residues or natural causes. Moreover, diagnostic imaging exams play an important role in interventional medicine as they can indicate the location and type of ingested waste, thereby facilitating decision-making for the treatment of the afflicted animals. The aim of this study was to analyse the published scientific literature surrounding the effects of the ingestion of anthropogenic residue by sea turtles and the main imaging modalities used for their diagnosis. This was undertaken to provide clinicians with a greater amount of information regarding the digestive tract diseases of these animals and consequently, provide better outcomes of the rehabilitation processes. Furthermore, the outcomes of this study provide key information regarding the conservation of these species, among others.

Social behaviors represent a central tenet of ecology and evolutionary biology, but remain widely undocumented in reptiles. Although marine turtles have been studied for decades, the prevalence, importance, and potential role of social behaviors have been largely overlooked. Consequently, marine turtles have predominantly been characterized as nonsocial animals in the literature. Here we report on visual observations of hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) inhabiting a nearshore coral reef in Hawai'i that reveal a complex array of social behaviors. Combined with recent evidence for social behaviors in other marine turtle species, our results confirm that traditional views of nonsocial life histories are incomplete and that social behaviors are likely prevalent in many marine turtle species. Our findings have important implications for marine turtle management and suggest increased research into social behaviors is warranted across the taxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) has been consistently associated with fibropapillomatosis (FP), a neoplastic disease that affects sea turtles globally. The DNA of ChHV5 has been detected in cutaneous and noncutaneous tissues (e.g., lung) of green sea turtles Chelonia mydas with (FP+) and without (FP−) clinical signs of FP, indicating a persistent ChHV5 infection. Previously published and custom primer pairs were used to amplify the fragments of ChHV5 unique long (UL) partial genes (UL30 and UL18) through end‐point PCR from cutaneous tumors (n = 31), nontumored skin (n = 49), and lungs (n = 26) from FP+ (n = 31) and FP− (n = 18) green sea turtles. The DNA of ChHV5 was detected in cutaneous tumors (80.6%, 25/31), nontumored skin (74.2%, 23/31 FP+; 27.8%, 5/18 FP−), and lung samples (91.7%, 11/12 FP+; 100%, 14/14 FP−). The high occurrence of ChHV5 observed in lung samples from FP− individuals was unexpected (14/14), providing the first evidence of ChHV5 DNA presence in lungs of individuals without FP. Our results also revealed high ChHV5 occurrence among the tested cohort (93.9%, 46/49) and suggested that a large proportion (83.4%, 15/18) of FP− green sea turtles had subclinical ChHV5 infections. Hence, our findings support the hypothesis that ChHV5 requires one or more possibly environmental or immune‐related co‐factors to induce FP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal perforation in sea turtles may be associated with the ingestion of solid waste; however, other factors, including the ingestion of marine organisms, may cause intestinal perforation. Herein, we report, presumably, the first case of a death of a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) from ingesting a live goldspotted eel (Myrichthys ocellatus) and describe the necropsy findings. The adult female loggerhead sea turtle was registered alive by a team of the Cetáceos da Costa Branca Project of Rio Grande do Norte State University (PCCB-UERN). The animal died in captivity after 8 days of an attempted rehabilitation process, and the carcass was immediately sent for necropsy. After incision, an encapsulated structure in the cranial region of the left lung was identified as a specimen of the ingested eel. The histopathological examination of the lung showed fibrin and numerous leukocytes, mainly macrophages, in the alveolus and bronchioles. The necropsy revealed that the ingestion of a live goldspotted eel (M. ocellatus) caused a gastric perforation in the turtle; this resulted in the displacement of the eel to the celomatic cavity with its cranial portion in the left lung, leading to sepsis and the consequent death of the turtle.

To conserve national biodiversity, enlisting and detailed morphological description of unrecorded species is critical. Here, we, for the first time in Korea, report and describe detailed morphological characteristics of two juvenile hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, captured from Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do and Geumnam-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea on 4 August 2016 and 19 December 2016, respectively. Both specimens had a narrow head, pointed beak, four pairs of costal scutes, and four pairs of poreless inframarginal scutes, which are typical morphological characteristics of E. imbricata. Phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA control region sequences of a specimen confirmed again that the specimens are E. imbricata. With this addition of E. imbricata ( Mae-bu-ri-ba-da-geo-buk in Korean), four species of sea turtles have now been reported from Korean waters.

In spite of the widespread occurrence of epibiotic turtle barnacles (Coronuloidea: Chelonibiidae and Platylepadidae) on extant marine turtles (Chelonioidea: Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae), and although the association between these cirripedes and their chelonian hosts has existed for more than 30 million years, only a few studies have investigated the deep past of this iconic symbiotic relationship on palaeontological grounds. We describe probable platylepadid attachment scars in the form of hemispherical/hemiellipsoidal borings on an Upper Miocene (Tortonian) fragmentary turtle carapace, identified herein as belonging to Cheloniidae, from the Pisco Lagerstätte (East Pisco Basin, southern Peru). When coupled with the available molecular data, this and other similar ichnofossils allow for hypothesising that platylepadid symbionts were hosted by sea turtles as early as in early Oligocene times and became relatively widespread during the subsequent Miocene epoch. Chelonian fossils that preserve evidence of colonisation by platylepadid epibionts in the form of pits on the turtle shell should be regarded as fossil holobionts, i.e., palaeontological witnesses of discrete communal ecological units formed by a basibiont and the associated symbionts (including the epibiota). A greater attention to the bone modifications that may be detected on fossil turtle bones is expected to contribute significantly to the emerging field of palaeosymbiology.

The standardisation of protocols and discussion of therapeutic procedures in the rehabilitation of turtles affected by oil spills are necessary to optimise the recovery time and increase the chances of survival of these animals. This study aimed at reporting the processes adopted for the stabilisation, decontamination, rehabilitation and release of an oiled olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), rescued alive on September 23, 2019, at Santa Rita Beach, Extremoz municipality, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Its entire body was covered by oil. At first, the animal was mechanically dry cleaned using a gauze soaked in mineral oil in the keratinised regions (carapace and plastron) and a gauze soaked in vegetable oil was used on the oral, nasal, ocular, and cloacal mucous membranes. The second stage of the oil removal consisted of washing the animal with heated pressurised water (39 °C) and a neutral detergent using a soft foam sponge. The animal received treatment with antitoxins, antibiotics, analgesics, gastrointestinal protectors, and fluid therapy. After 7 days of treatment, the blood count showed that all the parameters were within the normal range. The oil cleaning process and the therapeutic protocol used in the rehabilitation of the olive ridley sea turtle were efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogen-induced cancers account for 15% of human tumors and are a growing concern for endangered wildlife. Fibropapillomatosis is an expanding virally and environmentally co-induced sea turtle tumor epizootic. Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) is implicated as a causative virus, but its transmission method and specific role in oncogenesis and progression is unclear. We applied environmental (e)DNA-based viral monitoring to assess viral shedding as a direct means of transmission, and the relationship between tumor burden, surgical resection and ChHV5 shedding. To elucidate the abundance and transcriptional status of ChHV5 across early, established, regrowth and internal tumors we conducted genomics and transcriptomics. We determined that ChHV5 is shed into the water column, representing a likely transmission route, and revealed novel temporal shedding dynamics and tumor burden correlations. ChHV5 was more abundant in the water column than in marine leeches. We also revealed that ChHV5 is latent in fibropapillomatosis, including early stage, regrowth and internal tumors; higher viral transcription is not indicative of poor patient outcome, and high ChHV5 loads predominantly arise from latent virus. These results expand our knowledge of the cellular and shedding dynamics of ChHV5 and can provide insights into temporal transmission dynamics and viral oncogenesis not readily investigable in tumors of terrestrial species. Farrell, Duffy and colleagues quantify the viral dynamics of the agent causing sea turtle fibropapillomatosis tumors. Environmental shedding and cellular dynamics are examined, demonstrating that temporal shedding dynamics and tumor burden are correlated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Maastrichtian deposits in Egypt and generally in Africa contain very few records of chelonioids. This scarcity hinders understanding the evolution and extinction of African chelonioids during this age. The Dakhla Basin in Egypt presents excellent Maastrichtian outcrops that consist of highly fossiliferous, calcareous siltstone and sandstone layers rich in ammonites, bivalves (Exogyra overwagi, Pycnodonta vesicularis, pectinids), gastropods, echinoids, corals, fossilized fruits of mangrove plants (Nypa) and vertebrate remains. The well-preserved humerus of giant turtle and other vertebrate remains have been discovered in the early late Maastrichtian Ammonite Hill Member of the Dakhla Formation in the Abu Minqar area, Southern Western Desert, Egypt. The Ammonite Hill Member was deposited in very shallow coastal, inner neritic to littoral environments. The well-preserved giant humerus represents the first record of gigantic Mesozoic chelonioids in Africa and the second record of chelonioids in the Maastrichtian deposits in Egypt. The present specimen contributes to fill the missing gaps in the history of Egyptian turtles from the Cretaceous through the Cenozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loggerhead marine turtle, Caretta caretta, is a widely distributed and endangered species that is facing critical population decline, especially in Colombian Caribbean rookeries. Mitochondrial DNA sequence data are of great importance for the description, monitoring, and phylogenetic analyses of migratory turtle populations. In this study, the first full mitochondrial genome of a loggerhead turtle nesting in the Colombian Caribbean was sequenced and analyzed. This mitochondrial genome consists of 16 362 bp with a nucleotide composition of T: 25.7 %, C: 27 %, A: 35 % and G: 12 %. Sequence annotation of the assembled molecule revealed an organization and number of coding and functional units as reported for other vertebrate mitogenomes. This Colombian loggerhead turtle (Cc-AO-C) showed a novel D-Loop haplotype consisting of thirteen new variable sites, sharing 99.2 % sequence identity with the previously reported Caribbean loggerhead CC-A1 D-Loop haplotype. All 13 protein-coding genes in the Cc-AO-C mitogenome were compared and aligned with those from four other loggerhead turtles from different locations (Florida, Greece, Peru, and Hawaii). Eleven of these genes presented moderate genetic diversity levels, and genes COII and ND5 showed the highest diversity, with average numbers of pair-wise differences of 16.6 and 25, respectively. In addition, the first approach related to t-RNAs 2D and 3D structure analysis in this mitogenome was conducted, leading to observed unique features in two tRNAs (tRNATrp and tRNALeu). The marine turtle phylogeny was revisited with the newly generated data. The entire mitogenome provided phylogenetically informative data, as well as individual genes ND5, ND4, and 16S. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of complete mitogenome data in revealing gene flow processes in natural loggerhead turtle populations, as well as in understanding the evolutionary history of marine turtles.

Tortoiseshell is a proteinaceous material derived from the scutes of marine turtles, and was shaped into an abundance of objects, especially luxurious items, at its peak in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. It has continued to be used even after the advent of plastics and remains one of the main causes of illegal poaching of marine turtles, in particular the hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata. Tortoiseshell is made of structural proteins, of which the most abundant are known as β-keratins, or ‘corneous beta-proteins' (CBPs), a family of short proteins containing a central structure in β-sheets. There are, however, few CBP sequences of marine turtles in protein databases. The scutes of the five main species of marine turtles (Chelonia mydas, Caretta caretta, Eretmochelys imbricata, Lepidochelys olivacea and Lepidochelys kempii) were analysed by proteomics, using nano-liquid chromatography-Orbitrap-mass spectrometry to generate peptidic markers for species identification. A total of 187 marker sequences were identified, the large majority of them obtained from automated de novo sequencing. The sequences were classified into peptides A to F: A to D at the N-terminus and central region that forms the β-pleated sheets, E1–4 for a variable region of glycine-repeats region and F at the C-terminus. The markers were tested against a set of combs discovered in various archaeological sites of modern period in France, successfully identifying hawksbill turtle and highlighting patterns of degradation in archaeological tortoiseshell.

Vertebrate's stress response plays a significant role in helping individuals adapt to changing environments. One of the most challenging stages in female turtles' life cycle is during oviposition, especially when the turtles' nest during the daytime and have to face massive nesting events (arribadas), limited space on the beach, and high temperatures. The Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is the smallest sea turtle, which has to withstand high temperatures during the nesting process due to its diurnal habits. Our objective was to determine corticosterone concentration as a response to induced stress and estimate its variations at the beginning, middle, and end of the nesting season. We measured the corticosterone concentration in serial blood samples (0, 20, 40, and 60 min.) in 22 Kemp's ridley sea turtles during the beginning, the middle, and the end of the nesting season. Our results show that the turtles had a significant increase in corticosterone levels at 20 min. after the onset of stress, and we found that corticosterone decreased at the end of the nesting season. The results point to a rapid response of the hypothalamic--pituitary-adrenal axis. We suggest that glucocorticoid levels return to baseline at the end of the breeding season, and modulation may allow successful completion of nesting throughout the entire seasonal nesting period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding why different life history strategies respond differently to changes in environmental variability is necessary to be able to predict eco-evolutionary population responses to change. Marine megafauna display unusual combinations of life history traits. For example, rays, sharks and turtles are all long-lived, characteristic of slow life histories. However, turtles also have very high reproduction rates and juvenile mortality, characteristic of fast life histories. Sharks and rays, in contrast, produce a few live-born young, which have low mortality rates, characteristic of slow life histories. This raises the question if marine megafaunal responses to environmental variability follow conventional life history patterns, including the pattern that fast life histories are more sensitive to environmental autocorrelation than slow life histories. To answer this question, we used a functional trait approach to quantify for different species of mobulid rays, cheloniid sea turtles and carcharhinid sharks – all inhabitants or visitors of (human-dominated) coastalscapes – how their life history, average size and log stochastic population growth rate, log(λs), respond to changes in environmental autocorrelation and in the frequency of favorable environmental conditions. The faster life histories were more sensitive to temporal frequency of favourable environmental conditions, but both faster and slower life histories were equally sensitive, although of opposite sign, to environmental autocorrelation. These patterns are atypical, likely following from the unusual life history traits that the megafauna display, as responses were linked to variation in mortality, growth and reproduction rates. Our findings signify the importance of understanding how life history traits and population responses to environmental change are linked. Such understanding is a basis for accurate predictions of marine megafauna population responses to environmental perturbations like (over)fishing, and to shifts in the autocorrelation of environmental variables, ultimately contributing toward bending the curve on marine biodiversity loss.

Abstract The wide variation in size and content of eukaryotic genomes is mainly attributed to the accumulation of repetitive DNA sequences, like microsatellites, which are tandemly repeated DNA sequences. Sea turtles share a diploid number (2n) of 56, however recent molecular cytogenetic data have shown that karyotype conservatism is not a rule in the group. In this study, the heterochromatin distribution and the chromosomal location of microsatellites (CA)n, (GA)n, (CAG)n, (GATA)n, (GAA)n, (CGC)n and (GACA)n in Chelonia mydas, Caretta caretta, Eretmochelys imbricata and Lepidochelys olivacea were comparatively investigated. The obtained data showed that just the (CA)n, (GA)n, (CAG)n and (GATA)n microsatellites were located on sea turtle chromosomes, preferentially in heterochromatic regions of the microchromosomes (mc). Variations in the location of heterochromatin and microsatellites sites, especially in some pericentromeric regions of macrochromosomes, corroborate to proposal of centromere repositioning occurrence in Cheloniidae species. Furthermore, the results obtained with the location of microsatellites corroborate with the temperature sex determination mechanism proposal and the absence of heteromorphic sex chromosomes in sea turtles. The findings are useful for understanding part of the karyotypic diversification observed in sea turtles, especially those that explain the diversification of Carettini from Chelonini species.

Worldwide, sea turtles are affected by anthropic waste. Animals, unable to differentiate anthropic waste from food, ingest this waste from their surroundings. After ingestion, the waste may cause a digestive tract blockage, thereby compromising the feeding and digestion capacity of the turtles, causing malnutrition, which may lead to death. Radiological imaging can be performed in turtles under rehabilitation to identify alterations of the digestive tract, such as intussusceptions, impactions, obstructions, torsions, neoplasms, and foreign bodies. These alterations are a result of either the ingestion of anthropogenic residues or natural causes. Moreover, diagnostic imaging exams play an important role in interventional medicine as they can indicate the location and type of ingested waste, thereby facilitating decision-making for the treatment of the afflicted animals. The aim of this study was to analyse the published scientific literature surrounding the effects of the ingestion of anthropogenic residue by sea turtles and the main imaging modalities used for their diagnosis. This was undertaken to provide clinicians with a greater amount of information regarding the digestive tract diseases of these animals and consequently, provide better outcomes of the rehabilitation processes. Furthermore, the outcomes of this study provide key information regarding the conservation of these species, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea turtles are difficult to sample because of their protected status; however, museum collections and sea turtle stranding networks provide unique opportunities for parasitological research. Four gastrointestinal tracts from stranded, endangered green turtles, Chelonia mydas, were collected between 1993 and 1995 from the upper Texas coast and opportunistically sampled for parasite fauna. Two new species of Telorchis, a common freshwater amphibian and reptilian intestinal parasite genus, were found and described. Telorchis marinus n. sp. differs from Telorchis mydas n. sp. by its short body length, lack of pharyngeal glands, long esophagus relative to total body length, short and straight cirrus sac, short ventral sucker to ovary length relative to total body length, and an ovary located in the anterior one-third of body; it differs from its congeners in the number of ovary lengths between the ventral sucker and ovary, the number of ventral sucker lengths the cirrus sac extends beyond the posterior margin of the ventral sucker, and the vitelline field extent. Telorchis mydas differs from its congeners in the number of ovary lengths between the ventral sucker and ovary, the number of ventral sucker lengths the cirrus sac extends beyond the posterior margin of the ventral sucker, and the combination of having its ovary position near the midbody and a long, sinuous cirrus sac that is 35–44% of the total body length. Given the taxonomic complexities within Telorchis, a revised key to North American species is provided using morphological characteristics to assist future researchers in delineating true species and appropriate synonymies with molecular explorations. We reject the majority of synonymies in the genus until molecular data are available; we accept the synonymies of Telorchis necturi as Telorchis stunkardi and Telorchis gutturosi as Telorchis chelopi. Both Telorchis linstowi and Telorchis stossichi should be considered as species inquirenda. This is the first confirmed report of Telorchis from a marine host and the first report on parasites of cheloniid sea turtles in Texas, and this study adds to the ever-growing evidence that collections are essential to understanding biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal perforation in sea turtles may be associated with the ingestion of solid waste; however, other factors, including the ingestion of marine organisms, may cause intestinal perforation. Herein, we report, presumably, the first case of a death of a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) from ingesting a live goldspotted eel (Myrichthys ocellatus) and describe the necropsy findings. The adult female loggerhead sea turtle was registered alive by a team of the Cetáceos da Costa Branca Project of Rio Grande do Norte State University (PCCB-UERN). The animal died in captivity after 8 days of an attempted rehabilitation process, and the carcass was immediately sent for necropsy. After incision, an encapsulated structure in the cranial region of the left lung was identified as a specimen of the ingested eel. The histopathological examination of the lung showed fibrin and numerous leukocytes, mainly macrophages, in the alveolus and bronchioles. The necropsy revealed that the ingestion of a live goldspotted eel (M. ocellatus) caused a gastric perforation in the turtle; this resulted in the displacement of the eel to the celomatic cavity with its cranial portion in the left lung, leading to sepsis and the consequent death of the turtle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Marine turtle hybridization is usually sporadic and involves reports of only a few individuals; however, Brazilian populations have high hybridization rates. Here we investigated the presence of hybrids in morphologically identified immature hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata) along the South Western Atlantic (SWA). We sequenced one mitochondrial (D-Loop) and three nuclear DNA (RAG1, RAG2, and CMOS) markers to better understand the patterns and characteristics of hybrids. We identified 22 hybrids (n = 270), 11 of them at the extreme South of the SWA. Uruguay had the highest hybrid frequency in the SWA (~37.5%) followed by southern Brazil with 30%. These are common areas for loggerheads (Caretta caretta) but uncommon for hawksbills, and these hybrids may be adopting the behavior of loggerheads. By analyzing nuclear markers, we can infer that 50% of the sampled hybrids are first generation (F1) and 36% are the result of backcrosses between hybrids and pure E. imbricata (> F1). We also report for the first time immature E. imbricata x Lepidochelys olivacea hybrids at the Brazilian coast. Considering the high frequency of hybrids in the SWA, continuous monitoring should be performed to assess the fitness, genetic integrity, and extent of changes in the gene pools of involved populations.

La región de la Mojana, perteneciente a la depresión Momposina, que se encuentra en el norte colombiano, desde hace muchos años, ha estado presentando problemáticas ambientales, asociadas a los metales pesados, en principio, por mercurio que, potencialmente, está afectando la fauna silvestre, en especial, a Trachemys callirostris. Esta especie categorizada como vulnerable, se encuentra amenazada, esencialmente, por la sobreexplotación y la alteración de su hábitat. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar las concentraciones de mercurio total en hígado de la hicotea T. callirostris en tres localidades del departamento de Sucre, pertenecientes a la región de la Mojana. Los individuos, se obtuvieron, de manera directa, de pescadores de subsistencia, en los municipios de San Marcos, Caimito y Guaranda. Se tomaron muestras de hígado de 35 individuos de T. callirostris y se cuantificaron las concentraciones de mercurio total, por el método de Espectrometría de Absorción Atómica, usando un analizador directo de mercurio, con previos tratamientos de las muestras. Los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas entre los sitios muestreados (p

An annotated inventory of the herpetofauna of Lawachara National Park in Bangladesh is presented, based primarily on original field observations recorded during a six-year survey of the park. A total of 71 species are reported, including 19 Anura, one Apoda, two Chelonii, and 49 Squamata. The course of the survey revealed 16 range extensions including 11 new country records for Bangladesh. Eight of the 16 range extensions including six of the 11 country records are reported here for the first time. Deleted from previous Lawachara National Park checklists are 23 species that had been erroneously reported due to misidentification or the splitting or synonymization of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coahuila box turtle (Terrapene coahuila) is an endangered species of chelonian endemic to the Cuatro Ciénegas valley in northern Mexico. It is the only aquatic member of the genus Terrapene and is dependent on permanent and seasonal wetlands. Over the past several decades, T. coahuila populations have declined from habitat loss as the wetlands have dried due to human modification of the valley. We conducted a survey of the status of the species from 2011 to 2018, updating previous estimates of population density and overall population size. We also collected data on sex ratio in each of the 8 wetland study areas in the valley and report a strongly male-biased sex ratio. Our results indicate a total population size of approximately 1791 individuals, based on recorded densities from 0.24 to 3.3 individuals/ha among 539.76 ha of suitable habitat in the 8 wetland areas. This estimate is lower than previous studies indicated, implying direct effects of habitat loss on T. coahuila. If habitat loss due to lowering of the water table continues, this species will become extinct. We recommend conservation measures including upgrading the species' International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List status to Critically Endangered, protecting and restoring key wetlands in the valley, and establishing captive assurance colonies in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present note describes the occurrence of Monticellius indicum Mehra, 1939 (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) in an adult loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758), found on the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pathological changes due to spirorchiid eggs (type 1 and 3) were found in gastrointestinal system, endocrine system, and heart. This parasite has previously been described in the green turtle, Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758), from Pakistan, Brazil and Costa Rica as well as in the hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766), in Brazil. This note reports the loggerhead turtle as a new host for M. indicum.

Sea turtles are vulnerable immediately after emerging from nests and before they reach the surf. Mortality rates during this brief period are largely unknown. Many sea turtle monitoring programs measure hatchling production from nest inventories. These inventories rarely account for post-emergence mortality, leaving an unknown bias in hatchling production estimates. This study addresses the nest-to-surf data gap for Florida’s east coast nesting assemblages of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Five locations were surveyed during the 2016-nesting season. Across all beaches, 7.6% of the observed hatchlings did not survive to reach the water. Mortality sources varied by location. Observed predators include: mammals, birds, and crabs. Hatchling disorientation and misorientation due to photopollution occurred more frequently in urban areas than natural areas. Factors identified as important in hatchling mortality included numbers of hatchlings emerging, nest-to-surf distance, and level of urbanization. The results of this study may help sea turtle nesting managers address nest-to-surf mortality and improve hatchling production estimates.

The incomplete skeleton of a juvenile sea turtle (Cheloniidae) is described from the terminal Bartonian (late Middle Eocene) of the Gorny Luch locality (Krasnodar krai, Russia) as Eochelone sp. The new find extends the known geographic distribution of turtles of the genus Eochelone Dollo, 1903, previously known in Europe only from the Lutetian of Belgium and Ukraine, the Bartonian of England and the Priabonian of Spain. In addition, the described specimen has common features with "Allopleuron" qazaqstanense Karl et al., 2012 from the Bartonian and, possibly, the Lutetian of Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many species, climate oscillations drove cycles of population contraction during cool glacial periods followed by expansion during interglacials. Some groups, however, show evidence of uniform and synchronous expansion, while others display differences in the timing and extent of demographic change. We compared demographic histories inferred from genetic data across marine turtle species to identify responses to postglacial warming shared across taxa and to examine drivers of past demographic change at the global scale. Using coalescent simulations and approximate Bayesian computation (ABC), we estimated demographic parameters, including the likelihood of past population expansion, from a mitochondrial data set encompassing 23 previously identified lineages from all seven marine turtle species. For lineages with a high posterior probability of expansion, we conducted a hierarchical ABC analysis to estimate the proportion of lineages expanding synchronously and the timing of synchronous expansion. We used Bayesian model averaging to identify variables associated with expansion and genetic diversity. Approximately 60% of extant marine turtle lineages showed evidence of expansion, with the rest mainly exhibiting patterns of genetic diversity most consistent with population stability. For lineages showing expansion, there was a strong signal of synchronous expansion after the Last Glacial Maximum. Expansion and genetic diversity were best explained by ocean basin and the degree of endemism for a given lineage. Geographic differences in sensitivity to climate change have implications for prioritizing conservation actions in marine turtles as well as for identifying areas of past demographic stability and potential resilience to future climate change for broadly distributed taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) levels in sea turtles is an important issue in conservation research, due to the harmful effects of these chemicals. In the present study, OCPs concentrations were determined in the eggs of two sea turtle species (Eretmochelys imbricata and Chelonia mydas) collected from the Punta Xen and Isla Aguada (Mexican coast) in 2014 and 2015. Concentrations of 20 OCPs were analysed, including isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane, aldrin, chlordanes, endosulfans, methoxychlor, DDTs, and heptachlor. From the group of contaminants considered (analysed as families), the results revealed higher concentrations of ΣHCH and ΣDienes on both selected species. We analysed the relationship between turtle size and the OCPs concentrations; no correlation was found between the size of the female and concentrations in the eggs. In addition, principal component analysis indicated pattern differences between species and years, in good agreement with concentrations differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes remains of fossil turtles from five Paleogene localities of Crimea. Two are Danian (Ak-Kaya 2 and Sakharnaya Golovka) and three are Bartonian (Ak-Kaya 1, Bakhchisarai and Prolom). The best studied turtle fauna comes from the Ak-Kaya 1 locality and includes three taxa: marine Argillochelys sp. (Cheloniidae) and Cosmochelys sp. (Dermochelyidae), and an unidentified soft-shelled turtle (Trionychidae indet.). Argillochelys sp. shows similarities with Argillochelys antiqua (König, 1825) from the Eocene of Europe. The new data expands our knowledge of intraspecific variability and the distribution of turtles of the genera Argillochelys and Cosmochelys. Unidentified cheloniids (Bakhchisarai, Prolom, and Sakharnaya Golovka), dermochelyids (Bakhchisarai and Prolom) and trionychids (Ak-Kaya 2 and Prolom) are described from other Paleogene localities of Crimea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]