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We monitored reproductive females of Emys orbicularis and Mauremys leprosa during the summer of 2001 in Doñana National Park. Radiographs revealed that females of both species may lay at least two clutches from May to July. We recorded incubation temperatures in one nest of each species, and found them to be 24.7 ºC in E. orbicularis and 28.7 ºC in M. leprosa. Egg incubation lasted 83 days in E. orbicularis, with all the hatchlings remaining in the nest until we extracted them in October, and 46-53 days in M. leprosa, with three hatchlings emerging one to 12 days after hatching, and three hatchlings remaining in the nest. We detected M. leprosa hatchlings in their first trip to the pond from late August to early October and E. orbicularis hatchlings from September 18th to September 23rd.

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.

Amphibian chytridiomycosis, caused by infection with the non-hyphal, zoosporic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is an emerging infectious disease recognised as a cause of recent amphibian population declines and extinctions worldwide. The Doñana National Park (DNP) is located in southwestern Spain, a country with widespread Bd infection. This protected area has a great diversity of aquatic habitats that constitute important breeding habitats for 11 native amphibian species. We sampled 625 amphibians in December 2007 and February to March 2008, months that correspond to the early and intermediate breeding seasons for amphibians, respectively. We found 7 of 9 sampled species to be infected with Bd and found differences in prevalence between sampling periods. Although some amphibians tested had higher intensities of infection than others, all animals sampled were apparently healthy and, so far, there has been no evidence of either unusually high rates of mortality or amphibian population declines in the DNP. © Inter-Research 2012.

Pancreatitis associated with the helminth Serpinema microcephalus was found in three of 19 free-ranging red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) captured between March 2003 and September 2004 in southern Spain. Microscopic changes were associated with parasite migrations and were characterized by central areas of necrosis surrounded by leukocytes and resulted in destruction of exocrine tissue. The blood profile of one of the three female turtles revealed eosinophilia and hyperglycemia, common in helminth infections and pancreatic disorders respectively. These are the first reported cases of pancreatitis caused by the nematode S. microcephalus in the exotic and newly colonized host T. s. elegans. © Wildlife Disease Association 2011.

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. © 2011 Brill Academic Publishers.

1. The main reproductive parameters of exotic Trachemys scripta elegans in established populations from two ponds in southern Spain are described. 2. Females were found to reproduce at 5 years of age, although sexually mature individuals of 4 and 3 years of age were also detected. Annual reproductive frequency was estimated to be 80-86% of reproductive females. Mean clutch size was 11.5 eggs and was not correlated with maternal body size. 3. The number of follicles of different size in ovaries suggested that four or more clutches could be laid per season. Eggs were laid from April to June (inclusive) mainly during morning hours, when females were easily detected during nesting trips. 79.5% of eggs were fertile. 4. Reproductive parameters of this species in southern Spain were of similar or even higher values than in native areas, thus placing them among chelonian species of earlier maturity. 5. Although chelonians might never be considered explosive breeders, the number of T. s. elegans individuals could surpass that of native aquatic chelonians in southern Spain, where T. s. elegans reach maturity earlier, are more fecund and their eggs are more fertile. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of Salmonella in pet turtles has been the focus of extensive research, but its incidence in free living turtles is not well known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of Salmonella in terrestrial and aquatic species of chelonians inhabiting a National Park in southwestern Spain. Individuals of the terrestrial tortoise Testudo graeca (n = 16) and the aquatic turtles Emys orbicularis (n = 26) and Mauremys leprosa (n = 50) were investigated. Maximum incidence of Salmonella was recorded in the terrestrial species (100%). In contrast, the incidence of infected animals was low in the aquatic species, 12% in M. leprosa and 15.4% in E. orbicularis. Five serotypes of Salmonella belonging to subspecies enterica (I) and salamae (II) were identified. All serotypes were found in the terrestrial species, and three in the aquatic ones, suggesting that wild terrestrial chelonians are important reservoirs of Salmonella in our study area. Cloacal transmission during mating is the most probable mode of transmission among individuals. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The freshwater pond turtle, Emys orbicularis, has recently suffered from population declines throughout its range, mainly due to habitat destruction. The mating strategies of this species were studied using genetic data from successive clutches within and between years. To test for the occurrence and frequency of multiple paternity and sperm storage, genetic paternity at six microsatellite markers was assessed in 114 embryos and hatchlings from single and subsequent clutches of 11 females (including clutches from the same or consecutive years). Multiple paternity was rare and only found in two out of 20 clutches from 11 females. All annual successive clutches and 58% of the clutches in the next year, were fertilized with sperm from the same male. The use of stored sperm is thus a frequent strategy in E. orbicularis. However, hatching rate, hatchling mass, and hatchling length decreased in clutches fertilized by stored sperm, suggesting sperm depletion or deterioration through time. The occurrence of stored sperm despite an associated reduced reproductive output indicated that mating and/or the fertilization process is costly to females. The low incidence of multiple paternity may simply be the residual consequence of the capacity to store viable sperm. These results provide important and innovative insights for the conservation of E. orbicularis. In threatened populations, management strategies may aim to enhance effective copulations in order to increase the reproductive output of females. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[ENG] Many oviparous terrestrial species deposit flexible-shelled eggs into the soil. These eggs are sensitive to the hydration level of the nest environment. Among other factors, water exchange of eggs during incubation may be af- fected by the soil water potential. To evaluate whether egg aggregation influences embryonic development, we incu- bated flexible-shelled Schreiber’s green lizard (Lacerta schreiberi) eggs under three levels of soil water potential (wet: –150 kPa; intermediate: –650 kPa; dry: –1150 kPa) and under two levels of aggregation (aggregated: in groups of six eggs with physical contact among them; isolated: groups of six eggs each 1 cm apart). The availability of water during egg incubation influenced egg mass and hatchling size. Eggs incubated in dry soils absorbed less water and produced smaller hatchlings. The selected levels of soil water potential did not influence incubation duration or hatching success. When soil was wet or dry, we did not find any effect of egg aggregation in embryonic development. However, when soil water potential was intermediate, aggregated eggs absorbed less water and their embryos hatched at smaller sizes compared with isolated eggs. Moreover, variability and range of egg water absorption and hatchling size were higher among aggregated eggs than among solitary ones when access to water was restricted. In these cases, eggs competed with different success for water, a limited resource in the nest environment., [FR] Plusieurs espèces terrestres ovipares déposent des oeufs à coquille flexible dans le sol. Ces oeufs sont sensi- bles au degré d’hydratation de l’environnement du nid. L’échange d’eau par les oeufs durant l’incubation peut être af- fecté, entre autres facteurs, par le potentiel hydrique du sol. Afin d’évaluer si la répartition contagieuse des oeufs influence le développement embryonnaire, nous avons incubé des oeufs à coquille flexible de lézards de Schreiber (La- certa schreiberi) à trois degrés de potentiel hydrique (humide : –150 kPa; moyen : –650 kPa; sec : –1150 kPa) et à deux niveaux de contagion (contagion : groupes de six oeufs ayant un contact physique entre eux; isolement : groupes de six oeufs distants de 1 cm les uns des autres). La disponibilité de l’eau durant l’incubation des oeufs affecte la masse des oeufs et la taille des nouveau-nés. Les oeufs incubés dans les sols secs absorbent moins d’eau et produisent des nouveau-nés plus petits. Les degrés choisis de potentiel hydrique du sol n’influencent pas la durée de l’incubation, ni le succès de l’éclosion. Dans les sols humides ou secs, il n’y a pas d’effet de la répartition contagieuse des oeufs sur le développement embryonnaire. En revanche, au niveau moyen de potentiel hydrique du sol, les oeufs à répartition contagieuse absorbent moins d’eau et leurs embryons éclosent à des tailles plus petites que les oeufs isolés. De plus, lorsque l’accès à l’eau est réduit, la variabilité et l’étendue de l’absorption d’eau par les oeufs et de la taille des nou- veau-nés sont plus élevées dans le cas des oeufs à répartition contagieuse que dans celui des oeufs isolés. Dans cette situation, les oeufs font compétition pour l’eau, une ressource limitée dans l’environnement du nid, avec des succès va- riables.

The courtship behaviour of 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 male's flank and never touches the female. Bait mimic tail movements (described for T. boscai as flamenco) are used to attract the female's 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.