Spanish pond turtle

The Iberian pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa), also known as the Mediterranean pond turtle or Mediterranean turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa.

Spanish pond turtle
Female M. l. saharica in Morocco
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Mauremys
Species:	M. leprosa
Binomial name
Mauremys leprosa Schweigger, 1812[2]
Synonyms[3]
List Emys leprosa Schweigger, 1812 Emys lutescens Schweigger, 1812 Emys marmorea Spix, 1824 Clemmys sigriz Michahelles, 1829 Emys vulgaris Gray, 1831 Emys sigritzii Gray, 1831 (ex errore) Terrapene sigriz — Bonaparte, 1832 Emys sigriz — A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Clemmys (Clemmys) leprosa — Fitzinger, 1835 Clemmys (Clemmys) lutescens — Fitzinger, 1835 Emys laticeps Gray, 1854 Emys fuliginosus Gray, 1860 Clemmys fuliginosa — Strauch, 1862 Clemmys laticeps — Strauch, 1862 Clemmys marmorea — Strauch, 1862 Emys flavipes Gray, 1869 Emys fraseri Gray, 1869 Mauremys fuliginosa — Gray, 1869 Mauremys laniaria Gray, 1869 Emys laniaria — Gray, 1870 Eryma laticeps — Gray, 1870 Emys lamaria Gray, 1873 (ex errore) Emys caspica var. leprosa — Boettger, 1874 Clemmys caspica sigriz — Bedriaga, 1882 Clemmys caspica leprosa — Bedriaga, 1890 Mauremys caspica leprosa — Młynarski, 1969 Mauremys leprosa — Bour, 1978 Mauremys leprosa atlantica Schleich, 1996 Mauremys leprosa erhardi Schleich, 1996 Mauremys leprosa marokkensis Schleich, 1996 Mauremys leprosa wernerkaestlei Schleich, 1996 Mauremys leprosa leprosa — McCord, 1997 Mauremys leprosa erhardii — Fritz, Barata, Busack, Fritzsch & Castilho, 2006 (ex errore) Mauremys leprosa saharica Emys fraseri Gray, 1869 (partim, nomen dubium) Mauremys leprosa saharica Schleich, 1996 Mauremys leprosa zizi Schleich, 1996 Mauremys leprosa vanmeerhaeghei Bour & Maran, 1999 Mauremys leprosa vanmerhaeghei Bour & Maran, 1999 (ex errore) Mauremys leprosa vanmeerhaghei Fritz, Fritzsch, Lehr, Ducotterd & A. Müller, 2005 (ex errore)

Subspecies

Including the nominotypical subspecies, there are two sub-species which are accepted:^[4]

• M. leprosa leprosa (Schweigger, 1812)^[2] – Iberian pond turtle
• M. leprosa saharica Schleich, 1996^[2] – Saharan pond turtle

Gallery

• 
  male M. l. saharica, Morocco
• 
  adults and juvenile M. l. saharica, Morocco
• 
  swimming
• 
  Juvenile

Distribution

Mauremys leprosa is native to the western mainland Mediterranean Basin, stretching from the tip of southern France to the northwestern Maghreb (in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya). It is most frequent in the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain).^[1]