Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade
Citizen science is emerging as a powerful tool for the early detection of biological invasions. The exotic pet trade has been deemed as the most significant cause of establishment for reptiles, and among them, turtles have the highest number of introduction events. In Europe, at least 13 species of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/691 |
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| author | Konstantinos Kalaentzis Christos Kazilas Ilias Strachinis Elias Tzoras Petros Lymberakis |
| author_facet | Konstantinos Kalaentzis Christos Kazilas Ilias Strachinis Elias Tzoras Petros Lymberakis |
| author_sort | Konstantinos Kalaentzis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Citizen science is emerging as a powerful tool for the early detection of biological invasions. The exotic pet trade has been deemed as the most significant cause of establishment for reptiles, and among them, turtles have the highest number of introduction events. In Europe, at least 13 species of alien freshwater turtles have been recorded in the wild. In Greece, only two species of alien turtles have been reported, namely the American pond slider <i>Trachemys scripta</i> and the Florida cooter <i>Pseudemys floridana</i>. In this study, we provide an updated checklist of the alien freshwater turtles recorded in Greece, using citizen science, personal observations, and literature. Our results provide the first records for the country of five species, namely the Florida red-bellied cooter <i>Pseudemys nelsoni</i>, the Eastern river cooter <i>Pseudemys concinna</i>, the Chinese stripe-necked turtle <i>Mauremys sinensis</i>, the Chinese soft-shelled turtle <i>Pelodiscus sinensis,</i> and the Common snapping turtle <i>Chelydra serpentina</i> and new localities for <i>T. scripta</i>. Similar to the myth of the Lernaean Hydra (i.e., for every head chopped off, more would regrow), the pet turtle trade has been proven to have multiple heads. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:48:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f43bc76967384339b12efbea342c2ae7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:48:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-f43bc76967384339b12efbea342c2ae72023-11-18T01:06:41ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-05-0115569110.3390/d15050691Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle TradeKonstantinos Kalaentzis0Christos Kazilas1Ilias Strachinis2Elias Tzoras3Petros Lymberakis4Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, 85100 Rhodes, GreeceNaturalis Biodiversity Center, 2300 RA Leiden, The NetherlandsDepartment of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, GreeceIndependent Researcher, 26442 Patras, GreeceNatural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, 71409 Heraklion, GreeceCitizen science is emerging as a powerful tool for the early detection of biological invasions. The exotic pet trade has been deemed as the most significant cause of establishment for reptiles, and among them, turtles have the highest number of introduction events. In Europe, at least 13 species of alien freshwater turtles have been recorded in the wild. In Greece, only two species of alien turtles have been reported, namely the American pond slider <i>Trachemys scripta</i> and the Florida cooter <i>Pseudemys floridana</i>. In this study, we provide an updated checklist of the alien freshwater turtles recorded in Greece, using citizen science, personal observations, and literature. Our results provide the first records for the country of five species, namely the Florida red-bellied cooter <i>Pseudemys nelsoni</i>, the Eastern river cooter <i>Pseudemys concinna</i>, the Chinese stripe-necked turtle <i>Mauremys sinensis</i>, the Chinese soft-shelled turtle <i>Pelodiscus sinensis,</i> and the Common snapping turtle <i>Chelydra serpentina</i> and new localities for <i>T. scripta</i>. Similar to the myth of the Lernaean Hydra (i.e., for every head chopped off, more would regrow), the pet turtle trade has been proven to have multiple heads.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/691biological invasionspet tradenon-native speciesinvasive alien speciesaquatic invasionsterrapins |
| spellingShingle | Konstantinos Kalaentzis Christos Kazilas Ilias Strachinis Elias Tzoras Petros Lymberakis Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade Diversity biological invasions pet trade non-native species invasive alien species aquatic invasions terrapins |
| title | Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade |
| title_full | Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade |
| title_fullStr | Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade |
| title_full_unstemmed | Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade |
| title_short | Alien Freshwater Turtles in Greece: Citizen Science Reveals the Hydra-Headed Issue of the Pet Turtle Trade |
| title_sort | alien freshwater turtles in greece citizen science reveals the hydra headed issue of the pet turtle trade |
| topic | biological invasions pet trade non-native species invasive alien species aquatic invasions terrapins |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/691 |
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