Ecologica Montenegrina, 42, 2021, 109-115

A new record of the freshwater turtle Mauremys rivulata

(Valenciennes, 1833) in the Ofkos river, Cyprus: Conservation actions

required

HARIS NICOLAOU

Department of Forests, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Cyprus.

E-mail: nicolaouharis@cytanet.com.cy

Received 23 April 2021 │ Accepted by V. Pešić: 25 May 2021 │ Published online 29 May 2021.

Abstract

A range extension of the native Balkan terrapin Mauremys rivulata is documented along the Ofkos river at the upper

part of the Morfou plain, in Cyprus. Several individuals of both sexes and of different age, were caught using turtle net

traps in late April 2021; different measurements were recorded, including length, width and weight. The area where the

terrapins were discovered consists of deep ponds on the Ofkos riverbed, which maintain permanent and semi-permanent

aquatic refugia, even during prolonged periods of drought. This is the 5th river location in Cyprus, where M. rivulata has

been documented. It is assumed that this particular population has been isolated from other populations, since there is

very little chance of frequent dispersal over land between the nearest existing populations of the Klimos and Pedieos

rivers, respectively. Since the majority of this type of river habitat in Cyprus rapidly dries out during the long drought

season, this area is of high conservation value for M. rivulata, as well as for other aquatic and wetland species.

Therefore, it is of vital importance that this location falls within a proposed newly planned protected area.

Key words: Balkan terrapin, ponds, conservation, Cyprus.

Introduction

The freshwater turtle Mauremys rivulata (Valenciennes, 1833), commonly known as the Balkan terrapin or

stripe-necked terrapin, is found from the Adriatic coast of the Balkan Peninsula through to the Aegean

region, western and southern Turkey, southwards to Jordan and Palestine. In addition, it can also be found on

several Aegean islands, as well as on Crete and Cyprus (Mantziou and Rifai 2014). Although the species is

tolerant of a variety of aquatic environments, being even present in brackish waters, its populations on many

of the islands have declined. In this paper, information is furnished on the conservation relevance pertaining

to Mauremys rivulata in Cyprus, detailing the discovery and survival status at this fifth area were the

population is identified on the island.

For this study, in situ research was carried out within the island’s UN demilitarized Buffer Zone,

created after the 1974 invasion of Cyprus by Turkey which has divided the island into the Turkish occupied

north and the south. This buffer zone covers about 6 percent of the island, while the Turkish-occupied North

covers approximately 39% of the island. The Republic of Cyprus has de jure sovereignty over the island,

Ecologica Montenegrina 42: 109-115 (2021)

This journal is available online at: www.biotaxa.org/em

http://dx.doi.org/10.37828/em.2021.42.7

NEW RECORD OF MAUREMYS RIVULATA IN THE OFKOS RIVER, CYPRUS

110

except for two United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas (SBA); but it de facto controls only about 59% the

island, mostly south of the buffer zone. The study area is located within the UN Buffer Zone on a stretch of

land, along the Ofkos river, a tributary of the Serrahis river; parts of the river basin lie both north and south

and within the Buffer Zone.

In Cyprus, the Balkan terrapin is known to inhabit rivers with permanent pools and ponds ranging

from sea level up to 420 m (above sea level, thereafter a.s.l.); yet its surviving populations are few and

extremely localized. Until know the species is known to have populations at the Chrysochou River (Pafos),

Pediaios and Klimos rivers (Nicosia), and the Alykos river (Kotsiatis-Nicosia) (Nicolaou et. al. 2014). In

recent years, several surveys showed that this species is absent from many ‘suitable’ wetland habitats in

Cyprus, even though it was more widespread in the past (Baier et al. 2009). Moreover, some Balkan terrapin

records remain poorly documented or unverified, as the island’s political division and many military zones

impede natural history investigations. Baier et al. (2009) identifies a few scattered locations of the species,

presumably just north of the UN Buffer Zone; but geographical coordinates are not provided. In 2007,

Göçmen and colleagues found Balkan terrapins in a territory north of the UN Buffer Zone and more

specifically at Gonyeli reservoir, in addition to the well-known population near Nicosia city, in the Pediaios

river (Göçmen et al. 2008). Other than this, there are no recently published data on other populations, in

other areas north of the Buffer Zone.

Despite the fact that the species is endemic to the Mediterranean basin and protected under the EU

Habitats Directive (Annex II), the IUCN Red List categorises the species as “least concern” (LC), due to its

extensive distributional range, at the regional level (Mantziou & Rifai 2014). At the national and local level,

especially on several eastern Mediterranean islands, demands have been made requesting for a higher

conservation status (e.g. Bayrakcý et al. 2016). The species is considered to be as ‘highly endangered’ in

Cyprus (Sparrow & John 2016). Part of the problem concerns both continued habitat degradation of wetlands

due to water stress caused by climatic variability and climate change, and collecting for the localized illegal

pet trade (Baier et al. 2009).

Coastal zone areas, wetlands and streams in Cyprus, have exhibited widespread degradation, with

many species’ numbers declining due to anthropogenic pressures; one such species is the freshwater fish

Salaria fluviatilis, which is presumed to be extinct (Zogaris et al. 2014). On the other hand, the exploration

of the rivers and wetlands around Cyprus is still incomplete, as attested by numerous recent new records of

aquatic animals (e.g. Tziortzis et al. 2014; Englezou et al. 2018).

The Study Area

The Ofkos river was selected for this survey due to information gathered from local residents’ citations,

indicating that the freshwater turtle was common in the river some 50 years ago. This area is not accessible

to most citizens of Cyprus and a special permission is needed to enter. The local residents of the Greek-

Cypriot villages of Mammari and Denia have access to agricultural lands within the buffer zone, only since

1985. The use of land along the valley of the Ofkos river, includes scattered plantations of cereals, legume

plants and other irrigated vegetables and citrus fruits.

The Ofkos River stretches over 34km and is located between dry flat and undulating landscapes west

of Nicosia (Figure 1). The river flows primarily westbound, during the wet winter season; it crosses the

western central plain of Cyprus (Morfou basin) and is joined by Serrahis river, northwest of the town of

Morfou. The Ofkos has two tributaries that flow into the river; one originates south of the village of Fotta

(altitude 210m) and the other west of the now abandoned Nicosia International Airport (altitude 200m), also

near the UN Buffer Zone. The two tributaries join up into one main stream just north of the village of

Mammari and this main river is fed by small ephemeral tributaries. According to recent water quality

measurements, there are high salinity levels, a phenomenon that is common in the inland rivers of the

Morphou and Mesaoria plains of Cyprus. The Ofkos river annually receives 300 to 400 mm rainfall. It is

alleged by the locals, that up until the 1960s, the upper part of the river was flowing continually all year

round. Older residents of the nearby villages state that after the 1960s, the river stopped flowing during the

summer months and just retained deep, stagnant ponds. During the time when the river had frequent flows

there were records of the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla), inhabiting these areas. These eels were harvested

by the surrounding villages and used as a food resource.

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Ecologica Montenegrina, 42, 2021, 109-115 111

Figure 1. The study area (green) and drainage network of the Ofkos and Serrahis rivers. Satellite image from Sentinel-2

cloudless - httpss2maps.eu by EOX IT Services GmbH_ Copernicus Sentinel data.

The valley of the river and its surrounding area hosts many important archaeological sites (several prehistoric

settlements found at many locations along the valley), ranging from the Bay of Morfou to further inland

towards the centre of the island; many of Early Bronze Age. It is noted that the pottery from the region of

Filia is similar to the ceramics found in areas of Asia Minor, with the development of settlements along the

valley of Ofkos roughly chronologically coinciding with the end of the civilization of the Early Bronze Age

in Asia Minor. The ecological and historical significance of the Ofkos river valley makes this area ideal for

further natural history surveys.

Materials and Methods

A recent observational survey of suitable terrapin habitats near Denia and Mammari villages led to the

documentation of the Balkan terrapins, which are found in river ponds along the upper Ofkos river (Fig. 2).

Turtle net traps were placed in eight ponds along the Ofkos river within the boundaries of the village

municipalities of Denia and Mammari (Fig. 3). These net traps were baited with cat food containing fish, as

an ingredient. Before placing the bait into the traps, holes were created in the cans of cat food to allow better

scent dispersal, once in the water. The traps were tied to anchored structures, such as rocks or trees on the

river banks, ensuring that the traps were only partly submerged to allow any trapped animals to breathe.

They were checked later in the day and any trapped individuals were measured and released back to the

location they were collected from (Fig. 3).

Measurements of total length (TL) were taken in centimeters, using a measuring tape; mass was

weighed in grams to an accuracy of ± 1 g using a scale and each individual turtle was sexed.

NEW RECORD OF MAUREMYS RIVULATA IN THE OFKOS RIVER, CYPRUS

112

Figure 2. Ponds where fresh water turtles were

trapped.

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Ecologica Montenegrina, 42, 2021, 109-115 113

Figure 3. Turtle trap used for the research

(upper right and lower left). Trap with two

trapped individuals (upper left).

NEW RECORD OF MAUREMYS RIVULATA IN THE OFKOS RIVER, CYPRUS

114

Results

Nine individuals of M. rivulata were trapped near the village of Denia in Ofkos river, between 22-30th April

2021 (six females and three males). The length and weight measurements are displayed in Table 1. M.

rivulata individuals were observed in a total of six ponds out of the eight that were sampled.

Table 1. Standard measurements and counts of M. rivulata trapped in Ofkos river.

Individual Sex Weight (gr) Measurements (cm)

1 F 1010 18.1 W x 21.2 L

2 F 760 17.2 W x 19.4 L

3 F 390 13.8 W x 16 L

4 F 380 13.6 W x 15.8 L

5 F 410 14.1 W x 16.5 L

6 F 620 16.4 W x 18.7 L

7 M 730 16.9 W x 18.9 L

8 M 410 14 W x 16.3 L

9 M 960 17.9 W x 21 L

Discussion

Cyprus has a geography of long biogeographical isolation. After the Messinian salinity crisis (approximately

5.3 million years ago), the island was isolated from the adjacent Anatolian mainland, with the Pleistocene

sea-level fluctuations not allowing the re-establishment of land bridges. The phylo-geography of Cypriot

inland aquatic animals is of particular interest, with the local Balkan pond terrapins being of exceptional

interest. A review of the Mediterranean Mauremys has shown that the insular population of Cyprus

constitutes a distinct genetic unit related to the populations found in Israel and Jordan and differing from the

southern Anatolian populations that are geographically in closer proximity (Vamberger et al. 2014). Since it

is presumed that terrapins can disperse through marine waters, founding populations may have arrived from

southeast Levantine shores.

Most rivers and wetland habitats on Cyprus are fragmented and are ephemeral or intermittent; many

are still poorly researched for their biodiversity (Gücel et al. 2012; Markogianni et al. 2014). The

documentation of a thriving population of Balkan terrapins in the Ofkos river is an important contribution to

conservation planning in Cyprus. These findings demonstrate that M. rivulata has a fragmented distribution

within a spatially scarce river wetland habitat in Cyprus. The population of the Ofkos river is geographically

distanced from the other populations of the Pedieos and Klimos rivers. There is a distance of approximately

15 km between Ofkos river and the rivers of Pedieos and Klimos, and there is no connection between the

aforementioned two rivers and Ofkos river. The conditions of the river wetlands in Cyprus are influenced by

climatic variability, created by prolonged periods of drought that may lead to catastrophic habitat desiccation

resulting in local extirpation.

Despite very few surviving populations, the Balkan terrapin could make a ‘comeback’ in Cyprus, in

the future, if adequate habitat and dispersal corridors are conserved. Up until the late 1970s, DDT was

widely used in Cyprus to control mosquito populations. It is almost certain that the widespread use of DDT

played a pivotal role for the loss of a large proportion of the river biodiversity in Cyprus (Zogaris et al.

2012), including species located along the Ofkos river. There is anecdotal evidence that after the cessation of

DDT, some aquatic species have begun to disperse widely on the island. Despite the negative influence of

the water stress and drought effects, special conservation management can help aquatic wildlife. Some semi-

artificial water retention measures may also assist wildlife along the Ofkos river. In 2013, a low artificial

weir in the Ofkos was approved by the president of Denia village. It was witnessed that the weir set up has

helped to maintain permanent pools of water along the river, an action favouring the wildlife of the

surrounding area, including the target species of this study, M. rivulata.

It is strongly recommended that the Ofkos river, including all suitable river habitat to be declared as

a ‘protected area’, as soon as it is feasibly possible in order to protect and manage scarce wildlife habitats,

particularly the study area’s riverine landscape. The entire river area, where the M. rivulata population is

NICOLAOU

Ecologica Montenegrina, 42, 2021, 109-115 115

situated, should be included. Moreover, further research needs to be commissioned in order to determine the

exact extent of M. rivulata populations, found in the river basin. Similar recommendations have been

recently made for the lower Serrahis river, downstream of the Ofkos river (see Englezou et al. 2018). To this

effect, the declaration of a protected area site would also increase the number of protected areas within the

EU Habitats Directive Annex II. The inclusion of this habitat, in the protection zone, is considered desirable,

as this same river was also found to be a habitat for the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla), a species assessed

by IUCN, as critically endangered (Jacoby & Gollock, 2014). A thorough conservation study of the Morfou

plain area and its biodiversity is therefore immediately required.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the LIFE IP Physis (LIFE 18 IPE/CY/000006). We thank the President of

Denia village Christakis Panayiotou for all his support and fieldwork assistance; Vassiliki Vlami for the

cartography and Christina Baldwin for her assistance.

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