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Mauremys leprosa (SCHWEIGGER, 1812)

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Higher TaxaGeoemydidae (Geoemydinae), Testudinoidea, Testudines (turtles)
SubspeciesMauremys leprosa leprosa (SCHWEIGGER 1812)
Mauremys leprosa saharica SCHLEICH 1996 
Common NamesE: Mediterranian Turtle
G: Spanische Wasserschildkröte, Maurische Bachschildkröte
D: Moorse Beekschildpad
saharica: Saharan Pond Turtle 
SynonymEmys leprosa SCHWEIGGER 1812
Emys caspica var. leprosa — BOETTGER 1874
Clemmys leprosa — BOULENGER 1889
Clemmys leprosa — FEJERVARY 1927
Clemmys caspica leprosa — LOVERIDGE & WILLIAMS 1957
Mauremys caspica leprosa — MALKMUS 1983
Mauremys leprosa — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989: 169
Mauremys leprosa — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Mauremys leprosa — SCHLEICH, KÄSTLE & KABISCH 1996: 145
Mauremys caspica leprosa — OBST 2003: 17
Mauremys leprosa — RHODIN et al. 2010
Mauremys leprosa — SPEYBROECK et al. 2020
Mauremys leprosa — TTWG 2021

Mauremys leprosa leprosa (SCHWEIGGER 1812)
Emys marmorea SPIX 1824
Clemmys sigriz MICHAHELLES 1829
Emys sigritzii GRAY (ex errore) 1831
Emys vulgaris GRAY 1831
Emys sigriz — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 240
Emys marmorea — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 248
Emys Sigris [sic] — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 224
Emys Marmorea — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 225
Emys laticeps GRAY 1855: 68
Emys fuliginosus GRAY 1860: 149
Clemmys leprosa — STRAUCH 1862
Mauremys laniaria GRAY 1869: 500
Emys flavipes GRAY 1869
Emys fraseri GRAY 1869
Emys fraseri GRAY 1873: 146 (?)
Emys lamaria GRAY (error typographicus) 1873
Mauremys leprosa atlantica SCHLEICH 1996
Mauremys leprosa erhardi SCHLEICH 1996
Mauremys leprosa marokkensis SCHLEICH 1996
Mauremys leprosa wernerkaestlei SCHLEICH 1996
Mauremys leprosa leprosa — RHODIN et al. 2010
Mauremys leprosa leprosa — BERTOLERO & BUSACK 2017
Mauremys leprosa leprosa — TTWG 2021

Mauremys leprosa saharica SCHLEICH 1996
Mauremys leprosa zizi SCHLEICH 1996
Mauremys leprosa vanderhaeghei SCHLEICH 1996
Mauremys leprosa vanmeerhaeghei BOUR & MARAN 1999
Mauremys leprosa vanmerhaeghei — BOUR & MARAN 1999
Mauremys leprosa saharica — FRITZ et al. 2005
Mauremys leprosa vanmeerhaeghei — FRITZ et al. 2005
Mauremys leprosa saharica — RHODIN et al. 2010
Mauremys leprosa saharica — BERTOLERO & BUSACK 2017
Mauremys leprosa saharica — TTWG 2021 
DistributionSpain (introduced to Mallorca) Portugal, France,
W Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, Senegal ?, Benin, Niger, Mauritania, Gambia

all subspecies described by SCHLEICH 1996 are from Morocco.

saharica: southern Morocco, eastern Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania (?); Type locality: Fort Bou Jerif, Goulmine, Morocco.  
Reproductionoviparous. 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA 1934 (by monotypy); MNHN according to Loveridge and Williams (1957: 195): erroneously MNHN-RA 7936 according to R. Bour (pers. comm., cited in Iverson 1992: 143). See Bour & Maran (1998).
Holotype: ZSM [alantica]
Holotype: ZSM [erhardi]
Holotype: ZSM [marokkensis]
Holotype: ZSM [wernerkaestlei]
Holotype: ZSM 1993/200 [saharica]
Holotype: ZSM [zizi] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (2122 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDoes not occur in Mali (Joger & Lambert 1996).

Synonymy: mostly after Rhodin et al. 2010.

Mauremys leprosa vanmeerhaeghei was named after Bertrand Vanmeerhaeghe, a French chemist working for the Alstom group and a friend of Roger bour; Bertrand was born in Tourcoing, France, on August 24, 1950 and died in Lyon, France, on May 2, 1995.

Distribution: see Bertolero & Busack 2017, and Toledo et al. 2021 for maps.

Type species: Emys fuliginosus GRAY 1860 is the type species of the genus Mauremys GRAY 1869: 500.

Habitat: freshwater (Rivers, swamps, ponds) 
Etymology“leprosa” is from the Latin word lepra, which means "scaly", or leprous, because the shell surface is often corroded by bacterial infections.

Genus named after its occurrence in Mauritania or the area which used to be the ancient Berber Kingdom of Mauretania, which existed from the 3rd century BC to the 7th century in North-West Africa. “-emys” is derived from the Greek word for freshwater turtle, “emus”. 
References
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