Distribution of Emys orbicularis in the South Urals

Distribution of Emys orbicularis in the South Urals

Biologia, Bratislava, 59/Suppl. 14: 27—32, 2004
Distribution of Emys orbicularis in the South Urals,
Russia
Viner Khabibullin
Faculty of Biology, Bashkir State University, Frunze Street, 32, Ufa, Bashkortostan, 450074 Russia;
tel.: +73472236634, e-mail: KhabibullinVF@ic.bashedu.ru
KHABIBULLIN, V., Distribution of Emys orbicularis in South Urals, Russia.
Biologia, Bratislava, 59/Suppl. 14: 27—32, 2004; ISSN 0006-3088.
Data on distribution of Emys orbicularis in the South Urals (Bashkortostan,
Orenburg and Chelyabinsk regions of Russia) are summarized and some population biology data are presented. It is thought that the European pond
turtle inhabits at present the basins of the Ural and Belaya rivers and that
the northern distribution border can be drawn along the line Buguruslan –
Abdulino – Fyodorovka – Meleuz – Zilair – Sibay – Bredy. Turtles occur
sporadically throughout the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Chelyabinsk
region, but to the south, in the Orenburg region, the species is locally abundant. A general range regression and decrease of population density in the
South Urals is probably caused by habitat fragmentation and environmental
changes, as well as by increasing direct anthropogenic pressure.
Key words: Emys orbicularis, distribution, South Urals, Russia.
Introduction
In the South Urals (Republic of Bashkortostan,
Orenburg and Chelyabinsk regions of Russia; between 50◦ 40 and 56◦ 40 N and 52◦ 00 and 62◦ 00
E), the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis
orbicularis (L., 1758) is the only chelonian species.
From the end of the 18th century onwards, many
anecdotal data have been published on its occurrence in this region (GEORGI, 1800; PALLAS,
1814; EVERSMANN, 1844; SABANEEV, 1872, 1874;
RYCHKOV, 1887; RUZSKIĬ, 1894; ZARUDNYĬ, 1896;
LINDHOLM, 1902; POLOZHENTSEV & KHANISLAMOV, 1942; POLOZHENTSEV & NIKIFORUK,
1949; RAĬSKIĬ, 1951; KIRIN, 1964; TOPORKOVA,
1973; GARANIN, 1977, 1983; BAYANOV & KUCHEROV, 1995; CHIBILEV, 1995, 1999; KUCHEROV,
1996; YAKOVLEV et al., 1997; KHABIBULLIN,
2000, 2001). Fossil remains of E. orbicularis
are abundant in numerous excavations of West
and Central Europe, Ukraine, the Caucasian region, and European Russia (ROZHDESTVENSKIĬ &
TATARINOV, 1964; FRITZ, 1998), i. e., within the
limits of its present geographical range. However,
until now there are no fossil records of E. orbicularis known for the South Urals (KHABIBULLIN,
2001).
The northeastern distribution border of E.
orbicularis (KHABIBULLIN, 1999) runs through
the South Urals. The turtle occurs sporadically
throughout the Republic of Bashkortostan and the
Chelyabinsk region. To the south, in the Orenburg
region, E. orbicularis is locally abundant (CHIBILEV, 1995: Fig. 1). The distribution of E. orbicularis in the Republic of Bashkortostan and in the
Orenburg and Chelyabinsk regions is reviewed in
the present paper. In addition, some data on population biology are presented for the South Urals
region.
The European pond turtle was included in
27
Table 1. Morphological parameters of Emys orbicularis from the Republic of Bashkortostan. CL: carapace length;
CW: carapace width; PL: plastron length; PW: plastron width; SH: shell height; *: age estimated by counting
carapacial growth rings. All measurements in mm.
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Site
CL
CW
PL
PW
SH
Age*
Kultuban lake
Kultuban lake
Yazlav
Yazlav
Arsenevo
Arsenevo
212
185
219
219
172
213
159
144
180
190
138
171
180
157
186
190
145
187
114
104
123
118
94
122
73
65
74
90
83
63
6
9
13
13
14
16–18
the Red Book of Bashkirskaya ASSR (KUCHEROV,
1985, 1987), but not in the Red Book of the Orenburg region (VASIL’EV, 1998); there is no Red
Book for the Chelyabinsk region yet.
Material and methods
Data on the biology and distribution of Emys orbicularis are based on my fieldwork (1994–2001), primarily in the Republic of Bashkortostan (RB), as well as
on data obtained from museum collections (Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University, Moscow;
Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg; Birsk State Pedagogical University, Birsk; Bashkir State Pedagogical University,
Ufa; Bashkir State University, Ufa; Orenburg State
Pedagogical University, Orenburg), literature sources,
and unpublished personal communications. No reliable new infomation is available for the region of
Chelyabinsk (for a review of older records see KIRIN,
1964). Older data on E. orbicularis in the Republic of
Bashkortostan were summarized in two previous papers (KHABIBULLIN, 2000, 2001); most data for the
Orenburg region were reviewed by CHIBILEV (1995,
1999).
Results
Emys orbicularis are reaching a maximum carapace length of 219 mm in the South Urals. The
width of the bridge ranges from 52 mm (at carapacial length of 172 mm) to 58 mm (at carapacial length of 213 mm). ZARUDNYĬ (1896) wrote
that the largest individuals “. . . among all the turtles in the Orenburg kraı̆ had a carapace of 32 cm
measured over the curve and a weight of about 4
pounds” (ZARUDNYĬ, 1896: p. 369). Such large E.
orbicularis have been never found again and FRITZ
(2003) doubts the reliability of this old record. My
measurements of some E. orbicularis from the Republic of Bashkortostan are given in Table 1.
In the South Urals, turtles inhabit small
ponds, lakes, and still waters with silt bottoms and
banks suitable for basking. I investigated typical
28
Sex
female
male
female
female
male
female
sites of the pond turtle along the rivers Kasmarka,
Kuyurgaza, Sakmara, and Yushatyr’. These small
rivers are slowly flowing, 2–8 metres wide and 1–6
metres deep. Adjacent meadows may be inundated
during spring.
Breeding occurs in May. At this time, adult
turtles actively wander on land, far away from
water bodies, cross the roads and sometimes are
killed by cars (observations in the Zianchurinskiı̆
district of Bashkortostan). In the South Urals,
turtles lay 5–20 eggs in late June to early July
(ZARUDNYĬ, 1896). I measured four eggs, ranging
in length from 30 to 33 mm (average 31.75 mm),
and in width from 21 to 22 mm (average 21.25
mm).
Distributional records for the European pond
turtle in the South Urals are presented in Fig. 1.
Detailed data for Bashkortostan are given in Table 2.
Discussion
In the mid of the 20th century, Emys orbicularis was recorded in the Tuimazinskiı̆ and
Blagoveshchenskiı̆ districts of RB (Tab. 2), and
was more abundant throughout Bashkortostan
than now (YAKOVLEV et al., 1997). According to
local people (Kuyurgazinskiı̆ district of Bashkortostan, 1998), just 15–20 years ago turtles were
more numerous: one to three turtles were observed in one or two neighbouring lakes, both
adults and juveniles. YAKOVLEV et al. (1997)
and KHABIBULLIN (2000, 2001) suggested that in
the Pre-Urals the northeastern distribution border
had shifted southward during the last 40 years,
from the latitude of Ufa (54◦ 40 ) down to the latitude of Meleuz (52◦ 50 ). However, the old northernmost distribution records could also refer to
released captive specimens. Thus, a southwarddirected range-withdrawal did perhaps not actually occur. In the Trans-Urals, the distribution of
E. orbicularis has remained virtually unchanged.
29
Pond
?
Lake
Small creek
Meleuz river
Belaya river
Belaya river
Inyak river
Yushatyr’ river
Kuyurgaza river
Creek
Yushatyr’ river
Yushatyr’ river
Sakmara river
Kultuban lake***
Solënyı̆ creek
Urginka river
Big Suren’ river
Kasmarka river
Kasmarka river
Kasmarka river
Kasmarka river
Kholodnoe lake
Alabuga lake
?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Blagoveshchensk
Tuı̆mazinskiı̆
Ishimbaı̆skiı̆
Fëdorovskiı̆
Meleuzovskiı̆
Meleuzovskiı̆
Kugarchinskiı̆
Kugarchinskiı̆
Kuyurgazinskiı̆
Kuyurgazinskiı̆
Kuyurgazinskiı̆
Kuyurgazinskiı̆
Kuyurgazinskiı̆
Baimakskiı̆
Baimakskiı̆
Zianchurinskiı̆
Zianchurinskiı̆
Zianchurinskiı̆
Zianchurinskiı̆
Zianchurinskiı̆
Zianchurinskiı̆
Zianchurinskiı̆
Khaibullinskiı̆
Khaibullinskiı̆
Khaibullinskiı̆
Source
Mid of 1950s
TANCHENKO (in YAKOVLEV et al., 1997)
Late 1950s – early 1960s POLIAKOV (in YAKOVLEV et al., 1997)
1991
LIAL’KOV (in YAKOVLEV et al., 1997)
Early 1980s
AKBULATOV (in YAKOVLEV et al., 1997)
?
GARANIN (1977)
1994
KARYAKIN (unpubl.)
1970
GARANIN (pers. comm.)
1995
ALSYNBAEV (in YAKOVLEV et al., 1997)
1994
KHABIBULLIN (2001)
1994
YAKOVLEV et al. (1997)
1997
KHABIBULLIN (2001)
1996
KHABIBULLIN (2001)
1948
YAKOVLEV et al. (1997)
1993
YAKOVLEV et al. (1997)
1998
KHABIBULLIN (2001)
Early 1990s
MAGADEEV (in YAKOVLEV et al., 1997)
1946
ABDULLIN (in YAKOVLEV et al., 1997)
?
TOPORKOVA (1973)
1999
KUCHEROV (1987); KHABIBULLIN (2001)
1999
KHABIBULLIN (2001)
1999
KHABIBULLIN (2001)
1999
KHABIBULLIN (2001)
?
KUCHEROV (1985); BAYANOV & KUCHEROV (1995)
?
KUCHEROV (1985); BAYANOV & KUCHEROV (1995)
?
KUCHEROV (1996)
RB administrative Observation date
district
* Doubtful records (presumably introduced turtles); ** two captive turtles in local school, several juveniles in nature; *** two captive turtles in educational
centre in Sibay.
Near Blagoveshchensk town*
Near Konstantinovka village*
Shikhan Yurak-Tau (hill)
Near Akbulatovo village
Near Meleuz town
Near Syrtlanovo village
Near Khudaı̆berdino village
–
Near Ermolaevo village
Near Yakshimbetovo village
Near Yazlav village**
Near Staraya Otrada village
Near Muraptalovo village
Near Yumashevo village
–
Isyangulovo village
Near Russkaya Urginka village
–
Near Baishevo village
Near Agurda village
Near Utyagulovo village
Near Sakmarskiı̆ village
–
–
Shaı̆tan-Tau (hill)
Water body
No. Site
Table 2. Records of Emys orbicularis in the Republic of Bashkortostan (RB).
Fig. 1. Distribution ofEmys orbicularis in the South Urals. Solid circles: records (numbers refer to Tab. 2).
Hatching: areas with relatively high population density in the Orenburg region (according to CHIBILEV, 1995):
(I) Verchnebuzulukskiı̆; (II) Iletsko-Irtekskiı̆; (III) Burtinskiı̆; (IV) Kumakskiı̆; (V) Or’-Kamsakskiı̆. The sixth
area, Chaganskiı̆, is located in the southwestern part of the Orenburg region and not shown. Line A–B indicates
the suggested northern distribution border.
Currently, turtles inhabit water bodies in
the catchment areas of the following rivers and
their tributaries in the Ural river basin: Sakmara, Kasmarka, Yushatyr’, Kuyurgaza, Bolshoı̆
and Malyı̆ Suren’, Zilair, Krepostnoı̆ Zilair, Bolshoı̆ Ik, and Tanalyk. They are located in the
territory of at least six administrative districts
of RB: Kuyurgazinskiı̆, Kugarchinskiı̆, Zilairskiı̆,
Baimakskiı̆, Zianchurinskiı̆, and Khaibullinskiı̆.
The species occurs perhaps also in the Belaya river
basin, especially in its southern and southwestern
parts (rivers Meleuz, Ashkadar, Sukhaila, etc.). In
the Orenburg region (CHIBILEV, 1995), there are
several areas with relatively stable turtle populations (Fig. 1).
I think at present corresponds the northern
limit of E. orbicularis roughly to a line passing along Buguruslan – Abdulino – Fyodorovka
– Meleuz – Zilair – Sibay – Bredy (Fig. 1, line
A–B). The decrease in turtle population density
in all areas in comparison with the recent past
30
is obvious (CHIBILEV, 1995; YAKOVLEV et al.,
1997). It is probably caused by increasing anthropogenic (including recreational) pressure, human
induced environmental changes, water mismanagement and also direct human impact including
hooligan shootings, uncontrolled capture of turtles, disturbance, overgrazing near water bodies,
collecting as pets and for souvenirs, such as ashtrays, road accidents and some other factors. This
decrease is likely to accelerate in future.
The biology and biogeography of E. orbicularis in the South Urals, especially in the
Chelyabinsk region are understudied. Further investigations are needed to fill this gap.
Acknowledgements
I thank I. BUGAËV, U. YUNUSBAEV, R. KUSYARBAEV,
and A. KHUSAINOV for assistance in organizing fieldwork.
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