A Third Documented Case of Courtship between a European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) and an Allochthonous Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) (Testudines: Emydidae)

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REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS • 31: e22231 • 2024
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The European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) is distrib-
uted from northern Africa through southern, central, and
eastern Europe to western Asia (Fritz 2001; Rogner 2009). In
Italy this species is found mainly in coastal areas and internal
plains, although in several regions little or only partial data
address its presence (Zuffi 2000; Sindaco et al. 2006; Di Tizio
et al. 2008). Its conservation has been compromised by factors
including the reclamation of marshy areas and other altera-
tions to its habitats (Gariboldi and Zuffi 1994; Lebboroni and
Chelazzi 1999). A further anthropic change was the introduc-
tion of alien species, mainly species in the genus Trachemys
(Cadi and Joly 2004; Stănescu et al. 2017).
On 24 February 2024, I encountered an adult male Emys
orbicularis in an artificial pond about 700 m north of the
Vomano River and 3 km from its mouth in the Province of
Teramo in Abruzzo, Italy (42.64944, 14.00000). The pond
in question is in a delimited area, which has a containment
function for allochthonous turtles. The male very likely was
introduced into the pond by private individuals who prob-
ably, following its capture, decided to release it in a site host-
ing other turtles. The person (or persons) responsible for this
introduction almost certainly ignored the identity of the turtle,
the conservation status of Italian populations (Luiselli et al.
1997), and applicable regulations. Consequently, no informa-
tion on the origin of this specimen and its genetics is available.
At the time of the encounter (12:30), I observed that the
male in question was intent on courting a female Red-eared
Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) with which it shared the arti-
ficial habitat. The male was the only individual of its species,
whereas I counted ten Pondsliders (Trachemys scripta) (mainly
T. s. elegans). Courtship lasted the entire period (~20 min)
during which the two turtles were visible. The male remained
A Third Documented Case of Courtship
between a European Pond Turtle
(Emys orbicularis) and an Allochthonous
Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
(Testudines: Emydidae)
Alessandro Paterna
OPHIS Museo Paleontologico e Centro Erpetologico, Teramo, 64100, Italy (alessandro.paterna@hotmail.com; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0522-931X)
Figure 1. Phases of interspecific courtship between a male European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) and a female Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
in Abruzzo, Italy: The male E. orbicularis pushing its chin against the head of the female T. s. elegans (left) and keeping its chin in front of the rostrum of
the female (right). Photographs by Alessandro Paterna.
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firmly anchored to the anterior portion of the female’s cara-
pace, with its head directed toward that of the female, which
was moving along the bottom of the pond (Fig. 1). By fully
extending his neck, the male kept his chin pressed against the
top of the female’s head or in front of her rostrum.
Both turtles were adults, but differed substantially in
size (the male’s carapace only about ¾ as long as that of the
female). The female showed no signs of annoyance, and
although the male constantly pressed his chin on the back
of her head, she did not retract her neck and head; on the
contrary, she continued to keep her neck extended. The “sub-
mission” of the non-native female is of interest, as the two
species employ different courtship rituals (Fritz 1999). For
example, only a short distance from the interspecific couple, a
male Yellow-bellied Slider (T. s. scripta) was courting a female
T. s. elegans by positioning himself in front of the female and
rapidly vibrating his foreclaws. Also, the time of year was
somewhat earlier than that during which local Emys orbicu-
laris populations engage in courtship (Di Tizio et al. 2008), as
well as those in warmer localities (Ayaz et al. 2017).
Although interactions between Emys orbicularis and
allochthonous turtles are widely documented (Cadi and Joly
2003, 2004; Macchi et al. 2008; Kleewein 2015), to the best
of my knowledge, courtship has been documented in the lit-
erature on only two occasions, the first in the Natural Park
of the Dune Complex of Corrubedo and Lagoas de Carregal
and Vixán (Ayres and Del Pozo 2006) and the second in a
Danube oxbow in western Slovakia, where the two species
are regularly observed (Jablonski et al. 2017). In this case,
because courtship occurred in a very small pond in which
many Pondsliders were present, determining how the behav-
ior of both turtles might have been affected was impossible.
However, this observation is an additional confirmation of
male Emys orbicularis responding to chemical and biometric
stimuli of female Trachemys scripta.
Acknowledgements
I thank Rainer Fesser for the first revision of the manuscript.
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