The Spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with small and fragmented populations located around Mediterranean basin. In Turkey, this species has re...

background: ticks are obligate blood feeders that parasitize a wide variety of animals. hyalomma aegyptium, parasitize tortoises and other small wild life and livestock. this study was carried out to determine spur-thighed tortoise (testudo graeca) infestation to h. ageyptium in urmia region west azerbaijan of iran. methods: the study was carried out over a 16 month period from the spring of 20...

Aim Recent biogeographical studies have postulated a North African, Late Pleistocene, origin for some species of the Iberian Peninsula. However, a robust assessment of such range expansions requires high-resolution molecular tools to resolve overlapping biogeographical and cultural processes. Here we aim to determine whether the spur-thighed tortoise, Testudo graeca, arrived in southeastern Spa...

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of antibodies to a herpesvirus associated with an upper respiratory tract disease in Mediterranean tortoises [spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) and Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni)]. This serodiagnostic test was validated through a hyperimmunization study. The mean of the A(405) readings of the plasma samples...

In the transition between Mediterranean forest and the arid subtropical shrublands of the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, humans have transformed habitat since ancient times. Understanding the role of the original mosaic landscapes in wildlife species and the effects of the current changes as pine forest plantations, performed even outside the forest ecological boundaries, are important conserv...

Although the spur-thighed tortoise, Testudo graeca, is one of the most widely distributed species of tortoises, its natural populations are threatened through its whole range. Particularly at south-eastern Spain, the species is mainly threatened by habitat destruction and over-collection, given that this chelonian has been traditionally considered an appreciate pet. As south-eastern Spanish wil...