Chinese stripe-necked turtle recorded on Greek island of Lesvos for first time

A field observation in August 2024 documented three adult Chinese stripe-necked turtles, Mauremys sinensis, in an artificial pond on the Greek island of Lesvos. The encounter represents the first recorded occurrence of the non-native species on a Greek island.

The observation was made at about 15:00 during a fieldwork expedition in the eastern part of Lesvos, less than 1 km from the village of Skalochori. The medium-sized pond, locally known as the “Terrapin pool,” measures 55 m in length, 17 m in width and approximately 2 m in depth. Its coordinates are 39°16.015′N, 26°5.0983′E.

The three M. sinensis individuals were found alongside three adult European pond turtles, Emys orbicularis, and more than 25 Western Caspian turtles, Mauremys rivulata. The first Chinese stripe-necked turtle was observed basking, and the identification was based on its distinctive dorsal and lateral head and neck patterns. The researchers photographed one of the three individuals while it was in the water; the other two were not photographed.

Lesvos is Greece’s third-largest island, covering 1,632 km² in the northeastern Aegean Sea. The island contains numerous springs and wetlands. Two native freshwater turtle species occur there: M. rivulata, whose populations are described as abundant, and E. orbicularis, which is present in significantly lower numbers. The two subspecies of the red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta scripta and Trachemys scripta elegans, have also been recorded on the island.

This was a field record rather than a controlled ecological study, and it did not establish the number of M. sinensis individuals present across Lesvos. The observations were limited to three adults encountered in one artificial pond during a single expedition, and only one individual was photographed. The source therefore does not provide evidence about the species’ distribution elsewhere on the island, its population size, reproductive status or ecological effects.

Mauremys sinensis is native to China, Taiwan, Laos and Vietnam. It has also been documented outside its native range in South Korea, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Slovakia, as well as at three mainland locations in Greece. The Lesvos record expands the known Greek distribution from the mainland to an Aegean island and identifies another non-native turtle species in the island’s aquatic fauna.

Pond turtles are among the most commonly traded species in the aquarium pet trade. The source notes that after European Union restrictions on the sale of T. scripta, the trade shifted toward other turtle species farmed at scale in China, including Mauremys reevesii and M. sinensis. Non-native species in Greece are covered by national regulation emphasizing timely identification and eradication. The documented presence of M. sinensis in a pond shared with native turtles therefore has implications for monitoring and management.

Possible risks identified in the source include disease transmission and competition for food or basking sites, both of which have been documented in relation to non-native terrapins and native populations. M. sinensis has also been reported to hybridize with several species in the genus Mauremys and with turtles in the genera Cyclemys and Sacalia. The Lesvos observation does not demonstrate that hybridization, disease transmission or resource competition has occurred on the island; it establishes only that the non-native species co-occurs there with M. rivulata and E. orbicularis.

The authors call for extensive monitoring on Lesvos to assess the status of M. sinensis. Such monitoring is relevant because effective responses to invasive alien species depend on early detection and timely removal, and previous control efforts for T. scripta have faced difficulties in confirming eradication. The present observation provides the first island record in Greece and a documented basis for assessing the species’ status, but further fieldwork is required to determine its extent on Lesvos and any measurable effects on native turtles.

Subject of Research: First field record of the non-native Chinese stripe-necked turtle on the Greek island of Lesvos

Article Title: First record of the non-native Chinese stripe-necked turtle ( Mauremys sinensis Gray, 1834) from the island of Lesvos, Greece

Article References: Iakovidis, D., Gogolos, N., & Daftsios, T. (2025). First record of the non-native Chinese stripe-necked turtle (Mauremys sinensis Gray, 1834) from the island of Lesvos, Greece. Herpetozoa, 38, 211-214. https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.38.e147858

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.38.e147858

Keywords: Mauremys sinensis, Lesvos, Greece, non-native turtles, field observation, freshwater biodiversity, invasive alien species, Aegean Sea, aquatic conservation, First, record, non-native