174 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 64, No. 8 
Comments.— Although not breeding in 
the Mediterranean, the species forages in 
Libyan waters (van Dijk et al. 2014). In addi¬ 
tion to the single beached record, an individual 
was pulled from nearshore waters of the Tajura 
coast in 1996 and died in the rehabilitation 
facility of the Marine Biology Research Centre 
(MBRC) at Tajura, where it was subsequently 
taxidermied at the MBRC Museum (Hamza 
2010). Capra’s (1949) records were based on a 
report in “L’ldea Coloniale” for 2 May 1927 
(Mongar) and an unspecified specimen in the 
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Trieste 
(Sella). 
IUCN Threat Status.— Vulnerable 
A2bd. 
Family Geomydidae 
Mauremys leprosa saharica Schleich 1996:29, fig. 2.2, pi. 5 
1996 Mauremys leprosa saharica Schleich, Beitrag zur Systematik des Formenkreises von Mauremys 
leprosa (Schweigger) in Marokko. Spixiana, Supplement 22:29, pi. 5, fig. 2.2. 
Holotype.— ZSM 1993/200, “Fort Bou Jerif, Goulmime” [Morocco]. 
Mauremys leprosa, Le Berre 1989:108. 
Mauremys leprosa, Schleich, Kastle and Kabisch 1996:145. 
Mauremys leprosa, Sindaco and Jeremcenko 2008:80. 
Mauremys leprosa, Trape, Trape, and Chirio 2012:442. 
Distribution.— North Africa, from 
southern Morocco to northwestern Libya. Scat¬ 
tered localities in the central and southern 
Sahara, including near Murzuq in Libya. 
Northern Moroccan and some Algerian popula¬ 
tions are referable to the nominotypic sub¬ 
species. 
Libyan Records (Map 4): TRIPOLITA- 
NIA: Nalut : 127: Bour and Maran 1999. 
Jabal al Gharbi : 147: FMNH 83188; Busack 
and Ernst 1980. Murzuq : 298: Lortet 1887; 
Loveridge and Willia m s 1957. “Tripolitania”: 
Loveridge and Williams 1957. “Eastern 
Tripolitania”: Lortet 1887. 
Comments.— Schleich (1996) and Bour 
and Maran (1999) described a number of North 
African subspecies of Mauremys leprosa, all 
Map 4. Distribution of Mauremys leprosa saharica in 
Libya. 
Map 3. Distribution of Dermochelys coriacea in Libya 
showing stranding site records. 
