Caretta caretta ( Linnaeus 1758:197 )

Bauer, Aaron M., DeBoer, Jonathan C. & Taylor, Dylan J., 2017, Atlas of the Reptiles of Libya, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64 (8), pp. 155-318 : 171-172

Caretta caretta ( Linnaeus 1758:197)

1758 Testudo caretta Linnaeus , Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae [(Stockholm], Sweden. (4) + 823 + (I) pp.

SYNTYPES.— Specimens illustrated in plate 39 of Catesby (1736 [see Overstreet (2015) for dating of Catesby’s plates]) and described by Gronovius (1756), “insulas Americana” [restricted to “ Bermuda Islands” by Smith and Taylor (1950b) and to “ Bimini, British Bahamas by Schmidt (1953)]. Smith and Taylor (1950b) indicated that the type was unknown and King and Burke (1989) and Dodd (1990) stated that no type had been designated, whereas Parker (1939) and Wallin (1985) stated that the name was based entirely on literary sources for which there were no surviving specimens. Bauer (2012) explicitly identified two specimens as syntypes. Neither is believed to be extant. Although Gronovius’s fish collection ultimately was obtained by the British Museum of Natural History (now The Natural History Museum, London) ( Wheeler 1958), the fate of the herpetological portion of the collection is uncertain. Wallin (1985) identified three presumed types of Testudo mydas Linnaeus, 1758 as belonging to this species.

Caretta caretta, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:159 .

Caretta caretta, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:76 .

DISTRIBUTION.— Widely distributed in tropical to temperate waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans, including the Mediterranean Sea. In the Mediterranean nesting sites occur in Libya, Italy, Turkey, and the Aegean islands. There are numerous non-nesting records along the Egyptian coast ( Baha El Din 2006a). In Libya they nest primarily between Sirte and Kouf National Park ( Resetar 1981; Laurent et al. 1997; Saied et al. 2012).

Libyan Records (Map 1): TRIPOLITANIA: TRIPOLI: 44: Haddoud and El Gomati 2011. MISRATAH: 89: Hamza et al. 2009; Hamza 2010. 90: Hamza 2010. 91: Hamza 2010. 92: Hamza et al. 2009; Hamza 2010. 93: Hamza 2010. 94: Hamza 2010. 95: Hamza 2010. 96: Hamza 2010. 98: Hamza 2010. SIRTE: 165: Hamza 2010. 167: Hamza 2010. 168: Hamza 2010. 169: Hamza 2010. 170: Hamza 2010. 171: Hamza et al. 2009; Hamza 2010. 172: Hamza 2010. 173: Hamza et al. 2009; Hamza 2010; Haddoud and El Gomati 2011. 177: Laurent et al. 1997. 179: Laurent et al. 1997. 180: Laurent et al. 1997. 183: Laurent et al. 1997. 193: Laurent et al. 1997. CYRENAICA: BENGHAZI: 339: Haddoud and El Gomati 2011. 369: Hamza 2010. 370: Hamza 2010. 371: Hamza 2010. 373: Hamza 2010. 375: Laurent et al. 1997. MARJ: 386: Laurent et al. 1997. 390: Hamza 2010. 391: Schleich 1987. 392: Schleich 1987. 393: Hamza 2010. 394: Schleich 1987. 395: Hamza 2010. 396: Schleich 1987. 397: Hamza 2010. JABAL AL AKHDAR: 410: Laurent et al. 1997. 413:

Schleich 1987. 457: KNP 1981 [5 specimens] ;

Resetar 1981; Schleich 1987. DARNAH: 476:

Laurent et al. 1997; Haddoud and El Gomati

2011. BUTNAN: 487: Laurent et al. 1997;

Hamza et al. 2009; Hamza 2010; Haddoud and

El Gomati 2011. 488: Hamza 2010; Haddoud and El Gomati 2011. 498: Laurent et al. 1997.

502: Laurent et al. 1997. AL WAHAT: 525: Laurent et al. 1997; Haddoud and El Gomati 2011.

526: Laurent et al. 1997. 545: Laurent et al.

1997. OFF SHORE LOCALITIES: 588: Haddoud and El Gomati 2011. 589: Haddoud and

El Gomati 2011. 590: Haddoud and El Gomati

2011. 591: Haddoud and El Gomati 2011. 592:

Haddoud and El Gomati 2011. 593: Haddoud and El Gomati 2011. 594: Haddoud and El

Gomati 2011.

COMMENTS.— This is the only species of MAP 1. Distribution of Caretta caretta in Libya showing nesting beaches and marine observation/collection points. sea turtle known to nest in Libya ( van Dijk et al. 2014). Libyan sites constitute a significant proportion of Mediterranean nesting for the species ( Laurent et al. 1998; Saied et al. 2012). Libyan nesting turtles have been inferred to disperse to feeding grounds throughout the Mediterranean, Macaronesia and eastern United States ( Saied et al. 2012). The continental shelf off of Tunisia and Tripolitania is a particularly important neritic feeding area for Libyan populations ( Casale et al. 2008). The Misratah and Sirte area populations appear to be distinct from one another ( Carreras et al. 2014). In addition to the publications cited here, there are many additional gray literature reports mentioning C. caretta , although these generally mention the same nesting beaches given here (e.g., Laurent et al. 1999; Hamza and El Ghmati 2006; Hamza 2007).

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Vulnerable A2b.