Role of Trachemys scripta elegans in polystome (Platyhelminthes, Monogenea, Polystomatidae) spillover and spillback following the trade of freshwater turtles in southern Europe and North America.

ABSTRACT: The red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans (Wied, 1938), has been introduced worldwide, partly because of the exotic pet trade in the 1980s and 1990s. When T. s. elegans is released or escapes into natural environments, it often establishes new feral populations due to its tolerance for a variety of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, it is now considered one of the most invasive species in the world because it can compete with native turtle species. In the present study, our objectives were to identify the potential for polystome spillover and spillback resulting from the introduction of the red-eared slider into new environments in North America. Fieldwork investigations were thus conducted mainly in aquatic habitats in Florida and North Carolina, United States, but also in Connecticut,

SUBMITTER: Verneau O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12094025 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature