The aim of this survey is to establish systematical positions of the mountain frogs of Anatolia. Our material was obtained from 24 different populations; 18 populations, of which we have a sufficient number of specimens, are compared biometrically. Due to insufficient number of available specimens, it was not possible to establish properly the taxonomical positions of populations from Artvin and Hakkâri regions. Newer and richer material should be studied from the said localities to clear their taxonomical status.

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The Euphrates Softshell Turtle, Rafetus euphraticus (Family Trionychidae), is a medium-sized (maximum recorded carapace length 680 mm), freshwater turtle thought to be most closely related to the eastern Asian species Rafetus swinhoei. The species inhabits diverse habitats, including rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, reservoirs, marshlands, and artificial canals. It is found only in the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and their tributaries in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and southwestern Iran. It occurs in relatively shallow, calm waters, typically adjacent to deeper, fast-flowing water. The home range size averages 47.5 ha (minimum convex polygon) with a mean 95% kernel density of 21.8 ha. Knowledge of the species' distribution in the Tigris system lacks detail, due in part to political disturbance. Populations of the species are threatened by ongoing habitat fragmentation, alteration, and destruction throughout its range. Construction of several large dams has drastically changed the habitat of this turtle, especially in the Turkish part of the Euphrates watershed. This serious threat endangers the future of this species. No conservation measures are being taken in southeastern Anatolia (Turkey), Syria or Iraq. A participatory conservation project is underway in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Population studies, strengthened national and international protection, and regional cooperation will be required for the long-term survival of Rafetus euphraticus. distribution. -Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey. Restricted to the Euphrates and Tigris River basins. synonyMy. -Testudo euphratica Daudin 1801, Trionyx euphraticus, Gymnopus euphraticus, Rafetus euphraticus, Pelodiscus euphraticus, Amyda euphratica, Tyrse euphratica, Testudo rafcht Olivier 1807, Testudo rascht Gray 1830 (nomen novum), Tyrse rafeht Gray 1844 (nomen novum), Trionyx rafeht. subsPEciEs. -None recognized. status. -IUCN 2015 Red List: Endangered (EN A1ac+2c; assessed 1996); TFTSG Draft Red List: Endangered (EN, assessed 2011); CITES: Appendix II, as Rafetus spp. Taxonomy. -The Euphrates Softshell Turtle was described by Daudin (1801) as Testudo euphratica, based on a description provided by G.A. Olivier of a specimen from the Euphrates River, which was cited as the type locality. Olivier (1807) later applied the name Testudo rafcht to a specimen of this species from the Tigris. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1809a,b), after establishing the generic name Trionyx, coined the new combination Trionyx euphraticus. Noting distinctive characteristics of the alveolar surface, Gray (1844) named a new genus and species, Tyrse rafeht. Later, Gray (1856) renamed this form Trionyx rafeht. Still later, Gray (1864Gray ( , 1869Gray ( , 1870Gray ( , 1873a claimed that the species was intermediate between Trionyx and Potamochelys, both in palatal features and in having just two plastral callosities, and he proposed a new genus, Rafetus.Boulenger (1889) reverted to Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire's (1809b) Trionyx euphraticus, which remained in common use until the work of Meylan (1987). Taking into considerat...

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