The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), also called commonly the European pond terrapin and the European pond tortoise, is a species of long-living freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the Western Palearctic. Subspecies The following 14 subspecies are recognized as being valid. Emys orbicularis capolongoi – Sardinian pond turtle Emys orbicularis colchica – Colchis pond turtle Emys orbicularis eiselti – Eiselt's pond turtle Emys orbicularis fritzjuergenobstii – Obst's pond turtle Emys orbicularis galloitalica – Italian pond turtle Emys orbicularis hellenica – western Turkey pond turtle Emys orbicularis hispanica – Spanish pond turtle Emys orbicularis iberica – Kura Valley pond turtle Emys orbicularis ingauna Emys orbicularis lanzai – Corsican pond turtle Emys orbicularis luteofusca – central Turkey pond turtle Emys orbicularis occidentalis – North African pond turtle Emys orbicularis orbicularis – common European pond turtle Emys orbicularis persica – eastern pond turtle A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Emys. Etymology The subspecific name eiselti is in honor of Viennese herpetologist Josef Eiselt (1912–2001). The subspecific name fritzjuergenobsti is in honor of German herpetologist Fritz Jürgen Obst (1939–2018). The subspecific name lanzai is in honor of Italian herpetologist Benedetto Lanza. Range and habitat E. orbicularis is found in southern and central Europe, West Asia and North Africa. In France, there are six large remaining populations, all deteriorating; it is the most endangered reptile of the country. In Switzerland, the European pond turtle was extinct at the beginning of the twentieth century and reintroduced since 2010.In the early post-glacial period, the European pond turtle had a much wider distribution, being found as far north as southern Sweden and the UK, where a reintroduction has been proposed by Celtic Reptile & Amphibian. Fossil evidence shows that E. orbicularis and Testudo hermanni were both present in Sardinia during the Pleistocene, but molecular evidence suggests the extant populations of both species on the island were introduced in recent times. E. orbicularis prefers to live in wetlands surrounded by a large proportion of natural, wooded, landscape. It also feeds in upland environments. It is usually considered semi-aquatic, as its terrestrial movements can span , and it is occasionally found travelling up to , away from the water. Biology Morphology The European pond turtle is a medium-sized turtle, and its straight carapace length varies quite a bit across its geographic range, from