Morphological Divergence of Hermann’s Tortoise (

摘要

The morphology of chelonians provides basic information about development, evolution, biodiversity, biomechanics, behavior, ecology, and physiology. Furthermore, it has also played an important role in characterizing populations and analyzing the similarities between populations. This study investigates the morphological variation of Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni boettgeri Mojsisovits, 1889) between specimens from five different populations in Albania. It also provides basic data on the morphological characteristics of the Hermann’s tortoise. Hermann’s tortoise in the Albanian population were regionally diverged into three different populations that were situated in northern (Shkodra), central (Tirana, Berati, and Ballshi), and southern (Saranda) Albania. Moreover, female individuals were larger and heavier than male individuals, and the females followed Bergmann’s rule. The morphological divergences may be due to molecular variations or environmental conditions of the regions.