ИСТИНА

In present time it is currently proposed to allocate four subspecies of the Mediterranean tortoises at the Caucasus. Testudo graeca nikolski, inhabits the western part of the Caucasus, T. g. armeniaca - from the valley of the Kura River and Lenkaran lowlands, the northern part (the Caspian Sea coast) is ocupied by T. g. pallasi, and in the valley of the Arax T. g. ibera lives. However, only until now the validity of subspecies T. g. nikolski and T. g. pallasi confirmed at the genetic level. Researches of the phylogeny and phylogeography of T. graeca in the Caucasus are continued.The history of appearance of the isolated part of the Testudo graeca area at the Black Sea coast of Russia is not found out till now. In order to understand the occurrence of this population we may analyze the historical way of the development of inland seas of the Caucasus region, the changes of the climate from the middle Pliocene till our days.All the findings of the ancient tortoises are dated not older than the late Paleocene (12 thousand years before our era), from Alleroed interstadial of Valdai Ice Age.