08. Basking Counts as Abundance Indices in Pond Populations of Emys Orbicularis

The reliability of basking counts as indices of relative abundance for Emys orbicularis was tested in a pond system in central Italy. For different field conditions regression was carried out between basking indices and population size estimates obtained by capture and recapture methods. Regression was particularly significant in midday hours of sunny days from May to July, suggesting that in these conditions basking counts can be used as indices of population size.