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Big data can cause big mistakes: using the Societas Europaea Herpetologica atlas by Sillero et al. (2014), the distribution of Emys orbicularis will be misunderstood

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Abstract

Problems with the reliability of the distribution map for Emys orbicularis in the online atlas of European amphibians and reptiles (NA2RE) are highlighted. Two distinct species (E. orbicularis, E. trinacris) are lumped together there. For E. orbicularis, many regions are included into the native distribution range where the species does not occur naturally. On the contrary, records are missing for vast parts of the native range. Using data from the NA2RE atlas cannot be recommended presently, especially not for species distribution modelling.

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  1. Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Dresden, A. B. Meyer Building, 01109, Dresden, Germany

    Melita Vamberger & Uwe Fritz

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  1. Melita Vamberger
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  2. Uwe Fritz
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Correspondence to Uwe Fritz.

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Vamberger, M., Fritz, U. Big data can cause big mistakes: using the Societas Europaea Herpetologica atlas by Sillero et al. (2014), the distribution of Emys orbicularis will be misunderstood. Biologia 73, 281–283 (2018). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-018-0033-6

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