Chinese pond turtle

Chinese pond turtle

Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Mauremys^[2]
Species:	M. reevesii
Binomial name
Mauremys reevesii^[2] (Gray, 1831)^[2]
Synonyms^[3]
Emys reevesii Gray, 1831 Clemmys (Clemmys) reevesii Fitzinger, 1835 Emys vulgaris picta Schlegel, 1844 Emys japonica Duméril & Bibron, 1851 Geoclemys reevesii Gray, 1856 Damonia reevesii Gray, 1869 Damonia unicolor Gray, 1873 Clemmys unicolor Sclater, 1873 Damonia reevesii var. unicolor Boulenger, 1889 Geoclemys [reevesii] reevesii Siebenrock, 1907 Geoclemys reevesii unicolor Siebenrock, 1907 Geoclemmys reevesi Vogt, 1924 (ex errore) Geoclemys grangeri Schmidt, 1925 Geoclemys paracaretta Chang, 1929 Geoclemys reevesi grangeri Mell, 1929 Chinemys reevesi Smith, 1931 Geoclemys papacaretta Fang, 1934 (ex errore) Emys reevesi Bourret, 1941 Chinemys reevesii Mertens & Wermuth, 1955 Chinemy reevesi Mao, 1971 Chinemys grangeri Pritchard, 1979 Chinemys pani Tao, 1988 Chinemys reevessi Obst, 1996 (ex errore) Chinemys reveesii Fritz, 1996 (ex errore) Mauremys reevesii Spinks, Shaffer, Iverson & McCord, 2004

Mauremys reevesii in East Timor

The Chinese pond turtle, Reeves' turtle, or Chinese three-keeled pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii)^[2] is a species of turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly called Bataguridae). It is found in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.^[2]^[4] This species is semiaquatic, and basks in the sun on rocks or logs and can often be found leaving water to do so. They can usually be found in marshes, relatively shallow ponds, streams, and canals with muddy or sandy bottoms.

The Chinese three-keeled pond turtle (M. reevesii) is threatened by competition with released pet red-eared sliders (T. s. elegans), overhunting (its plastron is used in traditional Chinese medicine),^[5]^[6] capturing for the pet trade and wild habitat destruction. The IUCN considers M. reevesii an endangered species.^[4] This species, fortunately, breeds well in captivity.

Hybridization

This species is notorious for its ability to produce hybrids with other Geoemydidae, even species that are only distantly related. The supposed new species "Mauremys" pritchardi was based on a hybrid of unknown origin between a male of this species and a female yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica). Furthermore, it has hybridized with the Chinese stripe-necked turtle (Ocadia sinensis), female Malayan box turtles (Cuora amboinensis), a male four-eyed turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata), and the Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica) in captivity.^[7]^[8]

Any individuals that are available as pets therefore need to be kept separate from other members of the family.

Farming

M. reevesii is one of the species raised on China's turtle farms. According to a 1998 survey, 548 farms raised this turtle species in four provinces in China. The statistical data from different provinces were in different formats; however, two provinces reported 20,650 turtles living on 26 farms, with 5,000 animals reproduced annually; the other two provinces reported the total weight of their turtles, namely some 260 tons of these animals on 522 farms. Over the five-year period, 1990–1995, 13 traditional Chinese medicine factories consumed 430 tons of C. reevesii plastrons.^[9]

Based on a more recent (2002) survey of 684 Chinese turtle farms (less than half of all 1,499 turtle farms that were registered at the time), researchers found that 2.8 million of turtles of this species (reported there as Chinemys reevesii) lived on these farms, with some 566,000 specimens sold by farmers every year. The total weight of the annual product was 320 tons, with the estimated value of over US$6 million, which makes the market value of a Chinese pond turtle equal to around $12—about twice as much that of the most common farmed species, Pelodiscus sinensis. Taking into account the registered farms that did not respond to the survey, as well as the unregistered producers, the total amounts must be considerably higher.^[10]

Pet trade

Chinese pond turtles are also farmed for the pet trade. In captivity, they require similar care to red-eared sliders (T. s. elegans).

East Timor

During surveys in East Timor (Timor-Leste), a small but well-established population of M. reevesii was found living in marshes near the city of Dili. The species is not native to the island and was possibly introduced by locals of Chinese origin.^[11] East Timor is home to the Roti Island snake-necked turtle of the timorensis subspecies (sometimes considered a species of its own). Although the introduced population of M. reevesii is not known to present a risk to the native turtles per se, they could indirectly present a threat to the natives if confused. M. reevesii from the introduced population are sometimes captured to be sold to people of Chinese origin and this may cause problems if extended to the native turtles.^[11] A potential solution is to remove the introduced M. reevesii (thereby restricting the trade to captive farmed M. reevesii).^[11]

References

↑ van Dijk, P.P. (2013). "Mauremys reevesii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
1 2 3 4 5 Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley (2010-12-14). "Turtles of the world, 2010 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status". Chelonian Research Monographs 5: 000.112. doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v3.2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-15.
↑ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology 57 (2): 232–233. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
1 2 ATTWG (2000)
↑ da Nóbrega Alves, Rômulo Romeu; da Silva Vieira; Washington Luiz & Gomes Santana, Gindomar (2008): Reptiles used in traditional folk medicine: conservation implications. Biodiversity and Conservation 17(8): 2037–2049. doi:10.1007/s10531-007-9305-0 (HTML abstract, PDF first page)
↑ Subhuti Dharmananda. "Endangered species issues affecting turtles and tortoises used in Chinese medicine".
↑
- Parham, James Ford; Simison, W. Brian; Kozak, Kenneth H.; Feldman, Chris R. & Shi, Haitao (2001): New Chinese turtles: endangered or invalid? A reassessment of two species using mitochondrial DNA, allozyme electrophoresis and known-locality specimens. Animal Conservation 4(4): 357–367. PDF fulltext Erratum: Animal Conservation 5(1): 86 HTML abstract
↑ Buskirk, James R.; Parham, James F. & Feldman, Chris R. (2005): On the hybridisation between two distantly related Asian turtles (Testudines: Sacalia × Mauremys). Salamandra 41: 21-26. PDF fulltext
↑ GUO Yinfeng, ZOU Xueying, CHEN Yan, WANG Di & WANG Sung. "Sustainability of Wildlife Use in Traditional Chinese Medicine". 1998. ; also quoted in: Subhuti Dharmananda. "Endangered species issues affecting turtles and tortoises used in Chinese medicine".
↑ Shi, Haitao; Parham, James F; Fan, Zhiyong; Hong, Meiling; Yin, Feng (2008-01-01), "Evidence for the massive scale of turtle farming in China", Oryx (Cambridge University Press) 42, pp. 147–150, doi:10.1017/S0030605308000562, retrieved 2009-12-26
1 2 3 Kaiser, Hinrich; Taylor, David; Heacox, Scott; Landry, Paul; Sanchez, Caitlin; Varela Ribeiro, Agivedo; Lemos de Araujo, Luis; Kathriner, Andrew; O'Shea, Mark (30 June 2013). "Conservation education in a post-conflict country five hematological case studies in Timor-Leste" (PDF). Salamandra. 49(2). ISSN 0036-3375. Retrieved 18 January 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chinemys reevesii.

Turtle family Geoemydidae

Genus	Species of the family Geoemydidae

Batagur	Burmese roofed turtle Northern river terrapin Painted terrapin Red-crowned roofed turtle Southern river terrapin Three-striped roofed turtle

Cuora	Amboina box turtle Bourret's box turtle Indochinese box turtle McCord's box turtle Keeled box turtle Pan's box turtle Southern Vietnamese box turtle Chinese three-striped box turtle Yellow-headed box turtle Yellow-margined box turtle Yunnan box turtle Zhou's box turtle

Cyclemys	Asian leaf turtle Assam leaf turtle Eastern black-bridged leaf turtle Enigmatic leaf turtle Myanmar brown leaf turtle Oldham's leaf turtle Western black-bridged leaf turtle

Geoclemys	Black pond turtle

Geoemyda	Black-breasted leaf turtle Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle

Hardella	Brahminy river turtle

Heosemys	Arakan forest turtle Giant Asian pond turtle Spiny turtle Yellow-headed temple turtle

Leucocephalon	Sulawesi forest turtle

Malayemys	Malayan snail-eating turtle Mekong snail-eating turtle

Mauremys	Balkan pond turtle Caspian turtle Chinese pond turtle Chinese stripe-necked turtle Japanese pond turtle Red-necked pond turtle Spanish pond turtle Vietnamese pond turtle Yellow pond turtle

Melanochelys	Indian black turtle Tricarinate hill turtle

Morenia	Burmese eyed turtle Indian eyed turtle

Notochelys	Malayan flat-shelled turtle

Orlitia	Malaysian giant turtle

Pangshura	Assam roofed turtle Brown roofed turtle Indian roofed turtle Indian tent turtle

Rhinoclemmys	Black river turtle Brown wood turtle Colombian wood turtle Furrowed wood turtle Large-nosed wood turtle Maracaibo wood turtle Mexican spotted wood turtle Painted wood turtle Spot-legged turtle

Sacalia	Beal's eyed turtle Four-eyed turtle

Siebenrockiella	Black marsh turtle Philippine forest turtle

Vijayachelys	Cane turtle

Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2011 update: annotated checklist.

Extant turtle taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Subclass: Anapsida
Order: Chelonii or Testudines

Suborder

Superfamily

Family

Subfamily	Genus

Cryptodira

Chelydridae

	Chelydra Macrochelys

Chelonioidea

Cheloniidae

Carettinae	Caretta Lepidochelys

Cheloniinae	Chelonia Eretmochelys Natator

Dermochelyidae

	Dermochelys

Kinosternoidea

Dermatemydidae

	Dermatemys

Kinosternidae

Kinosterninae	Kinosternon Sternotherus

Staurotypinae	Claudius Staurotypus

Testudinoidea

Emydidae

Deirochelyinae	Chrysemys Deirochelys Graptemys Malaclemys Pseudemys Trachemys

Emydinae	Clemmys Emys Glyptemys Terrapene

Geoemydidae

Geoemydinae	Batagur Cuora Cyclemys Geoclemys Geoemyda Hardella Heosemys Leucocephalon Malayemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Notochelys Orlitia Pangshura Sacalia Siebenrockiella Vijayachelys

Rhinoclemmydinae	Rhinoclemmys

Platysternidae

	Platysternon

Testudinidae

	Aldabrachelys Astrochelys Chelonoidis Chersina Cylindraspis Geochelone Gopherus Homopus Indotestudo Kinixys Malacochersus Manouria Psammobates Pyxis Stigmochelys Testudo

Trionychia

Carettochelyidae

	Carettochelys

Trionychidae

Cyclanorbinae	Cyclanorbis Cycloderma Lissemys

Trionychinae	Amyda Apalone Chitra Dogania Nilssonia Palea Pelochelys Pelodiscus Rafetus Trionyx

Pleurodira

Chelidae

Chelinae	Acanthochelys Chelus Mesoclemmys Phrynops Platemys Rhinemys

Chelodininae	Chelodina Elseya Elusor Emydura Flaviemys Myuchelys Pseudemydura Rheodytes

Hydromedusinae	Hydromedusa

Pelomedusidae

	Pelomedusa Pelusios

Podocnemididae

	Erymnochelys Peltocephalus Podocnemis

Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2012 update: annotated checklist. Extinct turtles not included.

Portal Book See also List of Testudines families

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