DOCSLIB.ORG

Lissemys Punctata (Bonnaterre 1789) – Indian Flapshell Turtle

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Lissemys Punctata (Bonnaterre 1789) – Indian Flapshell Turtle Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project Trionychidaeof the IUCN/SSC — Tortoise Lissemys and Freshwater punctata Turtle Specialist Group 076.1 A.G.J. Rhodin, P.C.H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlmann, J.B. Iverson, and R.A. Mittermeier, Eds. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5.076.pulchra.v1.2014 © 2014 by Chelonian Research Foundation • Published 20 February 2014 Lissemys punctata (Bonnaterre 1789) – Indian Flapshell Turtle 1 2 3 S. BHUPATHY , RO B E R T G. WE bb , AND PETE R PR A S CHA G 1Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Anaikatti (PO), Coimbatore, 641108 India [[email protected]]; 2Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas 79968 USA [[email protected]]; 3Turtle Island, Puntigamerstrasse 7, 8041 Graz, Austria [[email protected]] SUMMA R Y . – The Indian Flapshell Turtle, Lissemys punctata (Family Trionychidae), is a relatively small softshell turtle with a carapace length of up to 350 mm. Three intergrading subspecies are confined to the Indian subregion. Individuals are adaptable and durable, occurring in a variety of aquatic habitats, ranging from rivers and streams to reservoirs, marshes, ponds, lakes, and even salt marshes, rice fields, gutters, and canals in metropolitan areas. It is common in brackish water lagoons on the east coast of India, and is often abundant in irrigation canals and tanks, and paddy fields with stagnant water. The species is not plentiful in the main channels of rivers or in large ca- nals, but seems to prefer relatively shallow waters. Lissemys punctata is omnivorous and can survive periods of drought by estivating for a long time on land. Nesting generally occurs in late summer and extends into the monsoon season, July through November. Clutch size varies from 4–15 eggs, which generally have a prolonged incubation period of > 300 days. Despite extensive exploitation by man as a food source for many years, these turtles are still fairly common and seem to be holding their own, with populations relatively stable and not yet seriously threatened. DI S T R I B UTION . – Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan. Distributed in the Indian subre- gion from the Indus basin of Pakistan through India, Nepal, and Bangladesh to northeast Inda and extreme western Myanmar. Populations on Sri Lanka formerly considered to belong to this species have recently been recognized as the distinct species L. ceylonensis. SYNONYMY . – Testudo punctata Lacépède 1788 (nomen rejectum), Testudo punctata Bonnaterre 1789, Trionyx (Emyda) punctatus, Trionyx punctatus, Emyda punctata, Trionyx punctata, Lissemys punctata, Lissemys punctata punctata, Trionyx punctatus punctatus, Testudo sonnerati Meyer 1790, Testudo granulosa Suckow 1798, Testudo scabra Latreille in Sonnini and Latreille 1801, Testudo granosa Schoepff 1801, Trionyx granosus, Cryptopus granosus, Emyda granosa, Emyda granosa granosa, Lissemys punctata granosa, Trionyx punctatus granosus, Testudo granulata Daudin 1801, Trionyx coromandelicus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1809, Emyda dura Anderson 1876. SU bs PECIE S . – Currently three subspecies are recognized: 1) Lissemys punctata punctata (South- ern Indian Flapshell Turtle) (distribution: southern peninsular India [Kerala, Tamil Nadu]); 2) Lis- semys punctata andersoni (Spotted Northern Indian Flapshell Turtle) (synonymy: Lissemys punc- tata andersoni Webb 1980, Lissemys andersoni) (distribution: Bangladesh, northern India [Assam, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal], Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan); and 3) Lissemys punctata vittata (Central Indian Flapshell Turtle) (synonymy: Emyda vittata Peters 1854, Emyda granosa vittata, Lissemys punctata vittata, Emyda granosa intermedia Annandale 1912) (distribution: central India [Andhra Pradesh, Chhat- tisgarh (?), Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan]). STATU S . – IUCN 2013 Red List: Least Concern (LC, assessed 2000); TFTSG Draft Red List: Least Concern (LC, assessed 2011); CITES: Appendix II; Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, Schedule I; Bangladesh Wildlife Preservation (Amendment) Act (BWPA), Schedule II. Taxonomy. — Testudo punctata was originally described was still nomenclaturally available. However, a subsequent by Lacépède (1788). The ICZN (1987, Opinion 1463) ruled proposal by Savage (2003) for rejection of Lacépède’s 1788 that several of Lacépède’s works were unavailable for Histoire Naturelle (Vol. I) and subsequent editions as an purposes of zoological nomenclature, but, as noted by Bour unavailable, non-binomial work was approved by the ICZN (1989), this did not originally include Volume I (1788), which (2005). Thus, Bonnaterre (1789), who used Testudo punctata 076.2 Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises • Chelonian Research Monographs, No. 5 Figure 1. Adult Lissemys punctata punctata from Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, India. Photo by Indraneil Das. in his reiteration of Lacépède’s description and copied his Smith (1931) reduced the five subspecies recognized illustration, is now regarded as the author of the valid name by Annandale (1912) to three: L. p. punctata, L. p. granosa, Lissemys punctata. and L. p. scutata. Until relatively recently, the name L. p. The specific status of L. punctata has not been ques- punctata was applied to the yellow-spotted form in northern tioned since the original description, but the species has been India. However, allocation of the type locality (holotype) of recognized by several different name combinations. Several L. punctata to Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, on the Coromandel authors assigned the species to the genus Trionyx (e.g., Coast of southern India, resulted in recognition of L. p. Mertens and Wermuth 1955). Gray (1831) proposed Emyda punctata as the valid name for the form in southern peninsular for this species, and Duméril and Bibron (1835) changed India (Webb 1980). Consequently, the northern subspecies both the generic and specific names, using Cryptopus gra- (having no nominal subjective synonyms or available nosus, the specific name stemming from Schoepff’s (1801) alternative names) required a new name, L. p. andersoni name Testudo granosa. The name Emyda granosa became (Webb 1980). The Burmese subspecies from Myanmar was entrenched as the name for the Indian Flapshell Turtle in the later elevated to a distinct species, Lissemys scutata (Webb literature for a while through its use by Boulenger (1889), 1982). Siebenrock (1902, 1909), and Annandale (1912). Smith Genetic analysis of four geographically isolated popula- (1931), noting senior homonyms of both Emyda (initially tions of L. punctata based on seven metabolically important by Baur 1893) and Cryptopus, proposed the new generic isozyme/allozymes showed significant genetic diversity replacement name Lissemys and reverted to using punctata among them (Rohilla et al. 2009). The Indian Lissemys are as the correct specific name. Some additional information reportedly closely related to African flapshells (Joyce and regarding taxonomic history and nomenclature of this spe- Lyson 2010). cies is noted in Webb (1980). Praschag et al. (2011) investigated the relationships among Asian flapshell turtles using 2286 bp of mitochondrial Figure 2. Adult Lissemys punctata punctata from Mamallapuram, Figure 3. Juvenile Lissemys punctata punctata from Moyar River, Tamil Nadu, India. Photo by Indraneil Das. Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, India. Photo by Peter Praschag. Trionychidae — Lissemys punctata 076.3 Figure 4. Distribution of Lissemys punctata in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar in the Indian subregion of Asia. Purple lines = boundaries delimiting major watersheds (level 3 hydrologic unit compartments – HUCs); red dots = museum and literature occurrence records of native populations based on Iverson (1992), plus more recent and authors’ data; brown dot = occurrence record of presumed introduced population in the Andaman Islands; red/black dots = hybrid specimens of L. p. vittata x andersoni as determined genetically by Praschag et al. (2011); green shading = projected native distribution based on GIS-defined HUCs constructed around verified localities and then adding HUCs that connect known point localities in the same watershed or physiographic region, and similar habitats and elevations as verified HUCs (Buhlmann et al. 2009), and adjusted based on authors’ subsequent data; cross-hatched lines = approximate boundaries between the three subspecies as detemined genetically by Praschag et al. (2011), with L. p. punctata in the extreme south, L. p. andersoni in the north from southern Pakistan across northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh and western Myanmar, and L. p. vittata in central peninsular India, with a large and wide area of partial intergradation with L. p. andersoni in eastern India. DNA and found five deeply divergent clades; one clade, due to the degree of genetic divergence resembling L. corresponded to L. scutata from Myanmar and a second one scutata, they proposed that these populations be elevated as to L. p. andersoni from the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra the distinct species L. ceylonensis (Gray 1856), separate from drainages of Pakistan, Nepal, northern India, Bangladesh, and L. punctata. Thus, three subspecies of Lissemys punctata are western Myanmar. Three distinct clades were identified within currently recognized: L. p. punctata, L. p. andersoni, and L. L. p. punctata:
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Eastern Spiny Softshell
    Eastern Spiny Softshell The Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle, an introduced species, is unlike any other species of turtle in New Jersey, with its leathery, flattened shell, and its long narrow snout. Eastern Spiny Softshell Introduced Species - Pl.7 (Apalone spinifera spinifera) Identification: Adult females 6 1/2" - 18", males 5" - 9 1/4". The Eastern Spiny Softshell is almost perfectly round with a very flattened, leathery carapace that lacks scutes. Also note the characteristic long, narrow, tubular snout. Three characteristics that distinguish this from other softshells (which are not found in New Jersey) are streaked and spotted feet, a horizontal ridge in each nostril, and small spiny projections on the carapace. The carapace is light tan, like wet sand; a thin dark line encircles the carapace near the rim. The carapace of the male is marked with dark, round spots, while the female may be somewhat darker and more mottled. Where to find them: The Eastern Spiny Softshell is typically limited to rivers; however, it can also be found in lakes where mud bars are available. It is sometimes seen floating at the surface, where the shape is easily identifiable. Be careful if handling this species: it can claw and bite fiercely. When to find them: Active May through September. Range: An introduced and well-established population in the Maurice River system, Cumberland County and in the Raritan River Watershed. Eastern Spiny Softshell (Apalone spinifera spinifera) - text pg. 16 Key Features - Long, narrow, and tubular snout. - Carapace: flattened, leathery, and lacking scutes. - Light tan or brown in color. New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife ~ 2003 Excerpt from: Schwartz, V.
    [Show full text]
  • AC26 Inf. 5 (English Only / Únicamente En Inglés / Seulement En Anglais)
    AC26 Inf. 5 (English only / únicamente en inglés / seulement en anglais) CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA ____________ Twenty-sixth meeting of the Animals Committee Geneva (Switzerland), 15-20 March 2012 and Dublin (Ireland), 22-24 March 2012 EXTRACT FROM THE PRELIMINARY REPORT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS FROM THE SINGAPORE WORKSHOP ON ASIAN TORTOISES AND FRESHWATER TURTLES The attached information document has been submitted by the United States of America in relation to agenda item 18*. * The geographical designations employed in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the CITES Secretariat or the United Nations Environment Programme concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The responsibility for the contents of the document rests exclusively with its author. AC26 Inf. 5 – p. 1 Extract from the Preliminary Report with Recommendations and Conclusions from the Singapore Workshop on Asian Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles The attached information document has been submitted by the United States in relation to a workshop on “Conservation of Asian Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles: Setting Priorities for the Next Ten Years” held in Singapore, February 21st – 24th, 2011. Recalling the findings and recommendations of the Animal Committee’s Technical Workshop on Conservation of and Trade in Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises (Kunming, China; March 2002) (see AC18 Inf. 12), and also Doc AC19 Doc 15.1 (Conservation and trade in freshwater turtles and tortoises: Addressing recommendations from the Kunming Workshop) which makes extensive listing discussion and recommendations.
    [Show full text]
  • Apalone Spinifera Atra (Webb and Legler 1960) – Black Spiny Softshell Turtle, Cuatrociénegas Softshell, Tortuga Concha Blanda, Tortuga Negra De Cuatrociénegas
    Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation ProjectTrionychidae of the IUCN/SSC — ApaloneTortoise and spinifera Freshwater atra Turtle Specialist Group 021.1 A.G.J. Rhodin, P.C.H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlmann, and J.B. Iverson, Eds. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5.021.atra.v1.2008 © 2008 by Chelonian Research Foundation • Published 9 August 2008 Apalone spinifera atra (Webb and Legler 1960) – Black Spiny Softshell Turtle, Cuatrociénegas Softshell, Tortuga Concha Blanda, Tortuga Negra de Cuatrociénegas ADRIÁN CERDÁ -ARDUR A 1, FR A N C IS C O SOBERÓN -MOB A R A K 2, SUZ A NNE E. MCGA U G H 3, A ND RI C H A RD C. VO G T 4 1Romero 93 Col. Niños Heroes, C.P. 03440, Mexico D.F. Mexico [[email protected]]; 2Xavier Sorondo 210 Col. Iztaccihuatl, C.P. 03520, Mexico D.F. Mexico [[email protected]]; 3Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USA [[email protected]]; 4CPBA/INPA, Caixa Postal 478, Petropolis, Manaus, Amazonas 69011-970 Brazil [[email protected]] SU mma RY . – Apalone spinifera atra (Family Trionychidae), endemic to the Cuatrociénegas Basin of Coahuila, Mexico, is an enigmatic and severely threatened softshell turtle. On the basis of mor- phology, it has been regarded as a full species (Apalone ater), but by phylogenetic molecular analyses it is currently considered a subspecies of A. spinifera. The discovery of color morphs correlated to substrate coloration in different localities and the recognition of hybridization between A.
    [Show full text]
  • Cantor's Giant Softshell Turtle, Pelochelys Cantorii
    M Cantor’s Giant Softshell turtle, Pelochelys cantorii Compiler: Ayushi Jain Suggested citation: Jain, A., Das, A., V. Deepak., Cavada-Blanco, F. 2021. A Survival Blueprint for the Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle Pelochelys cantorii in India. EDGE of Existence programme, Zoological Society of London, UK 1. STATUS REVIEW 1.1 Taxonomy: Class : Reptilia Order : Testudines Family : Trionychidae Genus : Pelochelys Species : Pelocheys cantorii (Gray, 1864) Common Name : Cantor’s Giant softshell turtle/ Asian Giant softshell turtle/ Local name : Bheemanama, Paala poovan (Malayalam) Synonyms: Pelochelys clivepalmeri (Hoser, 2014), P. cumingii (Gray, 1864), P. poljakowii (Strauch, 1890), P. telstraorum (Hoser, 2014), P. cantoris (Boulenger, 1889) Pelochelys cantorii (Gray, 1864) is one of the three species in the genus Pelochelys. The other two species are P. bibroni and P. signifera known only from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia (Papua), respectively. P. cantorii has a large distribution across south and south-east Asia (Das, 2008). It is among the largest freshwater turtles in the world with adults reaching a carapace length of around 100 cm (Das, 2008). Sexual dimorphism is present with males having longer and thicker tales than females; something common for other softshell turtles. Females are also larger in size than males (Das, 2008). According to the last IUCN Red List of threatened species assessment for the species, Pelochelys cantorii might hide a complex of several different species (ATTWG, 2000) A B Figure 1. An adult Pelochelys cantorii on the banks of Chandragiri river caught as by-catch in a fishing line (A), and a close-up head shot showing the keratinized sheath or “teeth” of the species (B).
    [Show full text]
  • Nilssonia Leithii (Gray 1872) – Leith's Softshell Turtle
    Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project ofTrionychidae the IUCN/SSC Tortoise— Nilssonia and Freshwater leithii Turtle Specialist Group 075.1 A.G.J. Rhodin, P.C.H. Pritchard, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Saumure, K.A. Buhlmann, J.B. Iverson, and R.A. Mittermeier, Eds. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5.075.leithii.v1.2014 © 2014 by Chelonian Research Foundation • Published 17 February 2014 Nilssonia leithii (Gray 1872) – Leith’s Softshell Turtle INDRANE I L DAS 1, SHASHWAT SI RS I 2, KARTH ik EYAN VASUDE V AN 3, AND B.H.C.K. MURTHY 4 1Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia [[email protected]]; 2Turtle Survival Alliance-India, D-1/316 Sector F, Janakipuram, Lucknow 226 021, India [[email protected]]; 3Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Pillar 162, PVNR Expressway, Hyderguda, Hyderabad 500 048, India [[email protected]]; 4Zoological Survey of India, J.L. Nehru Road, Kolkata 700 016, India [[email protected]] SU mm ARY . – Leith’s Softshell Turtle, Nilssonia leithii (Family Trionychidae), is a large turtle, known to attain at least 720 mm in carapace length (bony disk plus fibrocartilage flap), and possibly as much as 1000 mm. The species inhabits the rivers and reservoirs of southern peninsular India, replacing the more familiar Indian Softshell Turtle, N. gangetica, of northern India. The turtle is apparently rare within its range, even within protected areas, which is suspected to be due to a past history of exploitation.
    [Show full text]
  • A Case Study of Nilssonia Gangetica (Cuvier, 1825) in Kashipur Village, Uttar Pradesh, India
    Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 631-636 (2019) (published online on 20 June 2019) ‘Community ponds: a tool for conservation’. A case study of Nilssonia gangetica (Cuvier, 1825) in Kashipur village, Uttar Pradesh, India Debanjan Sarkar¹, Anuja Mital¹, Raja Mandal², R. Suresh Kumar¹, and Gautam Talukdar¹,* Abstract. Ganges Softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica), a species listed as Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, A1d+2d, Ver 2.3), is generally associated with the major river systems of northern India. However, anecdotal records indicate this species has strong associations with community and temple ponds. Connectivity between rivers and these ponds play an important role in the exchange of individuals between wetlands thus maintaining viable healthy populations of the species in the landscape. This article details a survey of a pond (area 3381 m²) in Kashipur village, Uttar Pradesh, India, to investigate the current status of a large population of Nilssonia gangetica. The ponds were found to be extremely polluted with solid and liquid garbage and under several landscape level pressures impeding connectivity which threatens the survival and fitness of this population. We also review the implications of such community and temple ponds and their future in conserving these threatened turtles. Keywords. Freshwater turtles, Ganges River, seasonal wetlands, temple ponds, biological connectivity Introduction for its major flooding events that happen once every few years. The frequency and magnitude of such flooding The freshwater turtles of India inhabit a wide range events are of immense significance as they cause the of aquatic habitats, and due to their diverse life-history water from the main river to flow across the floodplains, traits and role as transformers of biomass, they are often temporarily connecting small wetlands to the river (Junk considered keystone species of aquatic ecosystems et al., 1989).
    [Show full text]
  • Indian Freshwater Turtles, Which Are Usually Bigger
    Fantastic Facts Indian Part 3 Freshwater Turtles Conservation / Threat Status of Turtles Many turtles, terrapins and tortoises are threatened with extinction, that is, dying out completely. Listed below are the turtles discussed in this article (from Part 1 to 3), with their status, or prospects of survival. Name Status (Global) Assam Roofed Turtle Endangered Cochin Forest Cane Turtle Endangered Crowned River Turtle Vulnerable Rock Terrapin Near Threatened Indian Flapshell Turtle Least Concern Indian Softshell Turtle Vulnerable Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle Endangered Red-crowned Roofed Turtle Critically Endangered Northern River Terrapin Critically Endangered THE CATEGORIES Critically Endangered -- This is the highest category that a species can be assigned before “extinction”. It represents a “last ditch” effort to provide a warning to wildlife agencies and governments to activate management measures to protect the species before it disappears from the face of the earth. When a species is Critically Endangered, usually its chances of living for the next 100 years are very low. Often, its chances of surviving even for 10 years are not good at all ! Endangered -- This is the second highest threat category that a species can be assigned before it becomes further threatened e.g. Critically Endangered or Extinct. When a species is Endangered, its chances of survival as a species for the next 100 years are low. Vulnerable -- The IUCN Red List defines Vulnerable as when a species is not Critically Endangered or Endangered, but is still facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. This is the first threat category for ranking a species when it has some serious problems from human-related threats.
    [Show full text]
  • Status Survey of Batagur Baska and Pelochelys Cantorii in the State of Odisha
    Status survey of Batagur baska and Pelochelys cantorii in the state of Odisha Satyaranjan Behera A survey was made in Subarnarekha river mouth and the adjacent available fishing village of Balasore district in Odisha. A boat survey was carried out from the river mouth of Subarnarekha for 50 km inland. There was no evidence of Batagur baska found, neither any foot prints nor crawl marks in the bank side of the river. However, one juvenile Chitra indica was found entangled in monofilament gill-net and it was carefully released from the net with the help of local fishermen. A questionnaire survey was also held with local fishermen (36 informants) in nine fishing villages and fishing jetties and it was evident that the species Batagur baska, locally called “Baligada” was available in the 20th century and for the last one and half decades not a single animal had been seen. Moreove,r during the survey, the informants responded that the species became at risk due to indiscriminate poaching by local inhabitants for meat. They believe the northern river terrapin’s flesh is soft and tasty; so people usually hunt in the river during fishing and sell in the local market. The information about the occurrence of Pelochelys cantorii was not confirmed in this area. Nevertheless, we found another species, Indian roofed turtle (Pangshura tecta) in local village ponds of Balasore and Mayurbhanj district close to rivers Subarnarekha and Budhabalanga. A similar survey was held upstream and downstream of the river Mahanadi in Cuttack district and a country boat was used to survey inland water.
    [Show full text]
  • Spiny Softshell Turtle: What You Can Do to Help the Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone Spinifera) Is a Medium to Large-Sized Freshwater Turtle
    Saving Spiny Softshell Turtle: What you can do to help The Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera) is a medium to large-sized freshwater turtle. Females can grow more than 4 times as big as males. Their carapace (top shell) is olive to tan, flat, round, keelless (no raised ridge down the centre of the shell), and leathery. The surface of the carapace may be slightly rough, like sandpaper, especially in adult males. Adult males have black circles on their carapace but females have a mottled or blotched pattern. The head and legs are green to gray, with a pattern of dark spots and yellowish-green stripes. The tubular snout has large nostrils, the lips are yellowish with dark spots, and the jaws are sharp. All four feet are webbed, and the webbing Photo: Scott Gillingwater extends up the back legs. Do you live near Spiny Softshell Field check Turtles? Long neck In the Carolinian zone the Spiny Softshell Turtle Long snout can be found in Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie Very flat, leathery, olive to brownish (including major tributaries like the Thames and coloured carapace Sydenham Rivers), and western Lake Ontario. They live in soft-bottomed rivers and lakes. They Very fast on land and in water are often seen at or just downstream of river Buries into the mud and then wiggles bends. They spend a lot of time basking on to settle the mud over the shell sunlit riverbanks, logs, rocks, and some artificial structures. They hunt for food in riffles, creeks, shallow inlets, and areas with vegetative debris and aquatic plants.
    [Show full text]
  • Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 14, Ately in the Study Areas Because Fishing Represents the Most Impor- 237–246
    Received: 21 May 2019 Revised: 20 October 2019 Accepted: 28 January 2020 DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3317 RESEARCH ARTICLE Fishers, dams, and the potential survival of the world's rarest turtle, Rafetus swinhoei, in two river basins in northern Vietnam Olivier Le Duc1 | Thong Pham Van1 | Benjamin Leprince1 | Cedric Bordes1 | Anh Nguyen Tuan2 | John Sebit Benansio3 | Nic Pacini4,5 | Vinh Quang Luu6 | Luca Luiselli7,8,9 1Turtle Sanctuary and Conservation Center, Paris, France Abstract 2Biodiversity Conservation, Thanh Hoa 1. Next to cetaceans and megafishes, freshwater turtles are the most iconic endan- Provincial Forest Protection, Thanh Hoa City, gered freshwater species. Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam 3Alliance for Environment and Rural 2. A detailed questionnaire survey conducted with more than 100 individuals from Development (AERD), Juba, South Sudan fishing communities in northern Vietnam was used to investigate the current sta- 4 Department of Environmental and Chemical tus of Southeast Asian turtles and provides new hope concerning the survival of Engineering, University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende, Cosenza, Italy Rafetus swinhoei, for which recent official records in the wild are limited to a single 5Department of Geography, University of individual in Vietnam. Leicester, Leicester, UK 3. The survey included the entire Vietnamese portion of the Da River in Hoa Binh 6Vietnam National University of Forestry, Hanoi, Vietnam and Son La provinces, as well as the Chu and Ma river system in Thanh Hoa 7Institute for Development, Ecology, Province, as they are the last sites where the world's rarest and largest Asian soft- Conservation and Cooperation, Rome, Italy shell turtle has been seen.
    [Show full text]
  • RELATIVE ABUNDANCE of SPINEY SOFTSHELL TURTLES (Apalone Spinifera) on the MISSOURI and YELLOWSTONE RIVERS in MONTANA FINAL REPOR
    RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF SPINEY SOFTSHELL TURTLES (Apalone spinifera) ON THE MISSOURI AND YELLOWSTONE RIVERS IN MONTANA FINAL REPORT Arnold R. Dood, Brad Schmitz, Vic Riggs, Nate McClenning, Matt Jeager, Dave Fuller, Ryan Rauscher, Steve Leathe, Dave Moore, JoAnn Dullum, John Ensign, Scott Story, Mike Backes Abstract In 2003, the Missouri River Natural Resources Committee (MRNRC) Wildlife Section advocated developing a survey for the relative abundance of softshell turtles (Apalone sp.) on the Missouri River system. Softshell turtles were selected because they occur throughout the system and there was some information suggesting that they may have been impacted by system operations. As a common riverine species, there were possibilities that softshell turtles may have been impacted because of the timing, level, and temperature of river flows as well as by dam construction and bank stabilization. In addition, there were reports from other areas in the species range that they may be especially sensitive to human disturbance. From 2004 through 2008, State and Federal agencies and Pacific Power and Light in Montana sampled the Missouri River from Great Falls, MT, to the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone (except Fort Peck Reservoir) as well as they Yellowstone River from above Billings to the confluence. Sampling consisted of setting turtle traps every two river miles and checking for three days. Turtles captured were measured, marked, and released. Results of the sampling efforts indicated high relative densities above Fort Peck Reservoir and variable densities on the Yellowstone. No spiny softshells were found below Fort Peck or on the Yellowstone below Sidney, MT. Possible reasons are presented and recommendations for future program direction as well as potential system modifications to benefit this species are discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Book (PDF)
    HANDBOOK INDIAN TESTUDINES HANDBOOK INDIAN TESTUDINES B. K. TIKADER Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta R. C. SHARMA Desert Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, Jodhpur Edited by the Director ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA, CALCUTTA © Government of India, 1985 Published: November, 1985 Price: Indian Rs. 150/00 Foreign : £ 20/00 $ 30/00 Printed at The Radiant Process Private Limited, Calcutta, India and Published by the Director, Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta FOREWORD One of the objectives of Zoological Survey of India is to provide comprehensive systematic accounts on various groups of the Indian fauna. To achieve this objective, the Zoological Survey of India undertakes faunistic survey programmes and publishes the results in the form of research papers and reports and under the series "Fauna of India", "The Handbooks" and "Technical Monographs" The present contribution on the Turtles and Tortoises is the sixth in the series of "Handbooks" This is a very primitive group of animals which have a role in the conservation of Nature and are an important protein source. While studies on this group of animals began at the turn of this century, intensive studies were taken up only recently. The present "Handbook" gives a comprehensive taxonomic account of all the marine, freshwater and land turtles and tortoises of India, along with their phylogeny, distribution and keys for easy identification. It includes other information, wherever known, about their biology, ecology, conservation and captive breeding. A total of 32 species and subspecies distributed over sixteen genera and five families are dealt with here. I congratulate the authors for undertaking this work which I am sure will prove useful to students and researchers in the field of Herpetology both in India and abroad.
    [Show full text]