Descriptions of Some A.Frican Tortoises
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Conservation Biology of Tortoises
The Conservation Biology of Tortoises Edited by Ian R. Swingland and Michael W. Klemens IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and The Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology Occasional Papers of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) No. 5 IUCN—The World Conservation Union IUCN Species Survival Commission Role of the SSC 3. To cooperate with the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) The Species Survival Commission (SSC) is IUCN's primary source of the in developing and evaluating a data base on the status of and trade in wild scientific and technical information required for the maintenance of biological flora and fauna, and to provide policy guidance to WCMC. diversity through the conservation of endangered and vulnerable species of 4. To provide advice, information, and expertise to the Secretariat of the fauna and flora, whilst recommending and promoting measures for their con- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna servation, and for the management of other species of conservation concern. and Flora (CITES) and other international agreements affecting conser- Its objective is to mobilize action to prevent the extinction of species, sub- vation of species or biological diversity. species, and discrete populations of fauna and flora, thereby not only maintain- 5. To carry out specific tasks on behalf of the Union, including: ing biological diversity but improving the status of endangered and vulnerable species. • coordination of a programme of activities for the conservation of biological diversity within the framework of the IUCN Conserva- tion Programme. Objectives of the SSC • promotion of the maintenance of biological diversity by monitor- 1. -
Growing and Shrinking in the Smallest Tortoise, Homopus Signatus Signatus: the Importance of Rain
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Springer - Publisher Connector Oecologia (2007) 153:479–488 DOI 10.1007/s00442-007-0738-7 GLOBAL CHANGE AND CONSERVATION ECOLOGY Growing and shrinking in the smallest tortoise, Homopus signatus signatus: the importance of rain Victor J. T. Loehr · Margaretha D. Hofmeyr · Brian T. Henen Received: 21 November 2006 / Accepted: 21 March 2007 / Published online: 24 April 2007 © Springer-Verlag 2007 Abstract Climate change models predict that the range of dorso-ventrally, so a reduction in internal matter due to the world’s smallest tortoise, Homopus signatus signatus, starvation or dehydration may have caused SH to shrink. will aridify and contract in the next decades. To evaluate Because the length and width of the shell seem more rigid, the eVects of annual variation in rainfall on the growth of reversible bone resorption may have contributed to shrink- H. s. signatus, we recorded annual growth rates of wild age, particularly of the shell width and plastron length. individuals from spring 2000 to spring 2004. Juveniles Based on growth rates for all years, female H. s. signatus grew faster than did adults, and females grew faster than need 11–12 years to mature, approximately twice as long as did males. Growth correlated strongly with the amount of would be expected allometrically for such a small species. rain that fell during the time just before and within the However, if aridiWcation lowers average growth rates to the growth periods. Growth rates were lowest in 2002–2003, level of 2002–2003, females would require 30 years to when almost no rain fell between September 2002 and mature. -
Annual Report 2016 Homopus Research Foundation
Homopus Research Foundation Annual Report 2016 Victor Loehr February 2017 Homopus Research Foundation: annual report 2016 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2016 ........................................................................................ 2 1.1. POLICIES AND PERMANENT ACTION POINTS .................................................................................................. 2 1.2. OUTSTANDING ACTION POINTS FROM THE 2015 ANNUAL REPORT ................................................................... 2 1.3. STUDBOOK MANAGEMENT PLAN HOMOPUS SIGNATUS .................................................................................. 4 1.4. STUDBOOK MANAGEMENT PLAN HOMOPUS AREOLATUS ................................................................................ 5 1.5. PROGRESS FIELD STUDIES ON HOMOPUS .................................................................................................... 5 2. PLANS FOR 2017 AND THEREAFTER ..................................................................................................... 6 3. STUDBOOK SUMMARIES ...................................................................................................................... 6 4. ACTUAL STUDBOOK OVERVIEWS .......................................................................................................... 8 5. SPECIFIC INFORMATION FROM STUDBOOK PARTICIPANTS ....................................................................... 19 6. NEW PUBLICATIONS ........................................................................................................................ -
Kinixys Erosa (Schweigger 1812) – Forest Hinge-Back Tortoise, Serrated Hinge-Back Tortoise, Serrated Hinged Tortoise
Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of theTestudinidae IUCN/SSC Tortoise — Kinixys and Freshwater erosa Turtle Specialist Group 084.1 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.5.084.erosa.v1.2014 © 2014 by Chelonian Research Foundation • Published 29 December 2014 Kinixys erosa (Schweigger 1812) – Forest Hinge-back Tortoise, Serrated Hinge-back Tortoise, Serrated Hinged Tortoise LUCA LUISELLI1,2 AND TOMAS DIAGNE3 1Niger Delta Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Unit, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, PMB 5080, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria; 2Centre of Environmental Studies Demetra, Via Olona 7, I-00198 Rome, Italy [[email protected]]; 3African Chelonian Institute, P.O. Box 449, Ngaparou, Mbour 33022, Senegal, West Africa [[email protected]] SUMMARY. – The Forest Hinge-back Tortoise, Kinixys erosa (Family Testudinidae), is a forest tortoise with considerable range over the continuous Guinea–Congo rainforest region in West and Central Africa. It is a medium-sized to large tortoise, with a carapace length reaching ca. 400 mm, and males larger than females. Tortoises of the genus Kinixys can close themselves entirely within their shells through a unique posterior carapacial hinge. Kinixys erosa inhabits the lowland evergreen forest, marshy areas, and forest galleries growing along rivers and streams, where it is locally threatened by clearance of forest for cultivation and hunting pressure. It has an omnivorous diet, with mushrooms being predominant. Population sizes are strongly depressed in areas where these tortoises are actively hunted by human populations. -
Download Preprint
Nonchalant neighbors: Space use and overlap of the critically endangered Elongated Tortoise Matthew Ward1†, Benjamin Michael Marshall1, Cameron Wesley Hodges1, Ysabella Montano1, Taksin Artchawakom2, Surachit Waengsothorn3, Colin Thomas Strine1* 1 Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 2 Population and Community Development Association, Bangkok, Thailand 3 Sakaerat Environmental Research Station, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand * [email protected] † [email protected] Received: ; Revised: (optional); Accepted: . 1 Abstract To prevent population extirpations we need to understand species’ requirements, especially for critically endangered species inhabiting biodiversity hotspots. Studying animal movement provides insights into such requirements and gauges protected area effectiveness. Southeast Asian protected areas are becoming isolated; thus, we must ensure existing areas can sustain populations. We used multi-year radio-telemetry with the critically endangered Elongated Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) to assess: movements, space- use, and conspecific overlap in a small protected area –Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Thailand. Movements were weakly seasonal, increasing in hot and wet seasons compared to the dry season. Individuals annual space-use varied (4.24–55.57 ha), while frequently overlapping with conspecifics. Conspecific comparisons revealed males (n = 5) moved similarly to females (n = 12) but used larger areas. Explorations of temporal avoidance versus attraction reveal more instances of conspecific attraction than avoidance (20:8). Avoidance/attraction behavior appeared disconnected from carapace length or mass; therefore, that conspecific interaction patterns may potentially be a result of resources (mates or food) rather than competition (i.e., no apparent evidence of smaller individuals avoiding larger individuals). Female-female attraction suggests an absence of resource exclusion tactics at the temporal resolution of our data. -
REPRODUCTION of the SMALLEST TORTOISE, the NAMAQUALAND SPECKLED PADLOPER, HOMOPUS SIGNATUS SIGNATUS Author(S): Victor J
REPRODUCTION OF THE SMALLEST TORTOISE, THE NAMAQUALAND SPECKLED PADLOPER, HOMOPUS SIGNATUS SIGNATUS Author(s): Victor J. T. Loehr, Brian T. Henen, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr Source: Herpetologica, 60(4):444-454. 2004. Published By: The Herpetologists' League DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1655/03-59 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1655/03-59 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/ terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Herpetologica, 60(4), 2004, 438–444 Ó 2004 by The Herpetologists’ League, Inc. HABITAT SELECTION BY SPHAERODACTYLUS NICHOLSI (SQUAMATA: GEKKONIDAE) IN CABO ROJO, PUERTO RICO 1 2,3 RICARDO LO´ PEZ-ORTIZ AND ALLEN R. LEWIS 1Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales de Puerto Rico, Negociado de Pesca y Vida Silvestre, P.O. Box 491 Boquero´n, Puerto Rico 00622 2Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagu¨ez, Puerto Rico 00681-9012 ABSTRACT: We studied habitat selection by the litter-dwelling gecko Sphaerodactylus nicholsi in the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Puerto Rico to determine how this small diurnal species exists in an apparently xeric habitat. -
Chelonian Advisory Group Regional Collection Plan 4Th Edition December 2015
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Chelonian Advisory Group Regional Collection Plan 4th Edition December 2015 Editor Chelonian TAG Steering Committee 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Mission ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Steering Committee Structure ........................................................................................................... 3 Officers, Steering Committee Members, and Advisors ..................................................................... 4 Taxonomic Scope ............................................................................................................................. 6 Space Analysis Space .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Survey ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Current and Potential Holding Table Results ............................................................................. 8 Species Selection Process Process ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Decision Tree ........................................................................................................................... 13 Decision Tree Results ............................................................................................................. -
Cop17 Doc. 73
Original language: English CoP17 Doc. 73 CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA ____________________ Seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties Johannesburg (South Africa), 24 September - 5 October 2016 Species specific matters TORTOISES AND FRESHWATER TURTLES (TESTUDINES SPP.) 1. This document has been prepared by the Secretariat. Background 2. At its 16th meeting (CoP16, Bangkok, 2013), the Conference of the Parties adopted Decisions 16.109 to 16.124 on Tortoises and freshwater turtles (Testudines spp.), as follows: Directed to the Secretariat 16.109 Subject to external funding, the Secretariat shall contract independent consultants to undertake a study, taking into account the findings of the Cancún workshop on non-detriment findings and other pertinent sources of information, to identify and discuss factors that are of particular relevance to make non-detriment findings for tortoises and freshwater turtles. These factors should include, but not be limited to, tortoise and turtle population status and dynamics, trade dynamics, production systems, and trade in parts and derivatives. This study should provide guidance to make non-detriment findings for tortoises and freshwater turtles. 16.110 The Secretariat shall make the results of the study referred to in Decision 16.109 available to the Animals Committee for consideration, if possible, at its 27th meeting. Directed to the Animals Committee 16.111 The Animals Committee shall review the study undertaken in accordance with Decision 16.109 and make recommendations, as appropriate and, if possible, at its 27th meeting for consideration by the Standing Committee and the Parties. Directed to the Standing Committee 16.112 The Standing Committee shall review the study undertaken in accordance with Decision 16.109 and the Animals Committee recommendations, and make its own recommendations, as appropriate, for communication to the Parties or for consideration at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties. -
Year of the Turtle News No
Year of the Turtle News No. 10 October 2011 Basking in the Wonder of Turtles www.YearoftheTurtle.org The Orianne Society’s Commitment to Turtle Conservation by Christina M. Castellano, Director, Turtle Conservation Initiative, The Orianne Society The Orianne Society was established in 2008 for the conservation of the Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) in the southeastern United States. Since its inception, however, it has expanded its mission to the conservation of threatened reptiles and amphibians worldwide. Most recently, the Society created the Turtle Conservation Initiative (TCI) in response to the extinction crisis that is threatening the survival of more than half of the world’s turtle species. The vision of the TCI is healthy and sustainable populations of turtles in the wild, living alongside human societies that value them. The TCI will include a diversity of programs that promote science-driven conservation action for turtles by focusing on six key action areas: applied science, community-based conservation, human-wildlife conflict, Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) of environmental education, professional development, and public Madagascar, a focus of the Orianne Society’s Turtle Conservation Initiative. Photo by Christina awareness. Orianne Society continues on p. 4 Castellano. Turtle Conservancy / John L. Behler Chelonian by A. Ross Kiester1, Eric V. Goode, Center: Who We Are and What We Do and Maximilian S. Maurer Madagascar in the late 1960s by Robert Baudy. Many of these wild- caught animals are now likely over 100 years old and represent the founding Turtle Conservancy continues on p. 6 Inside: page Year of the Turtle Partners 2 The Turtle Conservancy is an It is a new organization that builds Ask the Experts 3 international organization dedicated on the conservation efforts of many Turtles in the News 5 to the conservation and enhancement people, most notably John Behler. -
A Molecular Phylogeny of Tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) Based on Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genes
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40 (2006) 517–531 www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev A molecular phylogeny of tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes Minh Le a,b,¤, Christopher J. Raxworthy a, William P. McCord c, Lisa Mertz a a Department of Herpetology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA b Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology (E3B), Columbia University, 2960 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA c East Fishkill Animal Hospital, 455 Route 82, Hopewell Junction, New York 12533, USA Received 9 October 2005; revised 1 March 2006; accepted 2 March 2006 Available online 5 May 2006 Abstract Although tortoises of the family Testudinidae represent a familiar and widely distributed group of turtles, their phylogenetic relation- ships have remained contentious. In this study, we included 32 testudinid species (all genera and subgenera, and all species of Geochelone, representing 65% of the total familial species diversity), and both mitochondrial (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and cytb) and nuclear (Cmos and Rag2) DNA data with a total of 3387 aligned characters. Using diverse phylogenetic methods (Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian Analysis) congruent support is found for a well-resolved phylogeny. The most basal testudinid lineage includes a novel sister relationship between Asian Manouria and North American Gopherus. In addition, this phylogeny supports two other major testudinid clades: Indotestudo + Malacochersus + Testudo; and a diverse clade including Pyxis, Aldabrachelys, Homopus, Chersina, Psam- mobates, Kinixys, and Geochelone. However, we Wnd Geochelone rampantly polyphyletic, with species distributed in at least four indepen- dent clades. -
Cop13 Prop. 15
CoP13 Prop. 15 CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS FOR AMENDMENT OF APPENDICES I AND II A. Proposal Transfer of Pyxis arachnoides from Appendix II to Appendix I, in accordance with Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP12), Annex 1, paragraphs B. i), iii) and iv), and C. i). B. Proponent Madagascar. C. Supporting statement The Madagascar spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) is endemic to south-western Madagascar. Its populations have recently been heavily damaged from excessive harvesting. As a result, a workshop on the Conservation Assessment Management Plan (CAMP) organized by IUCN in May 2001 recommended including the spider tortoise in CITES Appendix I and changing the listing of the species from Endangered to Critically Endangered (IUCN/CBSG, 2002). During its meeting of 24 February 2004, the CITES Scientific Authority for Madagascar suggested that the government submit a proposal for transfer of Pyxis arachnoides from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I (Durbin, 2004). According to the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (Behler, 2000c), the Malagasy tortoises are subjected to pressure as never before because of serious degradation of the habitat and harvesting for the international pet trade. Several authors go so far as to compare the situation of the Malagasy chelonians with that of the Asian freshwater turtles (Barzyk, undated). The harvest of Pyxis arachnoides for export has considerably increased since 1998 and has raised concern among scientists and the importing countries that fear overexploitation and extinction of an indigenous species at the local level (ICUN/CBSG, 2002; USFWS, 2001). Renown herpetologists, namely the members of the IUCN Reptiles and Amphibians Specialist Group and the Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles Specialist Group in Madagascar, have requested the transfer of Pyxis arachnoides to CITES Appendix I in order to save it from extinction (Hudson, 2000; Behler, 2000a). -
TSA Magazine 2013
A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE Turtle Survival 2013 RICK HUDSON FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK Strengthening the Culture of Turtle Conservation: TSA’s Expanding Global Network cues from the IUCN Red List process, as well as a prioritized list of turtle diversity hotspot countries, we are always looking for opportuni- ties where we can be both effective and strategic, partnering with other organizations when possible. Given that we often find ourselves in an emergency intervention mode, struggling to save species that have reached critically low numbers, many of our programs involve a captive compo- nent such as headstarting or assurance colonies. The sad reality is that we are seeing a growing number of species that, at least for the foresee- able future, have little chance for survival in the wild. As much as we strive to save species in their native country, some species continue to decline. Market driven collecting pressures are simply too intense for them to persist. For this group of species, and in striving to maintain our commit- ment to zero turtle extinctions, we launched the Turtle Survival Center (TSC) in 2012. The TSC is rapidly developing into a cen- terpiece of our network of global assurance colonies and we have finally consolidated much of our collection at the South Carolina facility. Three full time staff are now living on site and construction and renovation work has been mov- ing at a steady pace all summer. New Phase One facilities include a tortoise barn, a quarantine PHOTO CREDIT: SHEENA KOETH facility, a complex for forest and shade-dwelling Recently Dwight Lawson (TSA Vice President) and has vastly improved the capability to humanely species and several greenhouses.