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The Latest Record of the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea

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The Latest Record of the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea 16 Coll. and Res. (2003) 16: 13-16 Coll. and Res. (2003) 16: 17-26 17 claw ending as knob; empodium divided, 5 rayed. without a short line on each side, admedian lines The Latest Record of the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys with a semicircular line extending to lateral sides, Opisthosoma : dorsum with median ridge shorter and the 5-rayed empodium. coriacea) from Eastern Taiwan than submedian ridges, dorsally with about 51 rings, ventrally with about 53 microtuberculate Chun-Hsiang Chang1,2*, Chern-Mei Jang3, and Yen-Nien Cheng2 REFERENCES rings; 1st 3 dorsal annuli 9 long; lateral setae (c2) 10 long, Lt-Lt 44 apart, Lt\Vt1 38, Lt-Vt1 25; 1st 1Department of Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK Keifer, H.H. 1977. Eriophyid studies C-13. ARS- ventral setae (d) 17 long, Vt1-Vt1 19 apart, 2Department of Geology, National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan 404 R.O.C. USDA, Washington, DC. 24pp. Vt1\Vt2 28, Vt1-Vt2 25; 2nd ventral setae (e) 17 3 Keifer, H.H. 1978. Eriophyid studies C-15. ARS- Department of Collection Management, National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung Taiwan 404 long, Vt2-Vt2 10 apart, Vt2\Vt3 40, Vt2-Vt3 38; USDA, Washington, DC. 24pp. R.O.C. 3rd ventral setae (f) 14 long, Vt3-Vt3 16 apart; Huang, K.W. 1999. The species and geographic accessory setae (h1) present. variation of eriophyoid mites on Yushania Coverflap: 19 wide, 12 long, with about 9 niitakayamensis of Taiwan. Proc. Symp. In (Received June 30, 2003; Accepted September 16, 2003) longitudinal ridges, genital setae (3a) 6 long, Gt- Insect Systematics and Evolution. Dept. Abstract. Dermochelys coriacea Gt 11 apart. Entomology, National Taiwan Univ. and A latest record is described herein of a female leatherback sea turtle, , stranded on the northeast coast of Ilan County, Taiwan, on May 17, 2001. The leatherback sea turtle is Taiwan Museum. pp. 199-208. (in Chinese Male: Body 152 long, shield 32 long, 50 wide, the largest species in the world among living sea turtles. However, they rarely appear in the waters with English summary) scapular setae (sc) 3 long; genitalia 13 wide, 4 around Taiwan. Although the reasons that caused her to be stranded and die still require further Huang, K.W. 2001a. Eriophyoid mites of Taiwan: long, setae 6 long, Gt-Gt 13 apart. investigation, scientists have inferred that it was most likely due to feeding behavior. This giant description of twenty-five species from leatherback sea turtle was a sexually mature female with hundreds of eggs in her abdominal cavity, and Type data: Holotype, , Nantou Co.: Renai; 6 Walapi. Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci. 13: 65-93. Oct. 1994, C.F. Wang; ex Smilax bracteata Presl those eggs were nearly ready to be laid. Herein we present a report with a detailed characteristic Huang, K.W. 2001b. Eriophyoid mites of Taiwan: description and morphological measurements from this precious gift from the sea. subsp. verruclulos (Merr.) T. Koyama (Smil- description of eighty-six species from acaceae) (deposited at NMNS). Paratypes, 2 , 2 Tengchih Area. Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci. 14: , ex Schima superba Gard. et Champ. var. 1-84. Key words: Dermochelys coriacea, Leatherback sea turtle, Taiwan. superba (Theaceae). Lindquist, E.E. 1996. External anatomy and Relation to host: A vagrant on the lower leaf notation of structures. In Lindquist, E.E., M. surface. No apparent damage was observed. W. Sabelis, and J. Bruin (eds.). World crop INTRODUCTION Cretaceous or Jurassic Period (about 100-150 ma). pests. Vol. 6, Eriophyid mites their biology, Compared to the Cheloniidae which is assumed to Note: This new species is close to A. osmophloea natural enemies and control. Elsevier Science; The leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys have evolved from a common ancestor during the Huang, 2001a but differs in the shield design Amsterdam. pp. 3-31. coriacea, is the largest species among all living Middle Tertiary (about 30-35 ma), the leatherback marine turtles. It can grow up to 180 cm in sea turtle is considered to be primitive or ancestral, carapace length (Kordikova, 2002). Leatherback but appears to be highly specialized from other sea turtles are the most widely distributed animals closely related true turtles (Zangerl, 1980). of all marine reptiles, and they are found However, the evolutionary history of the genus throughout tropical and temperate oceans of the Dermochelys is poorly understood because of a world (Pritchard, 1980). Also, they are known to lack of fossil material (Wood et al., 1996). inhabit warmer seas, especially tropical seas, and Recent research of the leatherback sea turtle 1 2 females usually come ashore to nest every 2 to 3 has focused on the study of their global years in warm sands of tropical beaches distribution, migration, reproduction, and behavior 1 (Pritchard, 1982). (Eckert, 1990; Keinath and Musick, 1993; Renous 2 The leatherback sea turtle is the only living and Bels, 1993; Dutton et al., 1999). These species of the Dermochelydae. The other six subjects are closely linked to the most pressing 3 4 3 1 extant species of marine turtles belong to the issue of turtle conservation. Being one of the most family Cheloniidae. Dermochelyids have a globally endangered species, every possible record Schizacea chinenseae sp. nov. Polygonum chinense Acaphyllisa shinkoensa generally neotenic shell (Kordikova, 2002), and of the leatherback sea turtle is crucial to sp. nov. Rubus shinkoensis Acaphyllisa bracteatae sp. nov. they are characterized by a reduction of shell understand their life history and further protecting Smilax bracteata var. verruculosa Schima superba var. superba Pentaconvexus scutes and the presence of a mosaic epithecal layer these giant marine turtles from extinction. taiwanensis Huang, 2001 Pasania hancei, Pasania of small, polygonal, mosaic bones, directly A sexually mature female leatherback sea turtle was found stranded on the coast of Aozaijiao harlandii Castanopsis kawakamii overlain by the epidermis. As to the evolutionary lineage of the Dermochelydae, it is thought to ( ), Suao Township ( ), Ilan County have diverged from other turtles during the ( ) (approximately 24 36 47.8 N, 121 51 39.5 E), northeastern Taiwan. After the turtle was *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] carefully dismembered, the specimen was 18 Coll. and Res. (2003) 16: 17-27 Chang et al. : Leatherback Sea Turtle from Eastern Taiwan 19 numbered NMNS003619-003772 and preserved in organs and prepare its skull and skeleton for species. The leatherback sea turtle is the only the National Museum of Natural Science, further investigation and sampling. Finally, the species of the dermochelyid family. The exterior Taichung, Taiwan. In this paper, we are reporting authors carefully studied the morphologic of the leatherback sea turtle is black with white the first confirmed record of the leatherback sea characters of the turtle and described its speckling. Five dorsal ridges run along the length turtle in Taiwan with detailed character analyses anatomical significance. These measurements of the carapace; two ridges form the margins of and morphological measurements. were taken with calipers (straight-line the carapace. Few ridges appear in the ventral measurements) or with a flexible tape measure side, and some notches occur on each side of the MATERIALS AND METHODS (curved measurements). The methodology of upper jaw. The limbs of the leatherback sea turtle measurement referred to Bolten (1999). lack claws, and there are no scales on the head. A nearly dead large sea turtle was found on the The external body of the leatherback sea turtle northeastern coast of Taiwan at Aozaijiao ( reaches about 2 m in length and 0.8 m in width. It ), Suao Township ( ), Ilan County ( weighs approximately 300 kg. The detailed ) (approximately 24 36 47.8 N, 121 51 39.5 external morphological measurements are given in E) (Figs. 1, 2) on May 17, 2001. Several beach- Table 1. This leatherback sea turtle was goers and navy seamen tried to push the turtle Fig. 3. Five dorsal ridges running the length of the recognized as a female by the lengths of the TTL back into the ocean to save it, but the turtle was carapace of the leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys and PTL. The TTL was 280 mm, and the PTL was too heavy for them to handle. Unfortunately, the coriacea. The numbers, 1-5, indicate the position of each 130 mm. The PTL comprises nearly half the TTL. turtle died a few hours later. With assistance of the respective ridge. Compared to other male sea turtles, the PTL staff of the Bureau of Agriculture, Ilan County comprises only a very small part of the TTL. The government, the body of the turtle was promptly entire mounted skeleton of the leatherback sea transported to a commercial freezer storage plant turtle is shown in Fig. 5. for preservation in Ilan City. The following day, The most remarkable feature of the news regarding the discovery of this turtle was leatherback is its so-called soft shell . All other communicated by the Bureau of Agriculture, Ilan sea turtles have bony hard plates for their County government to research institutes and carapace. The leatherback’s carapace is slightly museums in Taiwan. The authors then quickly set flexible and has a rubbery texture. The carapace out to investigate the situation. Thanks to the consists of numerous small, polygonal, and mosaic generous donation of the Ilan County government, bones, which are called dermal ossicles and which the specimen of the leatherback sea turtle was are buried into the epithelial layer of skin (as delivered to the National Museum of Natural shown in Fig. 6). Science, Taiwan (NMNS). The leatherback sea The dissection work was initiated by making a turtle was numbered NMNS003619-003772 as a cut through the skin of the neck, then extending permanent collection record of the NMNS.
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