Turtles of the World, 7Th Edition: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution with Maps, and Conservation Status

Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A CompilationTurtles Project of of thethe IUCN/SSCWorld Checklist Tortoise and – 7th Freshwater Edition Turtle – 2014 Specialist Group 329 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.5.000.checklist.v7.2014 © 2014 by Chelonian Research Foundation • Published 16 June 2014 Turtles of the World, 7th Edition: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution with Maps, and Conservation Status TURTLE TAXONOMY WORKING GROUP* *Authorship of this article is by this working group of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, which for the purposes of this document consisted of the following contributors: PETER PAUL VAN DIJK1, JOHN B. IVERSON2, ANDERS G.J. RHODIN3, H. BRADLEY SHAFFER4, AND ROGER BOUR5 1Co-Chair, IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, Virginia 22202 USA [[email protected]]; 2Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA [[email protected]]; 3Chairman Emeritus, IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Chelonian Research Foundation, 168 Goodrich St., Lunenburg, Massachusetts 01462 USA [[email protected]] 4Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095 USA [[email protected]]; 5Laboratoire des Reptiles et Amphibiens, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France [[email protected]]; ABSTRACT. – This is our 7th edition of an annotated checklist of all recognized and named taxa of the world’s modern chelonian fauna, documenting recent changes and controversies in nomenclature through 2013, and including all primary synonyms, updated from our previous six checklists (Turtle Taxonomy Working Group 2007b, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012; Rhodin et al. 2008). We provide an updated comprehensive listing of taxonomy, names, distribution (now with maps), and conservation status of all turtles and tortoises of the world. We strive to record the most recent justified taxonomic assignment of taxa in a hierarchical framework, providing annotations, including alter- native possible arrangements, for some proposed changes. We provide common English names and detailed distributional data for all taxa, listing occurrence by countries and many smaller political or geographic subunits (states or regions), including indications of native, extirpated, and introduced (modern or prehistoric) populations. We include current published and draft IUCN Red List status assessments for all turtles, as well as CITES listings. The diversity of turtles and tortoises in the world that has existed in modern times (since 1500 AD) and currently generally recognized as distinct and included in this checklist, now consists of 335 species. Of these, 56 are polytypic, representing 118 additional recognized subspecies, or 453 total taxa of modern turtles and tortoises. Of these, 8 species and 3 subspecies, or 11 taxa (2.4%), have gone extinct. As of the current IUCN 2013 Red List, 135 turtle species (58.7% of 230 species listed, 40.3% of all 335 recognized modern species) are officially regarded as globally Threatened (Critically Endangered [CR], Endangered [EN], or Vulnerable [VU]). We record additional draft Red List assessments by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) of previously “unevaluated” species, and updated draft re-assessments of previously listed species, allowing us to evaluate the overall current threat levels for all turtles and tortoises. Of the 335 total species of turtles and tortoises, 107 (31.9%) are CR or EN, 167 (49.9%) are Threatened (CR, EN, or VU), and 175 (52.2%) are Threatened or Ex- tinct. If we provisionally adjust for predicted threat rates of Data Deficient species, then ca. 58% of all turtles are Threatened. If we include recently Extinct species, and also adjust for Data Deficient species, then ca. 60% of all modern turtles and tortoises are either already Extinct or Threatened. These numbers and percentages of threatened species have increased substantially since our last checklist. Turtles are among the most endangered of the major groups of vertebrates, surpassing birds, mammals, cartilaginous or bony fishes, and amphibians. KEY WORDS. – Reptilia, Testudines, turtle, tortoise, chelonian, taxonomy, nomenclature, genera, species, subspecies, primary synonyms, suprageneric hierarchy, systematics, common names, distribution, introduced species, conservation status, IUCN Red List, CITES, threatened species, extinction The diversity of all turtles and tortoises (chelonians) of approximately 335 species, of which 56 are polytypic, in the world that has existed in modern times (since 1500 with 118 additional recognized subspecies, or 453 total AD), and currently generally recognized as distinct by taxa of modern chelonians. Of these, 8 species plus 3 specialists in turtle taxonomy and systematics, consists subspecies, or 11 total taxa, of tortoises and freshwater 330 Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises • Chelonian Research Monographs, No. 5 turtles have become extinct since 1500 AD (see Table 1), as subsequent usage names, plus individual distribution leaving us currently with 327 species and 115 additional maps for all 335 species and a few subspecies, it is be- subspecies, or 442 total taxa of living turtles and tortois- ing issued slightly late, a year and a half after the pre- es. Of all living turtle taxa, 7 species are marine turtles, ceding issue. leaving 320 species and 435 total taxa of modern living This list includes all primary and synonymized de- freshwater and terrestrial turtles and tortoises. scription names, as well as all nomina nova and nuda In this checklist we present a full taxonomic listing names of which we are aware. We have added nomen of all recognized taxa, including synonymized names, nudum names in this year’s checklist for the first time. and provide annotations concerning recently described We continue to exclude most obvious ex errore names, new taxa, nomenclatural and taxonomic updates, and sig- especially the profusion of recent egregious misspellings nificant taxon-related controversies or developments. in modern literature (especially in the popular literature The 453 modern turtle and tortoise taxa we recognize and other non-systematic biological sciences). In addi- here are based on a synonymy of 1397 separate named tion, we do not list variations in spelling of the two pat- turtle and tortoise species and subspecies, including all ronymic endings (-ii vs. -i), choosing always to use the primary description names, secondary nomen novum re- original orthography. placement names, undescribed nomen nudum names, and Our listing of nomen novum names takes a broadly en- other nomenclaturally unavailable names. compassing approach and lists both justified and unjusti- We also recognize 1 order, 2 suborders, 4 superfami- fied subsequent emendations, including substantial name lies, 14 families, 13 subfamilies, 94 genera (plus 5 poten- changes caused by early writers’ occasional tendencies tially separate genera), and 3 subgenera of modern tur- to create new or “better” names that they felt were more tles, for a potential total of 136 supraspecific groupings. appropriate or more correct. Many early names were also These groups are based on 449 valid and synonymized unjustifiably emended in order to try to comply with per- names, for a total listing here of 1846 taxonomic names ceived rules about word constructions and the use of non- applied to all modern turtle taxa and groups. Greek vs. Greek letters, (e.g., c vs. k, as in Cinosternon As there is always some disagreement among experts vs. Kinosternon, Cinixys vs. Kinixys). Occasionally, early as to which taxa are distinct and valid, and at what system- authors did not appear to remember what the previously atic level or rank (species or subspecies), these numbers used names were, and simply came up with new spelling are variable depending on the authorities presenting their variations, with these new names sometimes becoming data or interpretations. For prior discussions and listings established in the literature for a while. This was espe- of all recognized modern turtle taxa, with extensive an- cially true for the many names and spelling emendations notations regarding areas of recent taxonomic change, in- created and recorded by John Edward Gray between 1825 stability, or controversy, see the previous publications by and 1874. Prior to the establishment of the International the Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG 2007a,b, Commission on Zoological Nomenclature in 1895, and 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), Rhodin et al. (2008), and the the publication of the first edition of the Code of Zoo- turtle checklist produced for CITES by Fritz and Havaš logical Nomenclature in 1905, these kinds of new names (2007). The latter is also an excellent source for full syn- and changes were fairly common and we do not consider onymies, including nomina nuda, ex errore names, and them to be simple ex errore typographical errors, and type localities. therefore, we have instead recorded many of them as nomina nova. METHODOLOGY As of this year’s edition, we have also added listings of subsequent new combination names to reflect how taxa The Turtle

Load more