Yellow pond turtle

Yellow pond turtle
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Geoemydidae
Subfamily:	Geoemydinae
Genus:	Mauremys
Species:	M. mutica
Binomial name
Mauremys mutica (Cantor, 1842)

The Yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica), is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae). It is found in China (Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan etc.), Japan (introduced widely, and naturally in the Ryukyu archipelago), Taiwan, and northern and central Vietnam and possibly adjacent Laos.

It is a parent of several hybrid Asian pond turtles that were described as new species. "Fujian pond turtles" ("Mauremys" iversoni) are hybrid specimens mainly produced in Chinese turtle farms but possibly occasionally occurring in the wild as well, usually from matings between female Asian Yellow Pond Turtles and Golden coin turtle (Cuora trifasciata) males. The supposed "Mauremys" pritchardi are wild and captive-bred hybrids between the present species and the Chinese pond turtle (Chinemys reevesi).^[1]

One subspecies is currently recognized:

• Mauremys mutica kami (Yasukawa et al. 1996)^{[verification needed]} – Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan.

Recent genetic studies^[2] have shown that further subspecies might exist, especially in Vietnam and on Hainan.

These turtles are being threatened by unsustainable hunting for food and as pets; they are regularly available in Asian markets. Also, they are killed for use in folk medicine.^[3] The IUCN considers M. mutica an endangered species.^[4]

Footnotes

1. ^ Parham et al. (2001), Buskirk et al. (2005)
2. ^ Fong et al. (2007)^{[citation needed]}
3. ^ da Nóbrega Alves et al. (2008)
4. ^ ATTWG (2000)

References

• Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (ATTWG) (2000). Mauremys mutica. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 29 July 2007.
• 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
• 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)
• 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

External links

• http://www.asianturtlenetwork.org/field_guide/field_guide_intro.htm