Burmese short-headed softshell turtle
| Burmese short-headed softshell turtle | ||||||||||||
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| Chitra vandijki | ||||||||||||
| McCord & Pritchard , 2003 |
The Burmese short-headed softshell turtle ( Chitra vandijki ) is an endangered species of tortoise belonging to the genus of the short-headed softshell turtle ( Chitra ) in the family of the softshell turtles (Trionychidae). It occurs in Myanmar .
Discovery and Etymology
The four subadult type specimens were purchased in 1997 at a wildlife market in Ruili in the Chinese province of Yunnan . They have carapace lengths of 41.2 cm, 22.0 cm, 23.0 cm and 36.8 cm each. In 2001, the herpetologist Steven G. Platt managed to photograph a living specimen in Myanmar, but not in the wilderness, but on the premises of a turtle dealer north of Mandalay on the Irrawaddy . In 2003 and 2004, both dead and live specimens were discovered on the Chindwin River in Myanmar. In 2002, Kittipong Jaruthanin published the name Chitra burmanica , but it is considered a noun nudum . The official first description was in 2003 by William P. McCord and Peter CH Pritchard . The species epithet honors the Dutch herpetologist Peter Paul van Dijk , who did a great job of researching and protecting softshell turtles in Southeast Asia .
features
Since only a few specimens have been scientifically collected so far, it is difficult to make adequate statements about maximum sizes and weights. Based on comparisons with related species, the maximum total length of adult individuals is estimated to be over 100 cm and the maximum weight to be over 100 kg. The overall coloration of the Burmese short-headed softshell turtle is chocolate brown. The carapace pattern is moderately pronounced. The dark leather-like armor is characterized by chocolate-brown and yellow-ocher-colored markings and has no pronounced stripes in the center line. The dark stripes over the rib bones are clearly asymmetrical in most individuals. The leathery edge area of the back armor is covered with light spots, which are interspersed with less pronounced darker spots. The top of the head has two lines, and two more that extend back from the eye sockets and run down, forming a right angle in the eardrum area. A single light line connects to the front of the eye sockets, but there is no arrangement of light lines that define the contours of the snout, as in the other species of short-headed softshell turtle. An ontogenetic change in the back pigmentation is likely, but remains undescribed due to the small number of large specimens collected. The plastron is white to pinkish white and the tail is short and blunt. The short proboscis gives the head an elongated, blunt appearance, and the head and neck are characterized by seven different black-edged longitudinal stripes, often asymmetrical and with a V-shaped mark that starts at the muzzle, extends across the shell and does not has the usual bell-shaped appearance of the other species. One or two pairs of different ocelli are behind or between the eyes. The iris is bright golden yellow and the chin is speckled with black. The forelegs of the Burmese short-headed softshell turtle have three to four horny transverse lamellae and round rudimentary toes that serve to unfold the webbed feet. The sexual dimorphism in the Burmese short-headed softshell turtle has not been described. However, the females of the Indian short-headed softshell turtle ( Chitra chitra ) are larger than the males. Male front Indian short-headed softshell turtles ( Chitra indica ) have relatively longer and thicker tails than the females. The same is likely true of the Burmese short-headed softshell turtle. The young animals have not yet been described.
distribution
Confirmed records are known only of the Irrawaddy and the Chindwin River and its tributaries. The terra typica is the village of Khayansat Kone (23 ° 16.30'N; 95 ° 58.99'E), along the Irrawaddy, upstream from Mandalay. In 1994 Peter Paul van Dijk found skeletal material on the Mon, Man and Myitnge rivers (all tributaries of the Irrawaddy). In 2004, Steven and Kalyar Platt discovered two adult specimens in a pond at the Kyaik Paw Law Pagoda in Kyaikto , a town at the mouth of the Sittaung . Since turtles and fish released in pagoda ponds are sourced locally and rarely transported over long distances, there is a possibility that the Burmese short-headed softshell turtle can also be found in the Sittaung river system. Another specimen was observed in Saluen on the border with Thailand .
Habitat and way of life
The Burmese short-headed softshell turtle inhabits medium to large lowland rivers with suitable sandbanks for nesting. This species is almost entirely aquatic and, like the Indian short-headed softshell turtle, is likely able to breath pharyngeally , allowing for longer diving. Animals living in captivity remain underwater and buried under the substrate. Adult individuals are considered to be aggressive and able to cause severe bite wounds; otherwise little is known about the behavior. The way of life of the Burmese short-headed softshell turtle in the wild is practically unexplored.
status
The Burmese short-headed softshell turtle is not yet on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species . Although quantitative stock data is not available, market studies and discussions with fishermen suggest that the species is rare or very rare everywhere. Fishermen on the remote upper reaches of the Chindwin reported that the number of river turtles had declined over a period of 20 to 30 years, attributing this mainly to the increasing human presence and increased hunting pressure; the illegal trade in turtles from Myanmar to China did not develop until around 2000 after the turtle populations around Mandalay (a trading center) were decimated. Sandbanks, which are used to lay eggs, are increasingly affected by dam construction. Eggs are very popular and the clutches are easy to find. The Burmese short-headed softshell turtle is protected by Myanmar's fisheries and forestry laws and is listed in Appendix I of the Washington Convention . There is a breeding center in Mandalay.
literature
- William P. McCord & Peter CH Pritchard: A review of the softshell turtles of the genus Chitra, with the description of new taxa from Myanmar and Indonesia (Java) , Hamadryad 27, 2002, pp. 11-56.
- Gerald Kuchling, Win Ko Ko, Sein Aung Min, Tint Lwin, Khin Myo Myo, Thin Thin Khaing (I), Thin Thin Khaing (II), Win Win Mar, Ni Ni Win: The softshell turtles and their exploitation at the upper Chindwin River, Myanmar: range extensions for Amyda cartilaginea, Chitra vandijki, and Nilssonia formosa In: Salamandra No. 40 (3/4), German Society for Herpetology and Terrarium Studies eV, Rheinbach, December 31, 2004, pp. 281–296.
- Franck Bonin, Bernard Devaux, Alain Dupré: Turtles of the World (translated from French by Peter Pritchard ), Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore, 2006, pp. 138-139
- Proposal (B) Transfer of the following species from Appendix II to Appendix I: Chitra chitra and Chitra vandijki Ref. CoP16 Prop.38
- Steven G. Platt, Kalyar Platt , Win Ko Ko, Thomas R. Rainwater: Chitra vandijki McCord and Pritchard 2003 - Burmese Narrow-Headed Softshell Turtle In: Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN / SSC, Edition : Chelonian Research Monographs 5: 074, 2014, pp. 1-7
- Anders GJ Rhodin, John B. Iverson, Roger Bour , Uwe Fritz , Arthur Georges, H. Bradley Shaffer, Peter Paul van Dijk: Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status , 8. Edition, 2017, p. 169