Yunnan hinged turtle

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Yunnan hinged turtle
Cuora yunnanensis.jpg

Yunnan hinged turtle ( Cuora yunnanensis )

Systematics
Order : Turtles (Testudinata)
Subordination : Halsberger tortoises (Cryptodira)
Family : Old World pond turtles (Geoemydidae)
Subfamily : Geoemydinae
Genre : Hinged turtles ( Cuora )
Type : Yunnan hinged turtle
Scientific name
Cuora yunnanensis
( Boulenger , 1906)

The Yunnan hinged turtle ( Cuora yunnanensis ) is an extremely rare species of tortoise belonging to the genus of the hinged turtle . It was considered extinct for almost 100 years until it was rediscovered in 2004.

features

The carapace reaches a length of 17.5 centimeters for the females and 15 centimeters for the males. It is slightly arched in males and broadest behind the middle, in females moderately arched and oval. It contains a distinct vertebral keel and two weak longitudinal keels. The vertebral shields of the adults are equally long and wide, but much narrower than the adjacent rib shields. The rear marginal shields are smooth in the adult animals and slightly grooved in the young animals. The color of the carapace varies from maroon to olive. In some specimens, the rim and keels may be yellow. The plastron is well developed, but the hinge is weak and the posterior lobe is not completely closed. The color of the breastplate is olive to brown with black seams and a yellowish border. A black band runs along the middle edge plates. A large red-brown spot can be seen on each plastron label. The upper jaw is not hook-shaped, but the muzzle is pointed and slightly protruding. A narrow, yellow stripe runs over the olive to brown head from the eyes to the neck. A second yellow stripe extends from the mouth wrap to the nape of the neck. The chin and throat are yellow to orange with olive marbling. The neck is olive to brown with two orange stripes on each side. The legs and tail are olive to brown with orange streaks. The males have longer, thicker tails. The rump is outside the carapace.

Occurrence

Twelve specimens were collected on the Yunnan Plateau in China by 1906. John B. Iverson gives the regions near Dongchuan and Kunming in Yunnan Province as the place of origin . The species has now been identified in the wild in Yunnan Province. Due to the protection of species, this place is kept top secret.

status

In 1996 the Yunnan hinged turtle was included in the “ data deficient ” category of the IUCN Red List . In 2000, the status was changed to "extinct" (extinct), since the Yunnan hinged turtle was last sighted in 1906, according to information from the IUCN. However, studies from 2005 and 2006 showed that the last reliable evidence was in 1940. In 2004 a live female was acquired at an animal market in Kunming , a year later a male was discovered in the same market and in 2006 another female was discovered. Members of the Asian Turtle Trade Working Group initially suspected that these animals could be intentionally created hybrids, but a DNA analysis in 2007 showed that the three animals actually represent the Yunnan hinged turtle, which was believed to be lost. The distribution of the Yunnan hinged turtle has long remained unclear. Its value makes it extremely sought-after. In the meantime around 50 specimens are in captivity, the majority in a university. The offspring succeeds occasionally. The species is threatened on the one hand by collection and especially by habitat destruction and poisoning (use of fertilizers and chemicals). In 2009, the IUCN changed the status from "extinct" ( extinct ) in "threatened with extinction" ( critically endangered ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John B. Iverson, A. Ross Kiester, Larry E. Hughes, A. Jon Kimerling, Kevin Sahr: Turtles of the World: Distribution of Asiatic turtles and tortoises . 1998. (online)
  2. ^ T. Blanck: Cuora yunnanensis (BOULENGER, 1906), the Yunnan Box Turtle, Rediscovered after One-hundred Years? CUORA special. In: Radiata. 14 (2), 2005, pp. 10-33.
  3. ^ T. Blanck, T. Zhou, WP McCord : The Yunnan box turtle, Cuora yunnanensis (BOULENGER 1906); historical background and an update on the morphology, distribution and vulnerabilities of the only known living specimens. In: Sacalia. 13 (4), 2006, pp. 14-35.
  4. ↑ J. He, T. Zhou, D.-Q. Rao, Y.-P. Zhang Molecular identification and phylogenetic position of Cuora yunnanensis. In: Chinese Science Bulletin. 52 (17), 2007, S, pp. 2085-2088.

literature

  • James F. Parham, Bryan L. Stuart, Roger Bour, Uwe Fritz: Evolutionary distinctiveness of the extinct Yunnan box turtle (Cuora yunnanensis) revealed by DNA from an old museum specimen. In: Proceedings of The Royal Society London. Biology Letters. (Supplement) 271, 2004, pp. S391-S394. doi: 10.1098 / rsbl.2004.0217 (PDF)
  • Manfred Rogner: Turtles. Volumes 1 & 2, heiro Verlag, Hürtgenwald 1996, ISBN 3-9804403-0-3 .
  • Roger W. Barbour, Carl H. Ernst: Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, 1992, ISBN 1-56098-212-8 .
  • CITES Proposal Cuora. PDF file

Web links