Mauremys mutica

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

It is the 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 Turtle 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.

One subspecies is currently recognized:

recent genetic studies (Fong et al. 2007) have shown that further subspecies might exit, especially in Vietnam and on Hainan.

[1]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Parham et al. (2001), Buskirk et al. (2005)

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

These turtles are being threatened by too much hunting and eating of them by people buying them for food in Asian markets. Look under link for more info on the turtle.

[edit] References

  • Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). Mauremys mutica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. 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
  • 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. HTML abstract Erratum: Animal Conservation 5(1): 86 HTML abstract
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