Chinese Pond Turtle
Encyclopedia
The Chinese pond turtle(Mauremys reevesii), Reeves' turtle or Chinese three-keeled pond turtle is a species
of turtle
in the family
Geoemydidae
(formerly called Bataguridae). It is found in China
, Japan
, Korea
and Taiwan
. This specific turtle is semi-aquatic so it loves to bask in the sun on rocks or logs and can often be found leaving water to do so. They can usually be found in marshes, relatively shallow ponds, streams and canals with muddy or sandy bottoms.
The Chinese pond turtle is threatened by overhunting (its plastron is used in traditional Chinese medicine
) and habitat destruction
in the wild. The IUCN considers C. reevesii an endangered species
. This species, fortunately, breeds well in captivity, and is at risk the most in China. In many other places, however, the Chinese pond turtle is at little to no risk at all.
was based on a hybrid of unknown origin between a male of the present species and a female yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica). Furthermore, it has hybridized with the Chinese stripe-necked turtle
(Ocadia sinensis), female Malayan box turtles (Cuora amboinensis), a male Four-eyed turtle
(Sacalia quadriocellata), and the Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica) in captivity.
Any individuals that are available as pets therefore need to be kept separate from other members of the family.
The statistical data from different provinces were in different formats, however: two provinces reported 20,650 turtles living on 26 farms, with 5,000 animals reproduced annually; the other two provinces reported the total weight of their turtles, namely some 260 tons of these animals on 522 farms. Over the 5-year period, 1990–1995, thirteen traditional Chinese medicine factories consumed 430 tons of C. reevesii plastrons.
Based on a more recent (2002) survey of 684 Chinese turtle farms (less than half of all 1,499 turtle farms that were registered at the time), researchers found that 2.8 million of turtles of this species (reported there as Chinemys reevesii) lived on these farms, with some 566,000 specimens
sold by farmers every year. The total weight of the annual product was 320 tons, with the estimated value of over 6 million US dollars. (Which makes the market value of a Chinese Pond Turtle equal to around $12 - about twice as much that of the most common farmed species, Pelodiscus sinensis.) Taking into account the registered farms that did not respond to the survey, as well as the unregistered producers, the total amounts must be considerably higher.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Geoemydidae
Geoemydidae
Geoemydidae is the largest and most diverse family in the order Testudines with about 70 species. It includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles.-Characteristics:...
(formerly called Bataguridae). It is found in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. This specific turtle is semi-aquatic so it loves to bask in the sun on rocks or logs and can often be found leaving water to do so. They can usually be found in marshes, relatively shallow ponds, streams and canals with muddy or sandy bottoms.
The Chinese pond turtle is threatened by overhunting (its plastron is used in traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
) and habitat destruction
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
in the wild. The IUCN considers C. reevesii an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. This species, fortunately, breeds well in captivity, and is at risk the most in China. In many other places, however, the Chinese pond turtle is at little to no risk at all.
Hybridization
This species is notorious for its ability to produce hybrids with other Geoemydidae, even species that are only distantly related. The supposed new species "Mauremys" pritchardiMauremys pritchardi
Mauremys pritchardi is an intergeneric hybrid turtle in the Geoemydidae family. It was described to be from Myanmar and has been found in the wild in China and Japan and is produced to some extent in Chinese turtle farms...
was based on a hybrid of unknown origin between a male of the present species and a female yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica). Furthermore, it has hybridized with the Chinese stripe-necked turtle
Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle
The Chinese stripe-necked turtle is a species of turtle in the Geoemydidae family. It is found in China , Taiwan, and northern & central Vietnam....
(Ocadia sinensis), female Malayan box turtles (Cuora amboinensis), a male Four-eyed turtle
Four-eyed Turtle
The Four-eyed turtle is a reptile of the order Testudines. Its name referns to two bright yellow or green spots that occur on the back of its head that can look like another pair of eyes...
(Sacalia quadriocellata), and the Japanese pond turtle (Mauremys japonica) in captivity.
Any individuals that are available as pets therefore need to be kept separate from other members of the family.
Farming
M. reevesii is one of the species raised on China's turtle farms. According to a 1998 survey, 548 farms raised this turtle species in four provinces in China.The statistical data from different provinces were in different formats, however: two provinces reported 20,650 turtles living on 26 farms, with 5,000 animals reproduced annually; the other two provinces reported the total weight of their turtles, namely some 260 tons of these animals on 522 farms. Over the 5-year period, 1990–1995, thirteen traditional Chinese medicine factories consumed 430 tons of C. reevesii plastrons.
Based on a more recent (2002) survey of 684 Chinese turtle farms (less than half of all 1,499 turtle farms that were registered at the time), researchers found that 2.8 million of turtles of this species (reported there as Chinemys reevesii) lived on these farms, with some 566,000 specimens
sold by farmers every year. The total weight of the annual product was 320 tons, with the estimated value of over 6 million US dollars. (Which makes the market value of a Chinese Pond Turtle equal to around $12 - about twice as much that of the most common farmed species, Pelodiscus sinensis.) Taking into account the registered farms that did not respond to the survey, as well as the unregistered producers, the total amounts must be considerably higher.
External links
- http://chinesische-dreikiel.npage.de/
- http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/turtles.php?menuentry=soorten&id=250
- http://www.arkive.org/chinese-pond-turtle/chinemys-reevesii/