Yellow pond turtle

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Yellow pond turtle
Specimen of Mauremys mutica kami. It is exhibited in the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Geoemydidae
Genus: Mauremys
Species:
M. mutica
Binomial name
Mauremys mutica
(Cantor, 1842)
Synonyms[1]
Mauremys mutica mutica
  • Emys muticus Cantor, 1842
  • Emys mutica Gray, 1844
  • Clemmys mutica Boettger, 1888
  • Damonia mutica Boulenger, 1889
  • Clemmys schmackeri Boettger, 1894
  • Geoclemys mutica Siebenrock, 1909
  • Cathaiemys mutica Lindholm, 1931
  • Annamemys grochovskiae Tien, 1957
  • Annamemys groeliovskiae Battersby, 1960 (ex errore)
  • Mauremys mutica McDowell, 1964
  • Mauremys muica Zhou & Zhou, 1991 (ex errore)
  • Mauremys grochovskiae Iverson & McCord, 1994
  • Mauremys mutica mutica Yasukawa, Ota & Iverson, 1996
  • Cathaiemys mutica mutica Vetter, 2006
Mauremys mutica kami
  • Mauremys mutica kami Yasukawa, Ota & Iverson, 1996
  • Mauremys mutica karni Ferri, 2002 (ex errore)
  • Cathaiemys mutica kami Vetter, 2006

The Yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica) is a medium-sized turtle which can grow up to 19.5 cm long. It belongs to the family Geoemydidae. It is a semi-aquatic species. This species of turtle has a wide yellow stripe starting from behind the eye and down the neck.[2]

Distribution[change | change source]

The yellow pond turtle is found in East Asia. The places it can be found includes central Vietnam, coastal provinces of south and central China. There are some other populations of the turtle that are separate from the rest of the species. These can be found in Taiwan, Hainan, Ryukyu Islands, and Japan.[3] The Japanese populations are thought to come from Taiwan.[4]

This species lives in ponds, creeks, swamps and marshes. It can be found in shallow, slow moving water. It is omnivorous. The main food for the turtle are insects, fish, tadpoles, leaves and seeds. The yellow pond turtle generally remains in or close to water during the day. It is usually more active at night. It usually goes onto land when it rains.[4]

Subspecies and Hybrids[change | change source]

Mauremys mutica kami is one of the subspecies. It is currently found in the Ryukyu Islands.[4] There are several hybrid Asian pond turtles species. They were first described as new species but later found out as hybrid species. Fujian pond turtles (Mauremys iversoni) are hybrid species mainly produced in Chinese turtle farms. They are produced when female yellow pond turtles and male golden coin turtles (Cuora trifasciata) mates.[5][6]

Clemmys guangxiensis is a hybrid species that came from the mating of Mauremys mutica and the Fujian pond turtle.[6]

Conservation[change | change source]

The yellow pond turtle is threatened with extinction. The population in China eats the most amount of turtles in the world. This trading of turtles is the greatest threat to Asian turtles including M. mutica. The turtles are also used in traditional Chinese medicine. [7] There are also turtles kept as pets but are later killed or abandoned. [8][9][10] Water pollution can also cause some habitats of the turtle be to gone. The IUCN considers M. mutica an endangered species. It is listed in CITES Appendix II.[3]

A yellow pond turtle (subspecies:Mauremys mutica) kept as pet in a terrarium.

Notes[change | change source]

  1. Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 231–232. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  2. Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000).
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Yasukawa, Ota & Iverson (1996).
  5. Feldman & Parham (2004).
  6. 6.0 6.1 Parham et al. (2001).
  7. Rômulo, Washington & Gindomar (2008).
  8. Cheung & Dudgeon (2006).
  9. Gong et al. (2009).
  10. Shi & Parham (2000).

References[change | change source]

Other websites[change | change source]