The Vietnamese pond turtle or Annam leaf turtle (''Mauremys annamensis'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Geoemydidae The Geoemydidae (formerly known as Bataguridae) are one of the largest and most diverse families in the order Testudines (turtles), with about 70 species. The family includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles. Mem ...

. It can be distinguished from its relatives by its color pattern: the head is dark with three or four yellow stripes down the side. The plastron (belly shield) is firmly attached, yellow or orange, with a black blotch on each

scute A scute or scutum (Latin: ''scutum''; plural: ''scuta'' "shield") is a bony external plate or scale overlaid with horn, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, and the feet of birds. The term is also used to describe the anterior po ...

. Asian Turtle Network
''Mauremys annamensis''
Version of August, 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2006.

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to a small area in central

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, it was reportedly abundant in the 1930s, but all field surveys after 1941 had failed to locate any individuals in the wild.Asian Turtle Network
''Mauremys annamensis'' recorded in natural habitat after 65 years
Version of 2006-DEC-07. Retrieved 3 September 2007. As it was occasionally seen traded as food, it was not yet extinct in the wild however. IUCN
Inclusion of Annam Pond Turtle ''Annamemys'' (''Mauremys'') ''annamensis'' in Appendix II
Retrieved 9 December 2006. In 2006, a wild population of ''M. annamensis'' was found near

Hội An Hội An (), formerly known as Fai-Fo or Faifoo, is a city with a population of approximately 120,000 in Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province and is noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Along with the Cu Lao Cham archipelago, it is part ...

in Quảng Nam Province. Despite its rarity, specimens have been observed for sale in China and Hong Kong, and have been illicitly imported into the USA. A small number are being captive-bred on

Hainan Island Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly ...

in southern China, as well as at the Cuc Phuong Turtle Conservation Center located in Cúc Phương National Park in northern Vietnam.Asian Turtle Network
Cuc Phuong Turtle Conservation Center
and by IUCN-affiliated breeders. Retrieved 9 December 2006. The species is nonetheless close to extinction in the wild, as illegal hunting seems to continue. Reintroduction programmes of captive bred specimens are currently in progress. Hybridization with other Geoemydidae genera is known to occur. The species has produced hybrids with the

Malayan box turtle The Amboina box turtle or Southeast Asian box turtle (''Cuora amboinensis'') is a species of Asian box turtle. It is found in the Nicobar Islands, eastern India (Assam), Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, central and southern Vietn ...

in captivity. In addition, the supposed new species ''

Ocadia glyphistoma ''"Mauremys" glyphistoma'' is a hybrid turtle in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae). Originally described as a new species supposedly endemic to Guangxi/China; it was classified as Data Deficient in the IUCN Red List. It is known o ...

'' has turned out to be the offspring of a male

Chinese stripe-necked turtle The Chinese stripe-necked turtle (''Mauremys sinensis'') or golden thread turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. Like many other Geoemydidae, this species hybridizes vigorously with related and not-so-closely related members ...

and a female of the present species; it might have been taken from the wild or also have been captive-bred. Captive Vietnamese pond turtles - which are occasionally available to experienced hobbyists, under the auspices of the IUCN-coordinated captive-breeding program - must therefore never be housed with related species.Parham et al. (2001), Buskirk et al. (2005). Hybridization in the wild would not seem to constitute a major threat, as the two parent species of ''"Ocadia" × glyphistoma'' are not closely related, and the hybrids are thus likely to be sterile. However, with a species as rare as the Vietnamese pond turtle, more research into this issue is certainly necessary.

References

* (2005): On the hybridisation between two distantly related Asian turtles (Testudines: ''Sacalia'' × ''Mauremys''). ''

Salamandra ''Salamandra'' is a genus of seven species of salamanders localized in central and southern Europe, Northern Africa, and western Asia. List of species References External links Salamandraat Fauna Europaea * Salamandraat Animal Diversity W ...

'' 41: 21–26
PDF fulltext
* (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): 8
HTML abstract

External links

* ttp://www.chelonia.org/mauremys_gallery.htm ''Mauremys'' Gallery {{Taxonbar, from=Q564443 Mauremys Endemic fauna of Vietnam Reptiles of Vietnam Critically endangered fauna of Asia Turtles of Asia Reptiles described in 1903