The Geoemydidae (formerly known as Bataguridae) are one of the largest and most diverse
families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...
in the order
Testudines
Turtles are an order (biology), order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) an ...
(turtles), with about 70
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 ...
. The family includes the
Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago a ...
n pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles. Members of this family are commonly called Leaf turtle.
Characteristics
Geoemydidae are turtles of various sizes (from about in length) with often a high degree of
sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
. They usually have webbed toes, and their pelvic girdles articulate with their plastrons flexibly. Their necks are drawn back vertically. Their
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
s have 24 marginal scutes. The plastron is composed of 12 scutes and has no mesoplastron; the pectoral and abdominal scutes contact the marginal scutes.
Some other features include a single articulation between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae, the lack of a hyomandibular branch of the facial nerve, and an
epipterygoid
The epipterygoid is a paired cranial bone present in many tetrapods. It acts as a vertical strut connecting the pterygoid bone of the palate to the outer surface of the braincase or the underside of the skull roof. The epipterygoid is an endochond ...
bone in the skull.
Ecology
Geoemydidae live in tropics and subtropics of Asia, Europe and
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
; the only genus in
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and South America is ''
Rhinoclemmys
''Rhinoclemmys'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae), the only genus in the subfamily Rhinoclemmydinae. Member species of the genus are commonly known as the Neotropical wood turtles and are the only geoemydids ...
''. Their habitats include freshwater ecosystems, coastal marine areas, and tropical forests. Most are herbivorous, but some are omnivorous or
carnivorous
A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...
species. In mating, the males are usually much more active than females. A relatively small number of eggs per
clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
is common, produced several times a year. Some species have a temperature-dependent sex determination system, while others possess different
sex chromosome
A sex chromosome (also referred to as an allosome, heterotypical chromosome, gonosome, heterochromosome, or idiochromosome) is a chromosome that differs from an ordinary autosome in form, size, and behavior. The human sex chromosomes, a typical ...
Pangshura smithii
The brown roofed turtle (''Pangshura smithii'') is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to South Asia. Two subspecies are recognized.
Etymology
The specific name, ''smithii'', is in honor of Scottish zoologist ...
'') exhibits ZZ/ZW sex determination.
About 70% of the extant species have been reported to be in
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
or vulnerable condition.
Systematics and evolution
Traditional systematics placed the geoemydids in the family
Emydidae
Emydidae (Latin ''emys'' (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek εἶδος (''eîdos'', “appearance, resemblance”)) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly calle ...
as the subfamily Batagurinae. In the 1980s, the subfamily was elevated to the family status and renamed to Geoemydidae according to the
ICZN
The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its publisher, the I ...
rules.
Most
fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
and
molecular
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...
data support their close relationship to the family Testudinidae.
The intrafamilial taxonomy is not well established yet, due to the large number and diversity of species. The family is usually divided into two subfamilies and 19
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
. Several species are known to give viable hybrids, which makes the systematics even more complicated. (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 ...
The following genera are classified under Geoemydidae.Turtle Taxonomy Working Groupan Dijk , P.P., Iverson, J.B., Shaffer, H.B., Bour, R., and Rhodin, A.G.J. 2012. Turtles of the World, 2012 update: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5, pp. 000.243–000.328, doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v5.2012,
*Family Geoemydidae
**Genus '' Banhxeochelys''
**Genus '' Duboisemys''
**Subfamily Geoemydinae
***Genus '' Batagur'' (six species, including part of ''Kachuga'')
***Genus '' Cuora'', Asian box turtle (10 species) (including ''Cistoclemmys'')
***Genus '' Cyclemys'' (seven species)
***Genus '' Geoclemys'' (
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
Hardella
The brahminy river turtle or crowned river turtle (''Hardella thurjii'') is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to South Asia.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Hardella'', to which the species ''Hardella thurjii'' belongs, ...
'' (monotypic genus)
***Genus ''
Heosemys
''Heosemys'' is a genus of freshwater turtles ("terrapins" in British English) in the family Geoemydidae (formerly called Bataguridae). The genus ''Heosemys'' was split out of the related genus ''Geoemyda'' by McDowell in 1964.
Species
Four sp ...
'' (formerly in ''Geoemyda'')
***Genus '' Leucocephalon'' (formerly in ''Geoemyda'' and ''Heosemys'')
***Genus ''
Malayemys
''Malayemys'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae. It was considered monotypic until 2005 It is found in several countries of Southeast Asia.
Taxonomy
The genus description is attributed to Wassili Adolfovitch Lindholm in 1931.
''D ...
Morenia
''Morenia'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae found in India, Bangladesh, and Burma.Notochelys'' (monotypic genus)
***Genus ''
Orlitia
The Malaysian giant turtle or Bornean river turtle (''Orlitia borneensis'') is a species of turtle in the family Bataguridae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Orlitia''. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia.
This species is the largest fresh ...
'' (monotypic genus)
***Genus ''
Pangshura
''Pangshura'' is a genus of geoemydid turtles endemic to South Asia. Its member species were formerly in the obsolete genus ''Kachuga''. A fifth member, ''Pangshura tatrotia'', was described in 2010, but it is only known from Pliocene fossils.
2 ...
'' (four species) (formerly in ''Kachuga'')
***Genus ''
Sacalia
''Sacalia'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly called Bataguridae). The genus was erected by John Edward Gray in 1870.
The Sacalia is native to Southereastern China, Laos, and Vietnam. It was declared an endangered species ...
'', "eyed" turtles
***Genus '' Siebenrockiella'' (two species, one subgenus ''Panyaenemys'', formerly under ''Heosemys'')
***Genus '' Vijayachelys'', cane turtle (formerly in ''Geoemyda'' and ''Heosemys'')
**Subfamily Rhinoclemmydinae
***Genus ''
Rhinoclemmys
''Rhinoclemmys'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae), the only genus in the subfamily Rhinoclemmydinae. Member species of the genus are commonly known as the Neotropical wood turtles and are the only geoemydids ...
'', Neotropical wood turtles
Conservation
As of the early 2013, six species of the family Geoemydidae are on the
CITES
CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
Appendix II
CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
.
A joint China-US proposal for a March 2013 CITES participants' conference seeks to add 15 more Geoemydidae species to the convention's Appendix II.
Dinny McMahon China Backs Tortoise in Race to Protect Endangered Species 2013-03-04