''Cyclemys'' is a
genus
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 nom ...
of freshwater
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 ...
s, commonly referred to as Asian leaf turtles, from the family
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 ...
. The genus occurs throughout
Southeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
, and currently contains seven
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 ...
.
Asian leaf turtles average in length. They are mostly brown to greenish in color, with round to rectangular shells. Their
carapaces bear a superficial resemblance to
plant leaves
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
, hence their
common name. They can be found around shallow, slow-moving bodies of water in hilly forests. Adults are primarily
terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
, though
juveniles are more
aquatic.
Taxonomy and nomenclature
''Cyclemys'' turtles belong to the
family
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. Idea ...
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 ...
under the
subfamily Geoemydinae
The Geoemydinae are a subfamily of turtles consisting of 60 subspecies and 76 taxa.
These genera are placed here:
* ''Batagur'' (six species, including part of Kachuga)
* '' Chinemys'' (three species) (sometimes included in ''Mauremys'')
* '' C ...
. They were first described in 1834 by English
zoologist
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...
Thomas Bell in his work ''A Monograph of the Testudinata''.
''Cyclemys'' and closely related genera (''
Cuora'', ''
Pyxidea
The keeled box turtle (''Cuora mouhotii''; syn. ''Pyxidea mouhotii'') is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to Asia.
Geographic range
''C. mouhotii'' occurs in Burma, China, India, Laos, and Vietnam,Asian T ...
'', and ''
Notochelys
The Malayan flat-shelled turtle (''Notochelys platynota'') is a species of turtle found in Southeast Asia.
Distribution
Myanmar, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a countr ...
'') are believed to have diverged from a common ''
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 ...
''-like ancestor.
![Cycle denta 100207-0641 ipb](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Cycle_denta_100207-0641_ipb.jpg)
''Cyclemys''
taxonomy
Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification.
A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...
and
phylogeny
A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spe ...
have been historically difficult to ascertain due to the
morphological similarity between species, as well as changes in the color patterns during growth.
Until recently, the genus was thought to comprise only one or two morphologically variable species, ''C. dentata'' and ''C. oldhamii''.
[Asian Turtle Trade Working Group 2000. ]
Cyclemys dentata
'. In: IUCN 2010
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
. Version 2010.4. Retrieved March 25, 2011. Subsequent investigation has now put the number of species under the genus to seven, though this remains controversial. The status of ''C. enigmatica'' as a valid species is contested, as is the recognition of ''C. atripons'' and ''C. pulchristiata'', both of which are nearly impossible to tell apart morphologically.
Previously recognized species, ''C. tcheponensis'' ( = ''C. tiannanensis'') and ''C. shanensis'', have been merged into ''C. oldhamii'' following
mtDNA sequencing. The conclusions of which showed that the morphological differences between them (the presence or absence of neck/head stripes, and hatchling color patterns) were not enough to classify them as separate species.
''C. ovata'' has been similarly subsumed into ''C. dentata''.
The two distinct morphological differences between ''Cyclemys'' species are based on the main color of their
plastrons - species with yellow bellies (''
C. atripons'', ''
C. dentata'', and ''
C. pulchristiata''), and species with dark bellies (''
C. enigmatica'', ''
C. fusca'', ''
C. gemeli'', and ''
C. oldhamii'').
Synonyms of ''Cyclemys'' (''
ex errore'') include: ''Cyclemus''
Li, ''Cyclemis''
Good, and ''Cyclemy''
Mao.
The generic name ''Cyclemys'' comes from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
(, meaning 'round' or 'circle', referring to the shape of the
carapace) and (; 'freshwater turtle').
They are known under the
common name Asian leaf turtles or simply leaf turtles, again because of the appearance of their carapaces. They share the collective name 'leaf turtles' with turtles of the genus ''
Geoemyda
''Geoemyda'' is a genus of freshwater turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae). It contains two species:Mauremys annamensis
The Vietnamese pond turtle or Annam leaf turtle (''Mauremys annamensis'') is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae.
It can be distinguished from its relatives by its color pattern: the head is dark with three or four yellow stripes down ...
''), among others.
'Asian leaf turtle' is also the specific common name of ''C. dentata''.
Description
![Cyclemys carapace and plastron](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Cyclemys_carapace_and_plastron.png)
''Cyclemys'' turtles are characterized by more or less round
carapaces, which are typically dark green, brownish, tan, or olive in color. The shell may have a prominent vertebral
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
running from head to tail. Serrated marginal
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 ...
s are common in juveniles. In adults, only the posterior marginal
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 ...
s are serrated.
Adults of ''Cyclemys'' also develop a joint in the middle of their plastrons (known as a plastral hinge), enabling them to articulate the front and rear halves to some extent. Unlike the closely related ''Cuora'', which can completely close its shell because of the hinge,
''Cyclemys'' plastral hinges only close the shell partially.
The plastral hinge may also play a significant role in facilitating egg-laying in adult females.
A distinguishing characteristic of the genus is the secondary division of the abdominal scutes (the middle pair of scutes in the plastron) due to the development of the plastral hinge as the turtle matures. It eventually leads to the formation of small triangular additional scutes between the abdominal and pectoral scutes.
''Cyclemys'' turtles are
cryptodires
The Cryptodira ('' el, hidden neck'') are a suborder of Testudines that includes most living tortoises and turtles. Cryptodira differ from Pleurodira (side-necked turtles) in that they lower their necks and pull the heads straight back into the ...
, having the ability to pull their heads straight back and vertically into their shells instead of folding them sideways like
pleurodires. The head varies between species from dull to striped with bright red or orange bands of color. The plastron can have a dark or light (tan to yellow) background which can be uniform or patterned with fine lines radiating from the center of each plastral scute.
Their feet are partially webbed and well developed for either aquatic or terrestrial mobility. They can grow to about in length.
''Cyclemys'' species achieve sexual maturity after seven to 12 years, earlier for males and later for females.
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 an ...
is apparently mostly absent, though females are likely to outgrow males.
Females usually deposit 10 to 15 eggs per clutch.
Lifespan
A ''C. dentata'' individual has been recorded living up to 14.7 years in captivity.
However, an adult specimen caught in the wild has also been recorded living another 14 years, making it likely that the maximum lifespan of ''Cyclemys'' species has been underestimated.
Distribution and habitat
![Leaf turtle Cyclemys species](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Leaf_turtle_Cyclemys_species.jpg)
The distribution ranges of individual species of ''Cyclemys'' remain unclear, but the genus occurs in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
and
Indochina
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
(
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 ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
,
Laos,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, central to southern
China,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, and northeastern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
), as well as the Southeast Asian countries of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
,
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
, and the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Adults spend most of their time on land. They can be found near ponds, streams, and other shallow, slow-moving bodies of water in hilly forests.
Although more common in lower elevations, they have been found in higher elevations exceeding
above sea level.
They are
omnivorous
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...
,
but juveniles tend to be more
carnivorous. Because their prey are typically aquatic, the younger turtles are found in water more often than adults.
Species
The species are listed alphabetically along with common names, identifying adult characteristics, and known geographical distribution.
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group The Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG) is an informal working group of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG). It is composed of a number of leading turtle Taxonomy (biology), taxonomists, with varying participation b ...
(Rhodin, A.G.J., van Dijk, P.P, Iverson, J.B., and Shaffer, H.B.).2010
Turtles of the World, 2010 update: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status
In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Iverson, J.B., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. ''Chelonian Research Monographs'' No. 5. pp. 000.85-000.164, They are divided into two morphologically distinct groups.
Yellow-bellied species
*''
Cyclemys atripons''
(Iverson & McCold, 1997) –
western black-bridged leaf turtle or striped leaf turtle
*''
Cyclemys dentata
The Asian leaf turtle (''Cyclemys dentata'') is a species of turtle found in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographi ...
''
(Gray, 1831) –
Asian leaf turtle
The Asian leaf turtle (''Cyclemys dentata'') is a species of turtle found in Southeast Asia. They are quite common in the pet trade; their carapaces resemble that of a ''Cuora amboinensis
The Amboina box turtle or Southeast Asian box turtle ...
or brown stream terrapin
*''
Cyclemys pulchristiata''
(Fritz, Gaulke, and Lehr 1997) –
eastern black-bridged leaf turtle
Dark-bellied species
*''
Cyclemys enigmatica''
Fritz, Guicking, Auer, Sommer, Wink & Hundsdörfer, 2008 –
enigmatic leaf turtle
''Cyclemys enigmatica'', also known as the enigmatic leaf turtle, is a species of Asian leaf turtle. It is found in the Greater Sunda Islands and the Malay Peninsula.
Description
In the enigmatic leaf turtle, the carapace is dark brown and slig ...
*''
Cyclemys fusca''
Fritz, Guicking, Auer, Sommer, Wink & Hundsdörfer, 2008 –
Myanmar brown leaf turtle
*''
Cyclemys gemeli''
Fritz, Guicking, Auer, Sommer, Wink & Hundsdörfer, 2008 –
Assam leaf turtle
*''
Cyclemys oldhamii''
Gray, 1863 –
Oldham's leaf turtle, Southeast Asian leaf turtle
Several species previously classified under ''Cyclemys'' – ''C. amboinensis'', ''C. flavomarginata'', ''C. mouhotti'', and ''C. trifasciata'' – are now classified under the genus ''
Cuora''. ''C. annandalii'' is now classified under ''
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 ...
'', ''C. annamensis'' under ''
Mauremys
''Mauremys'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly called Bataguridae).
Species include:
* Japanese pond turtle, ''M. japonica''
* Yellow pond turtle, ''M. mutica''
**''M. mutica mutica''
**''M. mutica kami''
* Vietnamese p ...
'', and ''C. giebelii'' as ''
Notochelys platynota''.
Conservation
''Cyclemys'' species are often caught and sold for the pet trade, food, or
traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...
.
On August 25, 1998, Forest Protection authorities of
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 ...
confiscated a shipment of about 700 turtles with an estimated 30 individuals of ''C. oldhamii''.
In May 2007, more than 3000 individuals of ''Cyclemys'', along with
Asian box turtle
Asian box turtles are turtles of the genus ''Cuora'' in the family Geoemydidae. About 12 extant species are recognized.Spinks, P. Q., et al. (2012)Species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships in the critically endangered Asian box turtle gen ...
s, were confiscated in hundreds of crates in
Yangjiang
Yangjiang (, ), alternately romanized as Yeungkong, is a prefecture-level city in southwestern Guangdong Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Maoming to the west, Yunfu to the north, Jiangmen to the east, and looks out to the S ...
, China.
The most commonly encountered species of ''Cyclemys'' in the pet trade, ''C. dentata'', is now being
captive bred. They are usually preferred, as they are healthier, more acclimated to handling, and captive breeding minimizes the impact on wild populations.
The confusion over their exact taxonomy and distribution led to an incomplete assessment of their conservation status by the
IUCN.
In 1991, with only two species recognized, ''Cyclemys'' was given the Action Plan Rating of 3 - in need of some conservation action.
In the last assessment in 2000 by the Asian Turtle Trade Working Group of IUCN, the different species currently recognized under the genus ''Cyclemys'' were treated as all belonging to the species ''C. dentata''. This resulted in the current incorrect classification of all of the species as
lower risk/
near threatened
A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...
.
Until now, the true conservation status, the actual effects of
wildlife trade
Wildlife trade refers to the of products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, ti ...
, deforestation, and habitat loss on individual ''Cyclemys'' species, have yet to be studied.
See also
*''
Cuora'', Asian box turtles
*
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 ...
*''
Geoemyda
''Geoemyda'' is a genus of freshwater turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae). It contains two species:Mauremys
''Mauremys'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly called Bataguridae).
Species include:
* Japanese pond turtle, ''M. japonica''
* Yellow pond turtle, ''M. mutica''
**''M. mutica mutica''
**''M. mutica kami''
* Vietnamese p ...
'', pond turtles
*
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 ...
References
External links
Care Sheets for Asian leaf turtlesVideo of a pet ''Cyclemys dentata''
{{Taxonbar , from=Q2111135
Turtle genera
Taxa named by Thomas Bell (zoologist)