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. Ideal ...
in the order
Testudines
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 ...
(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 ...
n pond and river turtles and
Neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
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 girdle
The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton).
The p ...
s articulate with their plastrons flexibly. Their necks are drawn back vertically. Their carapaces have 24 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. 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 vertebra
In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In sa ...
e, the lack of a hyomandibular branch of the
facial nerve
The facial nerve, also known as the seventh cranial nerve, cranial nerve VII, or simply CN VII, is a cranial nerve that emerges from the pons of the brainstem, controls the muscles of facial expression, and functions in the conveyance of taste ...
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
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...
, but some 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 ...
mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. ''Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproduc ...
, the males are usually much more active than females. A relatively small number of
eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
per clutch 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 in ...
or vulnerable condition.
Systematics and evolution
Traditional systematics placed the geoemydids in the family Emydidae as the subfamily Batagurinae. In the 1980s, the subfamily was elevated to the family status and renamed to Geoemydidae according to the ICZN 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 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. 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 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 ...
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 ...
***Genus ''
Batagur
''Batagur'' is a genus of large turtles from South and Southeast Asia. All members of the genus are seriously threatened. With a recent merger with members from two other genera,Praschag, Peter; Hundsdörfer, Anna K.; and Fritz, Uwe (2007)''Phylo ...
'' (six species, including part of ''Kachuga'')
***Genus '' Cuora'', Asian box turtle (10 species) (including ''Cistoclemmys'')
***Genus ''
Cyclemys
''Cyclemys'' is a genus of freshwater turtles, commonly referred to as Asian leaf turtles, from the family Geoemydidae. The genus occurs throughout Southeast Asia, Southeast and South Asia, and currently contains seven species.
Asian leaf turt ...
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 ...
genus)
***Genus ''
Geoemyda
''Geoemyda'' is a genus of freshwater turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae). It contains two species:Hardella'' (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
The Sulawesi forest turtle (''Leucocephalon yuwonoi'') is a critically endangered species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is monotypic within the genus ''Leucocephalon''. It is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Etymology
The s ...
'' (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.
''Dam ...
'' (three species)
***Genus ''
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 (including ''Annamemys'', ''Cathaiemys'' and ''Emmenia'')
***Genus ''
Melanochelys
''Melanochelys'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae. Members are found in India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Species
''Melanochelys'' contains only two species:
* Indian black turtle
The Indian black turtle (''Melan ...
'' (two species)
***Genus ''
Morenia
''Morenia'' is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae found in India, Bangladesh, and Burma.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 ...
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
''Siebenrockiella'' is a small genus of black marsh turtles. It used to be monotypic but now has two species with the addition of the Philippine forest turtle (moved from the genus ''Heosemys''). The genus was originally erected in 1869 by John ...
'' (two species, one subgenus ''Panyaenemys'', formerly under ''Heosemys'')
***Genus ''
Vijayachelys
__NOTOC__
The Cochin forest cane turtle (''Vijayachelys silvatica''), also known as Kavalai forest turtle, forest cane turtle or simply cane turtle, is a rare turtle from the Western Ghats of India. Described in 1912, its type locality is give ...
'', 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