Hoge's sideneck turtle ''(Ranacephala hogei)'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order 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) and Crypt ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Chelidae Chelidae is one of three living families of the turtle suborder Pleurodira, and are commonly called Austro-South American side-neck turtles. The family is distributed in Australia, New Guinea, parts of Indonesia, and throughout most of South Amer ...

. It is the only member of the genus ''Ranacephala''. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

to the eastern Atlantic Forest of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, primarily in the Carangola River of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

and Paraíba do Sul River,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. The most documented population resides in the midsection of the Carangola River with an estimated population of less than 2000. The Official Brazilian Red List considers Hoge's sideneck turtle to be the most endangered turtle species within Brazil. It was listed by the Turtle Survival Coalition as one of the world "25 Turtles in Trouble" for 2018.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''hogei'', is in honor of Brazilian-born Belgian

herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...

Alphonse Richard Hoge Alphonse may refer to: * Alphonse (given name) * Alphonse (surname) * Alphonse Atoll, one of two atolls in the Seychelles' Alphonse Group *Alphonso (mango), a mango-cultivar from India See also *Alphons Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adel ...

Threats

The primary threat to the ongoing survival of ''R. hogei'' is habitat degradation owing to ongoing deforestation, sewage and industrial discharge,

agricultural pollution Agricultural pollution refers to biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests. The po ...

, and dam construction. Another major concern is direct mortality from sports fishing, hooks with a lower threat level to turtles has been promoted in recent years, as well as two designated no-fishing zones being established along the Carangola River. Genetic studies have also shown ''R. hogei'' to have very low levels of genetic diversity, most likely owing to a population bottleneck in the past. This makes the species particularly vulnerable to disease, and potentially unable to adapt to a changing environment as well as other species.

Conservation

In 2015, 236 acres of critically important nesting habitat along the Carangola River were purchased by Rainforest Trust, working alongside Fundação Biodiversitas, for $614 an acre. This was designated a permanent private protected area as outlined by the Brazilian National System of Conservation Units. ''R. hogei'' relies upon intact closed canopy rainforest for nesting, hence the agricultural practice of clearing forests to the river's edge is very damaging to the species. The Rainforest Trust also thanks the TSA (Turtle Survival Alliance), and the Wildlife Conservation Society for their help in the creation of the Hoge's Side-necked Turtle Reserve. In 2014 an environmental education program was created featuring the Hoge's sideneck turtle, complete with an educational video and teachers guide material.

References

Chelidae Endemic reptiles of Brazil Turtles of South America Turtles of Brazil Fauna of the Atlantic Forest Reptiles described in 1967 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Turtle-stub