Fujian pond turtle
The Fujian pond turtle ("Mauremys" × iversoni) is a possibly also naturally occurring intergeneric hybrid turtle in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae) produced in larger numbers by Chinese turtle farms as a "copy" of the golden coin turtle Cuora trifasciata. It appears to occur in China and Vietnam. Before its actual origin became known, it was listed as data deficient in the IUCN Red List.
| Fujian pond turtle | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Geoemydidae |
| Genus: | Mauremys |
| Species: | M. × iversoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Mauremys × iversoni Pritchard & McCord, 1991 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The parents of this hybrid are the Asian yellow pond turtle and the golden coin turtle, with the male apparently usually of the latter species. While it is not unusual for perfectly valid geoemydid species to arise from hybridization, recognition as a species would require that the hybrids are fertile and constitute a phenotypically distinct and self-sustaining lineage. This does not appear to be the case in this "species" as only single specimens have been found rather than an entire population of these turtles and captive breeding has rarely been successful as most males proved to be infertile (while females are fully fertile).[1][2]
The Fujian pond turtle's scientific name was given in dedication to American herpetologist John B. Iverson.[3]
"Clemmys guangxiensis" is a composite taxon described from specimens of Mauremys mutica and the natural hybrid "Mauremys" × iversoni.[1]
References
Footnotes
- Parham, James Ford; Simison, W. Brian; Kozak, Kenneth H.; Feldman, Chris R.; Shi, Haitao (November 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. doi:10.1017/S1367943001001421. "Erratum". Animal Conservation. 5 (1): 86. February 2002. doi:10.1017/S1367943002001117.
- Buskirk, James R.; Parham, James F.; Feldman, Chris R. (2005). "On the hybridisation between two distantly related Asian turtles (Testudines: Sacalia × Mauremys)". Salamandra. 41 (1/2): 21–26. ISSN 0036-3375.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Mauremys iversoni, p. 131).
General sources
- Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). "Mauremys iversoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2000. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
- Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (31 October 2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 228. ISSN 2625-8498. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- Pritchard, Peter C. H.; McCord, William P. (June 1991). "A new Emydid turtle from China" (PDF). Herpetologica. 47 (2): 139–147. JSTOR 3892730.