Fujian Pond Turtle
Encyclopedia
The Fujian Pond Turtle ("Mauremys" × iversoni) is a possibly also naturally occurring intergeneric hybrid turtle
in the Geoemydidae
family (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
.
The parents of this hybrid are an 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).
The Fujian Pond Turtle's scientific name was given in dedication to John Iverson.
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
in the Geoemydidae
Geoemydidae
Geoemydidae is the largest and most diverse family in the order Testudines with about 70 species. It includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles.-Characteristics:...
family (formerly Bataguridae) produced in larger numbers by Chinese turtle farms as a "copy" of the Golden Coin Turtle Cuora trifasciata
Cuora trifasciata
Golden coin turtle or Chinese three-striped box turtle is a species of turtle endemic to southern China.The species is distributed in China...
. It appears to occur in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Before its actual origin became known, it was listed as data deficient in the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
.
The parents of this hybrid are an 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).
The Fujian Pond Turtle's scientific name was given in dedication to John Iverson.
See also
- "Mauremys" × pritchardiMauremys pritchardiMauremys pritchardi is an intergeneric hybrid turtle in the Geoemydidae family. It was described to be from Myanmar and has been found in the wild in China and Japan and is produced to some extent in Chinese turtle farms...
- "Ocadia" × glyphistomaOcadia glyphistoma"Ocadia glyphistoma" is an intergeneric hybrid turtle in the Geoemydidae family . Originally described as a new species supposedly endemic to Guangxi/China; it was classified as Data Deficient in the IUCN Red List....
- Ocadia philippeni
- Cuora serrataCuora serrataCuora serrata, originally described as Cuora galbinifrons serrata by Iverson & Mccord and later considered a distinct species by Obst & Fritz are hybrids as shown by the genetic studies of Stuart & Parham . These hybrids are bred in the wild as mentioned Buskirk et al. ad documented for the...