First Genetic Data of the Critically Endangered Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis) from Known-locality Specimens

Despite being one of the world's 25+ most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles, the evolutionary history of the Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis) is largely unknown. This is due to the lack of wild, known-locality specimens for genetic studies. In this genetic study, we includ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurrent Herpetology Vol. 38; no. 2; pp. 140 - 152
Main Authors Fong, Jonathan J, Stuart, Bryan L, Mccormack, Timothy E. M, Parham, James F
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Japanese
Published Kyoto UniBio Press 01.08.2019
The Herpetological Society of Japan
Subjects
Aquariums
Assurance colony
Cuora galbinifrons
Cuora trifasciata
Cuora yunnanensis
Endangered species
Histidine
Laboratories
Leucine
Mauremys annamensis
Mauremys guangxiensis
Mauremys mutica
Mitochondrial DNA
Museum specimen
Museums
NADH
NADH dehydrogenase
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Phylogeny
Provenance
Reptile culture
Serine
Shipping
tRNA Leu
Turtles
Wildlife conservation
Vietnam
Zhejiang China
United States > US
China
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Summary:Despite being one of the world's 25+ most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles, the evolutionary history of the Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis) is largely unknown. This is due to the lack of wild, known-locality specimens for genetic studies. In this genetic study, we include four known-locality specimens of M. annamensis—two historical specimens (the lectotype and paralectotype of the junior synonym Annamemys merkleni), a living zoo specimen that was collected in 1966, and a contemporary, wild-caught specimen captured during intensive field surveys. We have three major findings regarding the genetics of M. annamensis and closely related species. First, with wild specimens from near the type locality, we identify mitochondrial and nuclear haplotypes for true M. annamensis. Second, we verify that M. guangxiensis is invalid due to its non-monophyly. Lastly, we verify that M. mutica from Anhui Province and Taiwan cluster genetically with samples from the type locality in Zhejiang Province. Despite these new data from known-locality specimens providing guidance for ex situ and in situ conservation efforts, some of the genetic patterns for M. annamensis and M. mutica defy obvious explanation and highlight the need for even more samples with reliable known provenance.
ISSN:1345-5834
1881-1019
DOI:10.5358/hsj.38.140