Yellow-headed temple turtle

Yellow-headed temple turtle
Yellow-headed temple turtle in Turtle Conservation Center, Cuc-Phuong, Vietnam
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Heosemys
Species:	H. annandalii
Binomial name
Heosemys annandalii (Boulenger, 1903)[3]
Synonyms[4]
Cyclemys annandalii Boulenger, 1903 Hieremys annandalei M.A. Smith, 1916 (ex errore) Cyclemys annandali Mell, 1929 (ex errore) Cyclemys annandalei — M.A. Smith, 1930 Hieremys annandalii — M.A. Smith, 1930 Hieremys annandali — Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934 Heosemys annandalii — Diesmos, Parham, B.L. Stuart & R.M. Brown, 2005

The yellow-headed temple turtle (Heosemys annandalii) is a large species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia.

Etymology

The common name, "yellow-headed temple turtle", is derived from the fact that it is often found near Buddhist temples within its range.^{[citation needed]}

The specific name, annandalii, is in honor of Scottish herpetologist Nelson Annandale.^[5]

Description

H. annandalii may grow to over 20 in (51 cm) in straight carapace length.^{[citation needed]}

Behavior

H. annandalii is aquatic, and is generally herbivorous.^{[citation needed]}

Conservation status

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) suspended trade of yellow-headed temple turtles in July 2012.^[6]

Geographic range

H. annandalii is found in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and possibly Myanmar.^[3][4]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of H. annandalii are wet forests and freshwater wetlands.^[1]

Captivity

H. annandalii may live in captivity for up to 35 years.^{[citation needed]}

Two turtles were hatched in November 2019 at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Heosemys annadali has been breed in captivity.^[7]

Parasites

The leech Placobdelloides siamensis is an ectoparasite of this turtle.^[8]

References

External links

• Media related to Heosemys annandalii at Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography

• Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Iverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Bour, Roger (2011-12-31). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-01-31.
• Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 149–368. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895.

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1903). "Report on the Batrachians and Reptiles". pp. 131–178. In: Annandale N, Robinson HC (1903). Fasciculi Malayenses: Anthropological and Zoological Results of an Expedition to Perak and the Siamese Malay States, 1901-1902. Zoology, Part I. London, New York and Bombay: Longmans, Green & Co. for The University Press of Liverpool. 189 pp. (Cyclemys annandalii, new species, pp. 142–144 + Plates VII-VIII).
• Chan-ard, Tanya; Parr, John W.K.; Nabhitabhata, Jarujin (2015). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of Thailand. New York: Oxford University Press. 314 pp. ISBN 978-0-19-973649-2 (hardcover), ISBN 978-0-19-973650-8 (paperback).
• Smith MA (1931). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. I.—Loricata, Testudines. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxviii + 185 pp. + Plates I-II. ("Hieremys annandalei [sic]", pp. 107–109, Figures 24-25).

This page was last edited on 5 April 2024, at 04:32