The Japanese pond turtle (''Mauremys japonica''), also called
commonly the Japanese pond terrapin and the Japanese pond tortoise, 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), ...
of
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 ...
Geoemydidae 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
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. Its Japanese name is ''nihon ishigame'', Japanese stone turtle. Its population has decreased somewhat due to
habitat loss
Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
, but it is not yet considered a
threatened species
A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...
.
This species is known to
hybridize with the
Chinese pond turtle
''Mauremys reevesii'', commonly known as the Chinese pond turtle, the Chinese three-keeled pond turtle, or Reeves' turtle, is a species of turtle in the family (biology), family Geoemydidae, a family which was formerly called Bataguridae. The sp ...
, the
Chinese stripe-necked turtle, and the
Chinese box turtle (and possibly other Geoemydidae) in captivity. As these three species are much rarer and strongly declining in the wild, this should be avoided.
The Japanese pond turtle is an aquatic species found in many freshwater bodies of water. These include rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, and irrigated rice paddies in the flatlands surrounding highlands. Although they can be found on both flatlands and on the slopes of the mountains, studies have shown they are more likely to thrive on the flatlands.
This can be essential to understanding the conservation measures needed to protect this near-threatened species.
References
* (1989). Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
* (1996). Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping and Breeding Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles. Carapace Press, London, England.
* (1979). Encyclopedia of Turtles. TFH Publications, Neptune, New Jersey.
* Spinks, Phillip Q.; Shaffer, Bradley H.; Iverson, John B. & McCord, William P. (2004). Phylogenetic hypotheses for the turtle family Geomydidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32, 164–182. Academic Press, Cambridge:MA.
*Kagayama, S. (2020). Geographic Variation in the Growth of Japanese pond turtles, Maureys japonica, in the Flatland and mountain regions of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Current Herpetology, 39(2), 87. https://doi.org/10.5358/hsj.39.87
*Kagayama, S. (2022). Life history stage and sex-specific survival rates for the Japanese pond turtle, mauremys japonica, in the foothill region of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Current Herpetology, 41(1). https://doi.org/10.5358/hsj.41.138
*Suzuki, D., & Hikida, T. (2011). Mitochondrial phylogeography of the Japanese pond turtle, Mauremys japonica (Testudines, Geoemydidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 49(2), 141–147. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0469.2010.00577.x
*Yasukawa, Y., Yabe, T., & Ota, H. (2008). Mauremys japonica (Temminck and Schlegel 1835) – Japanese pond turtle. Chelonian Research Monographs. https://doi.org/10.3854/crm.5.003.japonica.v1.2008
External links
''Mauremys japonica'' The Reptile Database
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1361877
Mauremys
Endemic reptiles of Japan
Reptiles described in 1835
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot