Systematics of the Endangered Mauremys mutica and Mauremys annamensis
Almost all turtle species in Asia are going extinct due to the demand for turtle products as food and medicine. A difficulty in creating effective conservation measures is that very little is known about the evolutionary relationships between populations and species. It is believed that several lineages we are currently calling species could in actuality be a complex of several species. One of these supposed species is the Yellow Pond Turtle, Mauremys mutica. Previous research has shown this group to have a tremendous amount of morphological and molecular diversity. In this study, I have used a combination of known-locality, farm, and trade seizure specimens to further investigate this claim that M. mutica is a complex of species. In addition, I have included a closely related species,Mauremys annamensis, into the study since it is often mistaken for M mutica. DNA analysis reveals two distinct clades, one in mainland China and one in the southwestern part of its range (Hainan Province and Vietnam). Although results from the geometric morphometric analyses do not agree, phenotypic coloration patterns seem to generally support these groups. In the southwestern clade, based on both coloration and molecular data, there seems to be three additional distinct lineages, Hainan Province, Northern Vietnam, and Southern Vietnam. For conservation purposes, I recommend the recognition of four Evolutionary Significant Units: 1) M mutica: Mainland China; 2) Mauremys schmackeri: Hainan Province; 3) Mauremys grochovskiae: Northern Vietnam; and 4) Mauremys annamensis: Southern Vietnam.
Biology, Turtles -- Asia -- China; Endangered species; Population genetics; Evolution (Biology); Biology -- Classification.
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