Cyclemys dentata (Asian Leaf Turtle)
The common name of this Freshwater-Turtle in English is commonly called Asian Leaf Turtle, Brown Stream Terrapin and Thai name called เต่าใบไม้ (Dtao Bai Mai), เต่าแดง (Dtao Daeng).
เต่าใบไม้ : Cyclemys dentata (Gray, 1831)
Cyclemys dentata is a species of the Southeast Asian Leaf Turtle Genus (Cyclemys) within the Freshwater Pond Turtle Family (Geoemydidae), Superfamily Testudinoidea, in the Suborder Cryptodira, in the Turtles Order (Testudines), in the Reptile Class (Reptilia), in the Chordate Phylum (Chordata) in the Animal Kingdom (Animalia).
Published in Gray, J. E. Synopsis Reptilium or short descriptions of the species of reptiles. Part I: Cataphracta, tortoises, crocodiles, and enaliosaurians. Treuttel, Wurz & Co., London, 85 pp. (1831).
Until recently, the various forms of this species complex were thought to represent just a single species, Cyclemys dentata, but are now recognized as representing a complex of six full species: C. atripons Iverson & McCord, 1997 (KH, TH); C. dentata (BN, ID, TH, MY, SG), C. enigmatica Fritz et al., 2008 (BN?, ID, MY, SG); C. fusca Fritz et al., 2008 (MM); C. gemeli Fritz et al., 2008 (BD, IN); C. oldhamii Gray, 1863 (ID, LA, MM, MY, TH, VN); and C. pulchristriata Fritz, Gaulke & Lehr, 1997 (VN).
Their conservation status was not assessed previously because the taxonomy and distribution remain in flux; it was considered likely that some taxa would be threatened.
Geographic Range
Cyclemys dentata is known from southern peninsular Thailand, Malaysia (Peninsula, Sabah, Sarawak), Singapore, Indonesia (Bali, Bunguran Island, Java, Kalimantan, the Mentawei Archipelago, Sumatra), and the Philippines (Palawan Group of islands, Tawi Tawi and Sulu Islands).
A record from Leyte, Philippines (Taylor 1920) is in error (Diesmos et al. 2008).
Habitat and Ecology
Cyclemys dentata is a mainly aquatic species inhabiting streams, swamps and wetlands in primary and secondary forest; generally in closed-canopy habitats in mainly lowland areas.
It is apparently absent from oil palm plantations as those are too open and dry. It is an adaptable species and has an estimated generation length of 20 years.
Type locality: "Bengal. . .Java".
Cyclemys dentata is used for human consumption, but is not a preferred food species as it is not as palatable as other species. It is also in the international pet trade.
The Indonesian harvest quota is set at 14,000 per year, and has been stable over the years. There is a captive breeding programme in Indonesia.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis. Adult: Shell ovoid to heart-shaped. Femoral mid-seam shorter than anal mid-seam; anal notch narrow and acute- angled.
Colouration and pattern of shell, head and neck resemble C. atripons but carapace on average darker brown and bridge never black; head and neck stripes narrower and red-dish coloured; throat distinctly striped or mottled with dark pattern, never uniform light.
Hatchling: Ventral shell brownish-yellow with mottled dark pattern; light head and neck stripes narrow, throat striped. For maximum size and comparison with diagnostic characters of other species, see Table 3 in Fritz et al. 2008: 10.
Synonym
- Emys hasseltii Friedrich Boie (1826)
- Emys dhor John Edward Gray (1831)
- Emys dentata John Edward Gray (1831)
- Emys hasselti Friedrich Boie (1831)
- Cyclemys orbiculata Thomas Bell (1834)
- Cistudo diardii André Marie Constant Duméril & Gabriel Bibron (1835)
- Clemmys (Clemmys) hasseltii Friedrich Boie (1835)
- Cistudo (Cyclemys) dentata John Edward Gray (1844)
- Emys diardii Hermann Schlegel (1849)
- Cistudo diardii André Marie Constant Duméril & Gabriel Bibron (1854)
- Cyclemys dentata John Edward Gray (1856)
- Cistudo dentata John Edward Gray (1857)
- Cyclemys ovata John Edward Gray (1863)
- Cyclemys bellii John Edward Gray (1863)
- Cyclemys orbiculata John Edward Gray (1864)
- Cyclemys ovata John Edward Gray (1864)
- Cistudo orbiculata Christian Gottfried Andreas Giebel (1866)
- Cyclemys dhor John Edward Gray (1870)
- Cyclemys dhor John Edward Gray (1873)
- Cyclemys dhor George Albert Boulenger (1889)
- Cistudo diardi Malcolm Arthur Smith (1931)
- Cyclemys belli Malcolm Arthur Smith (1931)
- Cyclemis dentata Goode (1967)
- Cyclemys ovala Edward Harrison Taylor (1970)
- Cyclemys dentata Ye Xiangkui (1994)
- Cyclemys dentata dentata Franck Bonin, Bernard Devaux & Alain Dupre (1996)
- Cyclemys dentata Ulrich Manthey & Wolfgang Grossmann (1997)
- Cyclemys dentata Merel J. Cox et al. (1998)
- Cyclemys dentate Zhou (2006)
- Cyclemys entate [sic] Zhou & Li (2007)