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The “true“ Pelomedusa
subrufa remains relatively small, and it is a
eritable survivor: In Namibia, it
can endure drought periods of
up to 6 years by burying itself underground. A. Schleicher
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Scentists at the Senckenberg
Research Institute revealed that the African helmeted terrapin Pelomedusa subrufa actually comprises at
least 10 different species. Until now, it had been considered to represent a
single species, with a distribution spanning most of Africa, Madagascar and
Arabia. The new classification also results in a revised assessment of its
conservation status: at least one of the newly described species is seriously
endangered. The underlying studies were published in the scientific journal Zootaxa.
The African helmeted terrapin Pelomedusa subrufa prefers small water bodies, but it is also
able to survive drought periods of several years -- by burrowing underground.
Reaching a maximum shell length of 30 cm, these turtles are widely distributed.
They are found from South Africa north to the Sahel Zone, in Madagascar and on
the Arabian Peninsula. This wide distribution range and their ability to
survive long periods of drought led to its classification as "not
endangered."
"However, our research shows
that previous assumptions were basically incorrect," says Professor Uwe
Fritz, director at Senckenberg in Dresden. In cooperation with an international
team of scientists, among them researchers from South Africa and Namibia, he
examined the turtles using morphological methods and the molecular genetic
approaches. "Our results indicate that not one, but at least ten species
are involved in this complex -- and perhaps even more," explains Fritz.
Altogether, the scientists from
Dresden examined approximately 350 turtles, 200 of which underwent genetic
testing. Among others, they also genetically analyzed samples from museum
specimens -- some more than 100 years old.
"Up to now, the African
helmeted terrapin was considered a widely distributed species and, therefore,
not endangered, since it was assumed that the same species occurred throughout
Africa. Our research shows that many distinct species are involved and that the
distribution of each species is much more limited," says Fritz. "Due
to this, some of the species are probably much more endangered than previously
assumed." One of the newly described turtles may actually be threatened by
extinction, due to severe water shortage in its home on the southwestern
Arabian Peninsula.
However, there is also good news
at least for some countries: South Africa has gained an additional turtle
species. Thanks to the recent split, two species of helmeted terrapins are now
found in the country, one is distributed over most of South Africa, while the
second species is confined to South Africa's Limpopo province. This even topped
by Tanzania, where three distinct species occur!
Citations
Uwe Fritz, Alice Petzold, Christian
Kehlmaier, Carolin Kindler, Patrick Cambell, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr &
William R. Branch. Disentangling the Pelomedusa
complex using type specimens and historical DNA (Testudines: Pelomedusidae). Zootaxa, 3795 (5): 501%u2013522
Alice Petzold, Mario
Vargas-Ramirez, Christian Kehlmaier, Melita Vamberger, William R. Branch, Louis
du Preez, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr, Leon Meyer, Alfred Schleicher, Pavel Široky
& Uwe Fritz Zootaxa. A revision of African helmeted terrapins
(Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa, May 2014