Adanson's mud turtle

Adanson's mud turtle (Pelusios adansonii) is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae. The species is endemic to north-central Africa.[3]

Adanson's mud turtle
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Pleurodira
Family:	Pelomedusidae
Genus:	Pelusios
Species:	P. adansonii
Binomial name
Pelusios adansonii (Schweigger, 1812)[1][2]
Synonyms[2]
Emys adansonii Schweigger, 1812 Chelys (Hydraspis) adamsonii Gray in Griffith & Pidgeon, 1831 (ex errore) Hydraspis adansonii — Gray, 1831 Pentonyx andansonii A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1835 (ex errore) Pelomedusa adansonii — Gray, 1844 Sternotherus adansonii — A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron in A.M.C. Duméril & A.H.A. Duméril, 1851 Sternothaerus adansonii — Gray, 1856 Pentonyx adansonii — Boulenger, 1889 Pelusios adansonii — Schmidt, 1919 Pelusios adansoni Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934 (ex errore) Pelusios adansonii adansonii — Wermuth & Mertens, 1977 Pelusios adansoni adansoni — Obst, 1985

Taxonomy and etymology

August Friedrich Schweigger first described the turtle in 1812, based on remnants found in Senegal by French botanist Michel Adanson, for whom Schweigger named the new species as Emys andansonii.[4][5]

Geographic range

P. adansonii is found in Benin, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, and Sudan.[1] There are at least three distinct populations within the turtle's distribution.[1]

Conservation status

Although Adanson's mud turtle does not seem to be at risk of becoming an endangered species, destruction of its habitat (largely due to farming) and hunting by humans have both reduced its population.[4][6] Hunting by humans persists despite local laws forbidding the activity in some of the countries in which the turtle is found.[4]

Characteristics

Adanson's mud turtle is a medium-sized turtle that lives in freshwater. The turtle's shell can grow up to 238 mm (9.4 in) (straight carapace length) and is known to be sharp and rigid, with dark brown spots and dashes. The ventral part of the shell (plastron) is yellow.[6]

Diet

Adanson's mud turtle is carnivorous.[3] It eats mollusks, fish, and small amphibians.[3]

Reserve

A refuge for Adanson's mud turtle has taken place in the wetland area on the northwest side of Guiers Lake in northern Senegal and it covers about 750 acres (1.17 sq mi). It is the first refuge of its kind that is dedicated to the conservation of Adanson's mud turtle and its nesting and foraging habits. It was created with the help of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA Africa) and the Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection of Senegal.[7]

References

1. Rhodin, Anders G. J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Iverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (2011). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-22.
2. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007-10-31). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on 2010-12-29. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
3. Bour, Roger (30 June 2008). "Pelusios adansonii (Schweigger 1812) – Adanson's Mud Turtle". Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises. Chelonian Research Foundation.
4. "Adanson's Terrapin at Tocc-Tocc Reserve". African Chelonian Institute. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
5. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Pelusios adansonii, pp. 1-2).
6. "Summary – Pelusios adansonii ". IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
7. "Adanson's Mud Terrapin (Pelusios adansonii )". Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.

External links

• Pelusios adansonii (Schweigger 1812) – Adanson's mud turtle
• Data related to Pelusios adansonii at Wikispecies

Further reading

• Schweigger [AF] (1812). "Prodromus Monographia Cheloniorum ". Königsberger Archiv für Naturwissenschaft und Mathematik 1: 271-368, 406-458. (Emys adansonii, new species, pp. 308–309). (in Latin).