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Cyclemys atripons IVERSON & MCCORD, 1997

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Higher TaxaGeoemydidae (Geoemydinae), Testudinoidea, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: (Western) Black-Bridged Leaf Turtle, Striped Leaf Turtle
G: Gestreifte Dornrandschildkröte 
SynonymCyclemys atripons IVERSON & MCCORD 1997
Cyclemys atripons — LEHR & HOLLOWAY 2003
Cyclemys atripons — FRITZ et al. 2009
Cyclemys atripons — TTWG 2014
Cyclemys atripons — TTWG 2021
Cyclemys atripons — TTWG 2025 
DistributionSE Thailand and adjacent Cambodia, Vietnam (Annam, Kien Giang)

Type locality: Kao Kuap, Trat (SE Thailand)  
Reproductionoviparous. 
TypesHolotype: USNM 81865, dried shell of a female with limbs but no head 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Adult: Shell ovoid to heart-shaped; in aged adults elongated. Femoral mid-seam shorter than or equal to anal mid-seam; anal notch small to wide and acute-angled to obtuse-angled. Plastron mainly or entirely yellow; if a radiat- ing dark plastral pattern is present, it consists of few thin black lines on each scute. A similar radiating pattern may occur on the light brown carapace. Bridge in some aged adults solid black. Top of the head with small dark specks; temporal region and neck with wide yellow to salmon stripes; underside of the neck with wide yellow to salmon stripes or unpatterned light coloured; throat unpatterned light coloured. Morphological distinction from C. pulchristriata is difficult. Hatchling (Fig. 9): Plastron mainly yellow, with few large black spots; ocellate pattern at submarginal seams; light head and neck stripes wide, throat light coloured. Hatchlings of C. atripons and C. pulchristriata are very similar and cannot be reliably distinguished. For maximum size and comparison with diagnostic characters of other species, see Table 3 in Fritz et al. 2008: 10. 
CommentCyclemys atripons and Cyclemys pulchristriata have been described almost simultaneously. FRITZ et al. (2001) provide evidence that they are not conspecific although they are very similar. Cyclemys atripons and C. pulchristriata are morphologically indistinguishable, but are genetically paraphyletic with respect to C. dentata. Morphologically, both species are so similar that reliable species determination is only possible when genetic markers are used (FRITZ et al. 2008).

Habitat: freshwater (Rivers, swamps)

Distribution: see map in TTWG 2025. 
References
  • Bour, R. 2008. Global diversity of turtles (Chelonii; Reptilia) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595:593–598 - get paper here
  • Burne, Chris 2012. Keeping and breeding of the Cambodian Black Bridged Leaf Turtle, Cyclemys atripons Iverson & McCord, 1997 in New Zealand. Radiata (English Edition). 21 (4): 24-29
  • Chan-ard, T., Parr, J.W.K. & Nabhitabhata, J. 2015. A field guide to the reptiles of Thailand. Oxford University Press, NY, 352 pp. [see book reviews by Pauwels & Grismer 2015 and Hikida 2015 for corrections] - get paper here
  • FRITZ, U., D. GUICKING, M. WINK & E. LEHR 2001. Sind Cyclemys atripons IVERSON & MCCORD, 1997 und Cyclemys pulchristriata FRITZ, GAULKE & LEHR, 1997 identisch? Sauria 23 (2): 33-38 - get paper here
  • Fritz, U.; D Guicking, M Auer, R. S Sommer, M Wink, A. K Hundsdörfer 2008. Diversity of the Southeast Asian leaf turtle genus Cyclemys: how many leaves on its tree of life? Zoologica Scripta doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2008.00332. - get paper here
  • Fritz,U., Gaulke,M. & Lehr,E. 1997. Revision der südostasiatischen Dornschildkröten-Gattung Cyclemys Bell 1834, mit Beschreibung einer neuen Art. Salamandra 33 (3): 183-212 - get paper here
  • Grismer, L.L., Neang, T., Chav, T. & Grismer, J.L. 2008. Checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of the Cardamom region of Southwestern Cambodia. Cambodian Journal of Natural History 2008(1): 12–28 - get paper here
  • Iverson,J.B. & McCord,W.P. 1997. A new species of Cyclemys (Testudines: Bataguridae). Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 110 (4): 629-639 - get paper here
  • Lehr, E. & Holloway, R. 2003. Turtle trade in Cambodia. Reptilia (GB) (30): 64-71 - get paper here
  • Lourenço, João M.; Julien Claude, Nicolas Galtier, Ylenia Chiari 2011. Dating cryptodiran nodes: Origin and diversification of the turtle superfamily Testudinoidea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62 (1): - get paper here
  • Nguyen LT, Lam NQ, Carney J, Hoang HV, McCormack TE.M, Nguyen TT, Nguyen SN 2020. First record of Western Black-Bridged Leaf Turtle, Cyclemys atripons Iverson & McCord, 1997 (Testudines, Geoemydidae), in Vietnam. Check List 16(3): 571-577 - get paper here
  • Nguyen, S.V., Ho, C.T. and Nguyen, T.Q. 2009. Herpetofauna of Vietnam. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 768 pp.
  • Schilde, M. 2003. Die Dornschildkröten der Gattung Cyclemys BELL, 1834. Draco 4 (13): 37-42 - get paper here
  • Schilde, M. 2004. Asiatische Sumpfschildkröten - Die Familie Geoemydidae in Südostasien, China und Japan. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 192 pp. - get paper here
  • SOM, SITHA; STEVEN G. PLATT, NATHAN A. HAISLIP & THOMAS R. RAINWATER. 2021. CYCLEMYS ATRIPONS (Black-bridged Leaf Turtle). REPRODUCTION. Herpetological Review 52 (2): 389–390. - get paper here
  • Stuart, B.; Sok, K. & Neang, T. 2006. A collection of amphibians and reptiles from hilly Eastern Cambodia. Raffles Bull. Zool. 54 (1): 129-155 - get paper here
  • Stuart, Bryan L.; Fritz, Uwe. 2008. Historical DNA from museum type specimens clarifies diversity of Asian leaf turtles (Cyclemys). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 94(1):131-141 - get paper here
  • TTWG [Peter Paul van Dijk, John B. Iverson, Anders G.J. Rhodin, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Roger Bour] 2014. Turtles of the World, 7th Edition: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution with Maps, and Conservation Status. 000.v7. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v7.2014 - get paper here
  • TTWG [TURTLE TAXONOMY WORKING GROUP: RHODIN, A.G.J., IVERSON, J.B., FRITZ, U., GALLEGO-GARCÍA, N., GEORGES, A., SHAFFER, H.B., AND VAN DuK, P.P.]. 2025. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (10th Ed.). In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., van Dijk, P.P., Stanford, C.B., Goode, E.V., Buhlmann, K.A., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 10:1-575 - get paper here
  • TTWG; Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R., Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B., and van Dijk, P.P. 2021. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.). In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., van Dijk, P.P., Stanford, C.B., Goode, E.V., Buhlmann, K.A., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 8:1–472. doi:10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021. - get paper here
  • Tuniyev, S. B.; A. Avcı, B. S. Tuniyev, A. L. Agasian, L. A. Agasian 2013. Description of a New Species of Shield-Head Vipers - Pelias olguni sp. nov. from Basin of Upper Flow of the Kura River in Turkey. Russ. J. Herpetol. 19 (4): 314-332 - get paper here
 
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