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Mauremys japonica (TEMMINCK & SCHLEGEL, 1835)

IUCN Red List - Mauremys japonica - Least Concern, LR
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Higher TaxaGeoemydidae (Geoemydinae), Testudinoidea, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Japanese Pond Turtle
G: Japanische Sumpfschildkröte 
SynonymEmys vulgaris japonica TEMMINCK & SCHLEGEL 1835: 139
Emys japonica — GRAY 1844: 19
Emys caspica var. japonica — DUMÉRIL 1852: 219
Emys Japonica — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 224
Clemmys japonica — STRAUCH 1862
Cistudo lutaria BOETTGER 1878: 8 (not of LINNAEUS, BELL or SCHNEIDER)
Emys japonica — BOULENGER 1889:106
Clemmys japonica — STEJNEGER 1907: 492
Mauremys japonica — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989: 168
Mauremys japonica — OBST 2003: 17
Mauremys japonica — FELDHAM & PARHAM 2004
Mauremys japonica — GORIS & MAEDA 2004
Mauremys japonica — TTWG 2014
Mauremys japonica — TTWG 2021 
DistributionS Japan (Honshu, Kyoshu, Shikoku)

Type locality: Japan.  
ReproductionOviparous. Exhibits temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) fide Cornejo-Páramo et al. 2020 (and references therein). 
TypesSyntypes: RMNH 3330, 3331, 3332, 3333, 3334, and 6142; and also MNHN-RA 1954. 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (1687 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy partly after STEJNEGER 1907. Wermuth & Mertens 1977: 49 give as publication date TEMMINCK & SCHLEGEL 1833. See Sherborn & Jentink for details on publication dates.

Hybridization: Yasukawa et al. (1992) and Matsuda et al. 2(2024) reported hybrids between Mauremys japonica and Chinemys reevesii. Mauremys japonica has also been reported to hybridize with M. sinensis (OTANI 1995, cited in BUSKIRK et al. 2005). OTANI et al. (1995) reported hybrids between M. japonica and Cuora flavomarginata.

Reference: Though the title page of the original description bears the date 1838, Volume III was issued in several parts, each with consecutively numbered pages and separately numbered plates. According to Stejneger 1907, Herpet. Japan. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. Washington, D.C. 58:542-543, Chelonii (pp. 1-80, pls. 1-9) appeared in 1835; Ophidii (pp. 81-93, pls. 1-10) appeared in 1837, and Saurii et Batrachii (pp. 85-144, pls. 1-8) appeared in 1838. See also Sherborn and Jentink 1895, Proc. Zool. Soc. London:149-150.]

Habitat: freshwater (Rivers, swamps, ponds) 
EtymologyNamed after the type locality. 
References
  • BARTH, Dana; DETLEF BERNHARD; GUIDO FRITZSCH & UWE FRITZ 2004. The freshwater turtle genus Mauremys (Testudines, Geoemydidae) — a textbook example of an east–west disjunction or a taxonomic misconcept? Zoologica Scripta 33 (3): 213–221 - get paper here
  • Becker, H. 2003. Bemerkungen zur Haltung und Zucht der Japanischen Sumpfschildkröte Mauremys japonica (TEMMINCK & SCHLEGEL 1835). Draco 4 (13): 66-72 - get paper here
  • Boettger, O. 1879. Studien über neue oder wenig bekannte Eidechsen l. Jahresbericht des Offenbacher Vereins für Naturkunde, (17-18):1-12 [1878]
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1889. Catalogue of the chelonians, rhynchocephalians, and crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History). British Museum, London, 311 pp. - get paper here
  • Bour, R. 2008. Global diversity of turtles (Chelonii; Reptilia) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595:593–598 - get paper here
  • Buskirk, J.R.; J.F. Parham & C.R. Feldman 2005. On the hybridisation between two distantly related Asian turtles (Testudines: Sacalia x Mauremys). Salamandra 41 (1-2): 21-26 - get paper here
  • Cornejo-Páramo, P., Lira-Noriega, A., Ramírez-Suástegui, C. et al. 2020. Sex determination systems in reptiles are related to ambient temperature but not to the level of climatic fluctuation. BMC Evol Biol 20: 103 - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M.C., G. BIBRON & A. DUMÉRIL 1854. Erpétologie générale ou Histoire Naturelle complète des Reptiles. Vol. 9. Paris, XX + 440 S. - get paper here
  • Duméril, A.H.A. 1852. Description des reptiles nouveaux ou imparfaitement connus de la collection du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, et remarques sur la classification et les charactéres des reptiles. Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris, 6: 209-264. - get paper here
  • Ernst,C.H. and Barbour,R.W. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. - London
  • Feldman, C. R. & Parham, James Ford 2004. Molecular Systematics of Old World Stripe-Necked Turtles (Testudines: Mauremys). Asiatic Herpetological Research 10: 28-37 - get paper here
  • Goris, R.C. & Maeda, N. 2004. Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Japan. Krieger, Malabar, 285 pp.
  • Gray, J.E. 1844. Catalogue of Tortoises, Crocodilians, and Amphisbaenians in the Collection of the British Museum. British Museum (Natural History), London. viii + 80 p. - get paper here
  • HU, Qiping; HUANG Chengxin, XU Shuru, ZHANG Qiuming, MA Ning, ZHONG Hanming 2013. Primary Phylogenies of Mauremys guangxiensis and Mauremys iversoni Inferred from DNA Sequences of Mitochondrial ND4 Gene and Nuclear c-mos Gene. Sichuan Journal of Zoology 32 (2): 180-186 - get paper here
  • KAGAYAMA, S 2020. Mauremys japonica (Japanese Pond Turtle). Injury. Herpetological Review 51: 111.
  • Kagayama, Shawichi K 2022. Life History Stage and Sex-specific Survival Rates for the Japanese Pond Turtle, Mauremys japonica, in the Foothill Region of Chiba Prefecture, Japan Current Herpetology Feb 2022 Vol. 41, No. 1: 138-146 - get paper here
  • Kagayama, Shawichi; Akira Shimofuji, Kaiya Ohtake, Shinichiro Shishikura, Daiichi Ogano & Masami Hasegawa 2021. Changes in Population Structure of the Freshwater Turtle Mauremys japonica Following the Invasion of Feral Raccoon Procyon lotor in the Southern Tip of the Boso Peninsula, Japan. Current Herpetology Feb 2021 Vol. 40, No. 1: 22-39 - get paper here
  • KAGAYAMA, SHAWICHI; RAITA KOBAYASHI, MEGUMI KONDO, MASUMI OZAKI, KENJI MATSUMOTO & TOMOKO NISHIBORI. 2022. MAUREMYS JAPONICA (Japanese Pond Turtle). OVERWINTERING SITE. Herpetological Review 53 (1): 123–124.
  • Matsuda, Y., Kaburagi, S., Kamezaki, N., Ota, H., Takahashi, H., Imazu, T., ... & Kawamura, K. 2024. Density-dependent unidirectional hybridization between the Japanese pond turtle, Mauremys japonica, and the exotic Reeves’ pond turtle, Mauremys reevesii, in Japan, inferred from molecular and morphological analyses. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlae070 - get paper here
  • McDowell, S.B. 1964. Partition of the Genus Clemmys and related problems in the taxonomy of the aquatic Testudinidae. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 143 (2): 239-279. - get paper here
  • Mell,R. 1938. Beiträge zur Fauna Sinica. VI. Aus der Biologie chinesischer Schildkröten. Archiv für Naturgeschichte, N.F., 7 (3): 390-475. - get paper here
  • Obst, F.J. 2003. Sumpfschildkröten. Draco 4 (13): 4-18 - get paper here
  • Okada, Yuki; Takashi Yabe, and Sen-Ichi Oda 2011. Embryonic Development of the Japanese Pond Turtle, Mauremys japonica (Testudines: Geoemydidae). Current Herpetology Dec 2011, Vol. 30, No. 2: 89-102. - get paper here
  • Otani, T. 1995. A possible hybrid between Geoemyda japonica and Cuora flavomarginata obtained in captivity. Akamata 11: 22-24
  • Schilde, M. 2004. Asiatische Sumpfschildkröten - Die Familie Geoemydidae in Südostasien, China und Japan. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 192 pp. - get paper here
  • Sherborn, C.D. and Jentink, F.A. 1895. On the Dates of the Parts of Siebold's ' Fauna Japonica and Giebel's ' Allgemeine Zoologie ' (first edition). Proc. zool. Soc. London 1895: 149-150 - get paper here
  • Stejneger, LEONHARD H. 1907. Herpetology of Japan and adjacent territory. Bull. US Natl. Mus. 58: xx, 1-577 - get paper here
  • Suzuki, Dai; Takashi Yabe, and Tsutomu Hikida 2014. Hybridization between Mauremys japonica and Mauremys reevesii Inferred by Nuclear and Mitochondrial DNA Analyses. Journal of Herpetology 48 (4): 445-454. - get paper here
  • Temminck, C.J., and H. Schlegel. 1835. Vol. III Reptilia. xxii + 144 p., 27 pls. In: P.F. Von Siebold, Fauna Japonica sive Descriptio animalium, quae in itinere per Japonianum, jussu et auspiciis superiorum, qui summum in India Batava Imperium tenent, suscepto, annis 1823-1830 colleget, n J.G. Lalau, Leiden [1838]. [see note in species entry] - 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; 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.). Chelonian Research Monographs 8:1–472. doi:10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021. - get paper here
  • Yasukawa Y; Hikida T 1999. Musculus biceps in Testudines, with special reference to its variation in the family Bataguridae. Journal of Herpetology 33 (3): 487-490 - get paper here
  • Yasukawa Y; Kemezaki N & Ichikawa N 1992. On hybrids between Mauremys japonica and Chinemys reevesii [in Japanese]. Japanese Journal of Herpetology 14 (4): 206-207
 
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