Title
Noteworthy records of chelonians from the Chindwin River basin and Naga Hills of western Myanmar
Author(s)
Platt, S. G.;Platt, K.;Myo, K. M.;Moe, K.;Soe, M. M.;Naing, T. Z.;Lin, N.;Rainwater, T. R.
Published
2013
Publisher
Herpetological Conservation and Biology
Abstract
The chelonian fauna of myanmar remains one of the least studied in asia, and acquiring basic distributional data is an essential prerequisite for effective conservation planning. To this end, we investigated the occurrence, exploitation, and conservation status of chelonians in the chindwin river basin and Naga hills of western myanmar during february-March 2012 and 2013. During this survey, we obtained specimen-based records of Burmese star tortoise (Geochelone platynota), yellow or elongated tortoise (indotestudo elongata), myanmar Brown leaf turtle (Cyclemys fusca), Burmese Black turtle (Melanochelys trijuga edeniana), and Keeled Box turtle (Cuora mouhotii). A G. platynota carapace that we obtained at Kani represents a significant northwards range extension and is the only documented occurrence of this tortoise from the west bank of the chindwin river. Our specimens of i. elongata and M. Trujuga edeniana constitute the first records of either species from the chindwin river basin. our specimens of C. Fusca fill a distributional hiatus between the chin hills and hukaung valley. The C. mouhotii we examined in the Naga hills are the only post-world war ii records of this turtle in myanmar and represent a significant eastward range extension from neighboring assam, india. We found no evidence of a commercially-driven harvest of chelonians in western myanmar. However, opportunistic subsistence harvesting is widespread in agricultural landscapes along the chindwin river and occurring at levels that are probably unsustainable. in the Naga hills where human population density is low, villages are widely scattered, and extensive forested habitat remains, chelonian populations are probably secure, at least for the moment. © 2013. Steven Platt. All Rights Reserved.

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