Title
Malayemys subtrijuga (Schlegel and Müller 1845) - Mekong Snail-Eating Turtle
Author(s)
Dawson, Jeffrey E.;Ihlow, Flora;Platt, Steven G.
Published
2020
Publisher
Chelonian Research Monographs
Abstract
The Mekong Snail-eating Turtle, Malayemys subtrijuga (family Geoemydidae), is a small (carapace length typically under 200 mm, but reaching up to 236 mm) freshwater turtle inhabiting wetlands, rice fields, and other seasonal lowland habitats in Southeast Asia. The species has an unusual distribution: a disjunct population on the island of Java in Indonesia, which could be either a centuries-old anthropogenic introduction or a naturally occurring relict, and an extensive occurrence across the lower Mekong River drainage of the southeastern Indochinese Peninsula. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism in body size, with females growing considerably larger than males. Individuals have enlarged heads and other specializations for a diet consisting largely of molluscs. Clutches of up to 10 eggs are laid during the dry season (December–March in Cambodia), and incubation is timed so that hatchlings emerge at the beginning of the wet season. Many aspects of the species’ natural history remain poorly known. Although considerable habitat is available, populations throughout the species’ distributional range appear to have declined as a result of exploitation. Reduction in the level of collection and additional research and management are needed for the conservation of this species.

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PUB25886