Apalone

Abstract: Despite considerable attention that other groups of reptiles have received, few descriptions of the development and sequences of chondrification and ossification of the entire skeleton of turtles exist. Herein, the adult skeleton of the spiny softshell turtle, Apalone spinifera (Testudines: Trionychidae), is described; this description forms a basis of comparison for the embryonic skeleton and its ontogenesis. Descriptions are made on the basis of cleared and double-stained embryos and dry skeletal postembryonic specimens. The embryonic chondrocranium of A. spinifera is described and compared to those of Emys orbicularis and Caretta caretta, the sequence of chondrification of fore- and hindlimbs are compared with published descriptions of Chelydra serpentina and Chrysemys picta, and the sequence of ossification of elements is compared with those of C. serpentina, Lacerta vivipara, and Alligator mississippiensis. In A. spinifera, the first elements that ossify (Stage 17) are associated with the dermatocranium and mandible, followed by elements of the dermal skull table, lower jaw, and dermal elements of the plastron. In A. spinifera, the sequence of chondrification of limb elements is similar to that of C. serpentina; however, the sequence of ossification varies greatly among Apalone, Chelydra, Lacerta, and Alligator.

Abstract: The pet-turtle market has grown in recent years and become an important pathway for the introduction of alien species in Europe. The import of Trachemys scripta elegans has been banned by European Commission Regulation due to its species’ expanding territory and negative impact on native species. Since the demand from hobby breeders persists, however, blocking imports of this popular subspecies opens up the possibility for the introduction of other potentially invasive turtles. We determined those turtle species most common in the pet trade within the Czech Republic, which is the most important producer, importer and exporter of ornamental aquatic animals in the EU. The determination of establishment risk for the EU as a whole was then individually evaluated for turtle species based on known establishment models. Chelydra serpentina , Apalone spinifera , Apalone mutica , and Sternotherus odoratus were considered most problematic, because these species have serious establishment risk and are imported to the EU in substantial numbers. Also localities in the EU were identified where probability is highest for establishment of non-native turtles.

Abstract: Much of the demand for turtle meat in North America and Europe during the past four centuries has been met using green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and other marine turtles. As stocks of marine turtles dwindled, harvest of the alligator snapping turtle (Macroclemys temminckii), the largest freshwater turtle in North America, increased in the south-eastern USA. As a result, this species has declined and is now protected in every state of the USA except Louisiana. There is concern that the remaining legal trade in turtle products may serve as a cover for illegally harvested species. To assess the composition of species in commerce, we purchased 36 putative turtle meat products in Louisiana and Florida. Using cytochrome b and control region sequences of the mitochondrial genome, we identified 19 samples as common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), three as Florida softshell (Apalone ferox), one provisionally as softshell turtle (Apalone sp.), one as alligator snapping turtle, and eight as American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). It appears that M. temminckii is no longer the predominant species in markets of Louisiana. The presence of alligator meat in a quarter of the samples indicates that the trade in turtle products is not entirely legitimate. As is often the case for unsustainable wildlife harvests, large, esteemed species, such as green turtle and alligator snapper, have been replaced by smaller, more-abundant or mislabelled species, a phenomenon we refer to as the mock turtle syndrome.