Morphological characterization and phylogenetic relationships of Indochinese box turtles—The Cuora galbinifrons complex

Abstract

The members of the Indochinese box turtle complex, namely Cuora galbinifrons, Cuora bourreti, and Cuora picturata, rank the most critically endangered turtle species on earth after more than three decades of over‐harvesting for food, traditional Chinese medicine, and pet markets. Despite advances in molecular biology, species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships, the status of the C. galbinifrons complex remains unresolved due to the small number of specimens observed and collected in the field. In this study, we present analyses of morphologic characters as well as mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data to reconstruct the species boundaries and systematic relationships within the C. galbinifrons complex. Based on principal component analysis (PCA) and statistical analysis, we found that phenotypic traits partially overlapped among galbinifrons, bourreti, and picturata, and that galbinifrons and bourreti might be only subspecifically distinct. Moreover, we used the mitochondrial genome, COI, and nuclear gene Rag1 under the maximum likelihood criteria and Bayesian inference criteria to elucidate whether C. galbinifrons could be divided into three separate species or subspecies. We found strong support for a sister relationship between picturata and the other two species, and consequently, we recommend maintaining picturata as a full species, and classifying bourreti and galbinifrons as subspecies of C. galbinifrons. These findings provide evidence for a better understanding of the evolutionary histories of these critically endangered turtles.

Phylogeography of the endangered “eyed” turtles (genus Sacalia) and the discovery of a lineage derived from natural interspecific hybridization

“…It is recommended to delimit species, publish new species, and conduct taxonomic revisions following certain conditions and different approaches (Liu, 2016). From the perspective of taxonomic operability, on the premise of sufficient phylogenetic evidence, the discontinuity or statistical discontinuity of two or more independent morphological traits between populations could be used as the preferred basis for judging species status, so that others can readily distinguish species (Hong, 2016; Liu et al, 2019).…”

Characterization of the In Vitro Cultured Ovarian Cells in the Asian Yellow Pond Turtle (Mauremys mutica)

“…However, investigation on female germline (oogonial) stem cells is still very new and conducted in limited turtle species [ 16 ]. Moreover, over the past 30 years, numerous turtles have become highly endangered because of excessive exploitation for the pet trade or medicinal and edible purposes [ 17 , 18 ], together with low hatching success rate in the wild and low fertilization success rate in captivity. Therefore, studies on ovarian cell lineage of turtles would increase the understanding on the process of ovary development, and provide some new strategies for species genetic conservation.…”