Black marsh turtle

Black marsh turtle
Black marsh turtle basking
Black marsh turtle regulating body temperature in the sunlight
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Geoemydidae
Genus: Siebenrockiella
Species:
S. crassicollis
Binomial name
Siebenrockiella crassicollis
(Gray, 1831)
Distribution of Siebenrockiella crassicollis.
Synonyms[5]
Genus synonymy[3]
  • Bellia Gray 1869
Species synonymy[4]
  • Emys crassicollis Gray, 1831
  • Emys crassicolis Duméril & Bibron, 1835 (ex errore)
  • Clemmys (Clemmys) crassicollis Fitzinger, 1835
  • Bellia crassicollis Gray, 1869
  • Bellia crassilabris Theobald, 1876 (ex errore)
  • Pangshura cochinchinensis Tirant, 1885
  • Kachuga cochinchinensis Mocquard, 1907
  • Orlitia crassicollis Barbour, 1912
  • Siebenrockiella crassicollis Lindholm, 1929

Siebenrockiella crassicollis (commonly known as black marsh turtle, smiling terrapin, and Siamese temple turtle, among others) is a freshwater turtle endemic to Southeast Asia. It is one of two species classified under the genus Siebenrockiella in the family Geoemydidae.

Black marsh turtles are small to medium-sized turtles that are almost completely black except for white to yellow markings on the head. They are largely aquatic and prefer slow-moving or still bodies of water with heavy vegetation. Black marsh turtles are also commonly kept as pets and as sacred animals in Southeast Asian Buddhist temples.

They are classified as endangered by the IUCN, being one of the several Southeast Asian turtle species heavily exploited for the international wildlife trade, particularly for food and traditional medicine in the Chinese markets.

  1. ^ Horne, B.D.; Kusrini, M.D.; Hamidy, A.; Platt, K.; Guntoro, J.; Cota, M. (2021). "Siebenrockiella crassicollis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T39616A2930856. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T39616A2930856.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference checklist was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference eol was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 248. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. ISSN 1864-5755.