Hickatee
Hickatee | |
---|---|
In the Prague Zoo | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Family: | Dermatemydidae |
Genus: | Dermatemys Gray, 1847[3] |
Species: | D. mawii
|
Binomial name | |
Dermatemys mawii | |
Synonyms[8] | |
The hickatee (Dermatemys mawii) or in Spanish tortuga blanca ('white turtle'), also called the Central American river turtle,
In the culture of the
This has prompted Western conservationists to declare this use unsustainable, and that the turtle is now '
Although in the 1990s scientists dismissed breeding this species as impracticable, it is now known they can reproduce in even quite poor waters, and as a generalist herbivorous species fodder costs are low. Much has been discovered regarding their animal husbandry, with some US scientists now musing that commercial breeding might be cost effective using experimental polyculture systems with the turtles as a secondary income source. The Mexican government already stimulated the farming of this species in the 2000s, there are now likely a few thousand kept in captivity there. The health of these captive animals is not ideal, and the success of these operations is unclear.
Taxonomy
Dermatemys mawii is the only living species in the family Dermatemydidae.[10] Its closest relatives are only known from fossils with some 19 genera described from a worldwide distribution in the Jurassic and Cretaceous.[citation needed]
Etymology
The specific name, mawii, is in honour of the collector of the type specimen, Lieutenant Mawe of the British Navy.[11]
This species is usually vernacularly called tortuga blanca in Spanish, because it can be readily distinguished when prepared as food. When the meat of this turtle is cooked, it turns a white colour, unlike the more common turtle meat (
Genetics
Many species sharing a similar distribution have
Although most haplotypes were relatively closely related, there was one highly divergent haplotype which only showed up in four samples from Sarstún and Salinas, divergent enough to represent a possible new hyper-critically endangered
This 2013 study found no sign of a recent bottleneck in the fifteen locations sampled, indicating that harvesting going for the past half century had not yet had an effect on genomic diversity, possibly a long generation time and delayed sexual maturity of D. mawii buffering against loss of genetic diversity despite population size reduction. The Sarstún and Salinas populations in general were not strongly differentiated from the neighbouring populations, but the four individuals from Sarstún and Salinas with divergent mitochondria did have divergent
The overall pattern is completely different in the alligator snapping turtle (
The 2013 study concluded that as there was evidence of substantial genetic mingling the species was best regarded as a single cohesive 'management unit' for conservation purposes,[14] as opposed to Vogt et al. in 2011.[9] The sample size of the individuals with the 1D mitochondria was too small to calculate insofar they represent a taxonomically relevant cryptic species.[14]
Description
D. mawii It is a relatively large-bodied species, with historical records of 60 cm (24 in) straight
Adult males can often be differentiated from females by yellow (although sometimes cream or reddish-brown) markings on the top of their heads, as opposed to the uniformly dull-coloured heads of females,[15] and longer, thicker tails.
Distribution
D. mawii lives in Atlantic-draining larger rivers and lakes in Central America, from southern
In Guatemala the species occurs from southern and central
Ecology
D. mawii is a
The most significant predator is the otter (
The crocodiles
D. mawii hosts a number of specialised
On a turtle farm in Veracruz it was noticed that turtles kept out of water for any period were highly susceptible to a bacterial lung infection.[9]
Diet
D. mawii is
It feeds during the night, spending most of the day underwater, generally in the deepest parts, usually near or under large branches and likewise, and often half-buried in the mud.[9]
Because leafy vegetables are low-energy foods requiring extensive digestion, and reptiles are
Captured D. mawii will occasionally, however, eat fish. Juveniles in captivity tend to more readily accept animal matter as food which may show that young D. mawii are more apt to be carnivorous.[23]
Reproduction
The exact reproductive season for this species, D. mawii, has been confused in the literature.[24] However, it is possible that a combination of a diapause and variable local reproductive cues is responsible for this. There appears to be a primary breeding season timed with the later part of the rainy season (September to December)[25] and a secondary one at the beginning of the dry season (January to February).[9] The species can lay up to 4 clutches per year with an average of 2–20 eggs per clutch; clutch sizes over 15, however, were not common.[9][25]
As this species often buries its eggs in more than one nests with a rather random spatial distribution within one to three metres along a constantly shifting shoreline, the nests are extremely difficult to locate for humans, and finding eggs is very uncommon.[9] In 1989 and 1990, despite nightly searches by a team during two seasons, only two nests were located. Polisar was never able to witness nesting himself, but three accounts from local hunters had the animals nesting within 1.5 metres from the shoreline.[25]
In 1996 Polisar published that it was quite possible that the turtles nest underwater like the Australian
Interaction with humans
D. mawii has been hunted for food for millennia. Archaeologists have recovered the remains of what appear to be
The turtles were also used for warfare by the Mayans, the carapace being used as a shield by Mayan warriors.[26]
Today the turtle remains much loved as a traditional feast food in the Tabasco community, where it is considered a mark of cultural identity. D. mawii is primarily prepared for the religious festivities of Lent and Semana Santa.[26]
In Belize these turtles are a culturally important food and popularly served as a traditional dish especially around the festivities of Easter, Christmas and La Ruta Maya, which is a canoe race in March attended by many people.[27] A recipe from the 1950s or 1960s advises pouring boiling water over the chopped pieces of hickatee to remove the thin skin, seasoning the meat with thyme, black pepper, onion, garlic and vinegar and letting it marinate overnight, cooking in hot oil, mixing with coconut cream and serving with rice.[28]
In the Petén highlands of Guatemala it is the most esteemed turtle because of its delicious flesh.[12]
Conservation
D. mawii is a heavily exploited turtle; it is primarily harvested for its meat, exploitation of nesting females and their eggs is inconsequential because the nests are extremely hard to find.[29] The species has been overhunted because it is valued by local people as a food, thus the meat fetches good prices.[9]
The turtle is now uncommon from much of its former range in southern Mexico.
Conservation efforts in Belize
The non-governmental conservation organisation the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) has conducted at least two hickatee workshops in Belize in the early 2010s where attendees were taught net capture techniques, measuring captured turtles and recording the information on standard collection sheets.[30]
A countrywide survey of the population in Belize in 1983 and 1984 found that the species was common and abundant in some areas, but declining in population in more human-populated areas. Research in north-central Belize from 1989 through 1991 determined that harvesting rates in human-populated areas were unsustainable. As such, in 1993 the government of Belize instituted a number of new laws meant to control hunting and forbid trade. Hunting was forbidden in a certain closed season, hunters were allowed to bag no more than three turtles, and females above a certain size have to be released. A series of protected zones were established in a number of the major waterways in northern Belize. A 1998 and 1999 survey in north-central Belize found that the species was still common in remote areas, but was also still declining in more populated areas. A 2010 countrywide survey indicated that the population was much the same as in the previous surveys, depressed in human-populated areas, but healthy populations continue to exist in more remote areas. Although there was not much difference between the situation of the population in 2010 compared to the 1980s, there was a general decrease in overall numbers and sighting localities. Interviews with locals indicate the 1993 laws are largely ineffective, hunting continues to be performed with in some areas with hundreds of turtles being caught in small parts of the Belize River, and the traditional Easter dish of the country continues to be served in rural restaurants.[15]
Captive breeding
In 1997 Polisar claimed it was rarely found in
As a generalist herbivore fodder costs are low. However, growth rates are low. In 2011 some US scientists mused that commercial breeding might be cost effective using experimental aquatic polyculture systems with the turtles as a secondary income source, and shrimp as the main crop. The turtles could graze on weeds and grasses, and do not harm the shrimp. A three year pilot study was done in Veracruz, after the pond weeds were consumed the turtles were fed grass clippings, and the turtles reproduced each year.[9]
A project conducted by TSA on Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education property began in early 2011 focused on generating food plants and exploring husbandry details, such as egg laying and incubation. Located in southern Belize along the Bladen River, the 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) property is situated among four protected areas (Bladen Nature Reserve, Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Reserve, Deep River Forest Reserve and Maya Mountain Forest Reserve). The goal of the program was to generate hatchlings and release them for stocking purposes.[15]
As of 2006 it was kept at the following zoos:
Notes
References
- ^ doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T6493A12783921.en. Retrieved 27 October 2022.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Gray JE (1847). "Description of a new Genus of Emydæ". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1847: 55–56. (Dermatemys, new genus, p. 55; Dermatemys Mawii, new species, p. 56).
- ^ Duméril AMC, Bibron G (1851). "Emys areolata, Emys berardii, Cinosternon leucostomum, Cinosternon cruentatum ". In: Duméril AMC, Duméril AHA (1851). Catalogue Methodique de la Collection des Reptiles (Museum d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris). Paris: Gide and Baudry. 224 pp. (in French).
- ^ Cope ED (1868). "An examination of the Reptilia and Batrachia obtained by the Orton expedition to Equador [sic] and the upper Amazon, with notes on other species". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 20: 96–140.
- ^ Gray JE (1870). Supplement to the Catalogue of Shield Reptiles in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises). London: British Museum. 120 pp.
- ^ Werner F (1901). "Neue Reptilien des Königsberger zoologischen Museums ". Zoologischer Anzeiger 24: 297–301. (in German).
- ^ Turtle Taxonomy Working Group [van Dijk PP, Iverson JB, Shaffer HB, Bour R, Rhodin AGJ] (2012). "Turtles of the World, 2012 update: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status". Chelonian Research Monographs (5):, 000.243–000.328, doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v5.2012, [1].
- ^ .
- ^ Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (31 December 2011). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5.
- ^ ISBN 0806130660.
- ^ S2CID 39768099.
- ^ PMID 24086253.
- ^ a b c Rainwater, T.; Pop, T.; Cal, O.; Platt, S.; Hudson, R. (August 2010). "Catalyzing Conservation in Belize for Central America's Imperiled River Turtle" (PDF). Turtle Survival Alliance Magazine. Turtle Survival Alliance. pp. 79–82. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Subsecretaría de Gestión para la Protección Ambiental, Dirección General de Vida Silvestre. pp. 1–42. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ a b García Anleu, Rony; McNab, Roan Balas; Soto Shoender, José; Espejel, Verónica; Moreira, José; Ponce, Gabriela; Ramos, Víctor H.; Oliva, Francisco; González, Eleazar; Tut, Henry; Tut, Kender; Xol, Tono; Xoc, Pedro; Córdova, Marcial; Córdova, Francisco; Morales, Luis (2007). Distribution and ecology of the Central America River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii: Dermatemidae) in the lowland Maya forest, Guatemala (Report). Wildlife Conservation Society–Guatemala Program Internal Report. pp. 1–28. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Platt, Steven G.; Rainwater, Thomas R. (2011). "Predation by Neotropical Otters (Lontra longicaudis) on Turtles in Belize". IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin. 28 (1): 4–10. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Zenteno Ruiz, Claudia Elena (2011). Análisis espacio-temporal del hábitat y presencia de Dermatemys mawii (Gray, 1847) en la Reserva de la Biosfera Pantanos de Centla (Doctorate). El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Villahermosa, Tabasco, México. Docket TE/597.92097263/Z4. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- . Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- JSTOR 2423063.
- ^ PMID 19380155. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Dermatemys mawii (Central American River Turtle)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ISBN 978-0801424502.
- ^ a b c d Polisar, John (1996). "Reproductive biology of a flood-season nesting freshwater turtle of the northern neotropics: Dermatemys mawii in Belize" (PDF). Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 2 (1): 13–15. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ . Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Requena, E.; Lord, J.; Tricone, F. (2017). "Raising national awareness of the hicatee (Dermatemys mawii) and public support for its protection in Belize" (PDF). Toledo Institute for Development and Environment. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ Marty (19 March 2021). "Hicatee". Ambergris Caye Forums - Culture- Food & Recipes. Ambergris Caye Message Board. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
- ^ a b Polisar, J. (1997) Effects of exploitation on Dermatemys mawii populations in northern Belize and conservation strategies for rural riverside villages. in J.V. Abbema (Ed.) Proceedings of the Conservation, Restoration, and Management of Tortoises and Turtles: An International Conference, pp. 441–443
- ^ Rainwater, Thomas. "Finishing up the Hicatee Workshops in Belize". Turtle Survival Alliance blog. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Rangel Mendoza, Judith A.; Weber, Manuel (15 August 2015). "Evaluación del Estado Físico de la Tortuga blanca, Dermatemys mawii, bajo Condiciones de Cautiverio en Tabasco, México" [Physical Examination of Central American River Turtle, Dermatemys mawii, in Captivity in Tabasco, Mexico] (PDF). Agrociencia (in Spanish and English). 49: 499–511. Retrieved 24 November 2021.