Search

Genus Dermochelys Blainville, 1816 (1 species) Dermochelys Blainville, 1816: 111 bis (type species: Testudo coriacea Vandelli, 1761, by subsequent monotypy by Cuvier, 1829: 14; gender feminine)., Published as part of Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore's herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, pp. 1-378 in Zootaxa 5287 (1) on page 71, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7960319

Dermochelys coriacea (Vandellii, 1761) — Visitor. Testudo coriacea Vandelli 1761: 1, 7–9, pl. 2. Holotype: MZP unnumbered (formerly ZMUP), according to Fretey & Bour (1980: 198). Type locality: “maris Tyrrheni oram in agro Laurentiano ” (= Italy); later restricted to “ Palermo, Sicily ”, Italy by Smith & Taylor (1950a: 315, 1950b: 13); later restricted to “la côte romaine (Italie), Mer Tyrrhénienne, Méditerranée occidentale” (= Italy) by Fretey & Bour (1980: 198); later restricted to “Laurentum, between Lido di Ostia and Tor Paterno, shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy ” by Bour & Dubois (1984: 359). Leatherback Turtle (Figure 8E & 8F) Singapore records. Sphargis coriacea — Knight, 1884: 3 (Siglap). Dermochelys coriacea — Flower, 1896: 857.— Hanitsch, 1898: 8.— Flower, 1899: 609.—Ridley, 1899: 205.—Hanitsch, 1908: 37.— Boulenger, 1912: 30 (Singapore Straits).— Hanitsch, 1912b: 14.— Sharma, 1973: 234.— Gremli, 1988: 62.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 56.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 135, 151.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—E.K. Chua, 2007b: 28.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2007: 119.—P.K.A. Ng, 2009: 25.—T.H. Ng & K.K.P. Lim, 2010: 119.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2010: 158.—L.M. Chou, 2011: 77.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 362. Dermatochelys [sic] coriacea —Ridley, 1899: 188 (Tanjong Katong). Remarks. Dermochelys coriacea is known from Singapore from a single specimen collected on 14 December 1883 by Skinner at Siglap (Fig. 8E) who discovered locals trying to encourage it from the beach back into the sea (Knight 1884). The records from Singapore Straits in Boulenger (1912) and Tanjong Katong in Ridley (1899) both refer to the same specimen. The only other record of D. coriacea in Singapore is from CAS 22249 whose catalogue notes state it was purchased from Turtox, a general biological supply company; thus, the locality may be unreliable. Although not collected in Singapore’s waters, another specimen was found trapped in a damaged fish trap at Kampung Batu Jawa, Johor Bahru, Malaysia on 11 March 1905 (Kloss 1907). TTWG (2021) does not include Singapore in the nesting or foraging range of D. coriacea, but includes Malaysia under nesting distribution. Terengganu, Malaysia was renowned for its gathering of nesting D. coriacea (Moll 1976) with 37,654 sightings being recorded between 1967 and 1976 (Chua 1988). Regrettably, the nesting population has since collapsed from a total of 10,000 nests in 1956 to 100 nests by 1995 (Chan & Liew 1996). The movement patterns of these turtles are unknown, but given Terengganu’s proximity to Singapore, we suspect D. coriacea forages in or transits through Singapore’s waters. Occurrence. Visitor. Rare. Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated. Conservation priority. Lowest. IUCN conservation status. Vulnerable [2013]. LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Siglap: ZRC.2.179 (14-Dec-1883). Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): CAS. Singapore localities. Siglap*., Published as part of Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore's herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, pp. 1-378 in Zootaxa 5287 (1) on pages 71-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7960319, {"references":["Fretey, J. & Bour, R. (1980) Redecouverte du type de Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli) (Testudinata, Dermochelyidae). Bollettino di Zoologia, 47, 193 - 205. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 11250008009440336","Bour, R. & Dubois, A. (1984) Nomenclatural availability of Testudo coriacea Vandelli, 1761: a case against a rigid application of the rules to old, well-known zoological works. Journal of Herpetology, 17 (4), 356 - 361. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 1563588","Knight, V. (1884) Annual reports on the Raffles Library and Museum. Straits Settlements: Annual Reports for the Year 1882. Published by Authority, Singapore, pp. 1 - 4.","Flower, S. S. (1896) Notes on a collection of reptiles and batrachians made in the Malay Peninsula in 1895 - 96; with a list of the species recorded from that region. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1896 (4), 856 - 914, pls. 44 - 46.","Hanitsch, R. (1898) Annual report of the curator and librarian on the Raffles Library and Museum, for the Year Ending 31 st December, 1897. In: Straits Settlements, Annual Reports for the Year 1898. Published by Authority, Singapore, pp. 11 - 22.","Flower, S. S. (1899 b) Notes on a second collection of reptiles made in the Malay Peninsula and Siam, from November 1896 - September 1898, with a list of the species recorded from those countries. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1899 (4), 600 - 696, pls. 36 - 37.","Boulenger, G. A. (1912) A Vertebrate Fauna of the Malay Peninsula from the Isthmus of Kra to Singapore, Including the Adjacent Islands. Reptilia and Batrachia, Taylor and Francis, London, xiii + 294 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 10813","Hanitsch, R. (1912 b) List of the Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians in the Raffles Museum, Singapore. Raffles Library and Museum, Singapore, 19 pp.","Gremli, M. (1988) Reptile visitors to local coastal waters. The Pangolin, 1 (3), 60 - 62.","Lim, K. K. P. & Lim, F. L. K. (1992) A Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, Singapore, 160 pp.","Chou L. M., Ng, P. K. L. & Lim, K. K. P. (1994) Animalia. In: Wee, Y. C. & Ng, P. K. L. (Eds.), A First Look at Biodiversity in Singapore. National Council on the Environment, Singapore, pp. 70 - 106.","Chua, E. K. (2007 b) Singapore's Splendour: Life on the Edge. Simply Green, Singapore, 184 pp.","Chou, L. M. (2011) Marine Ecosystems. In: Ng, P. K. L., Corlett, R. T. & Tan, H. T. W. (Eds.), Singapore Biodiversity: An Encyclopedia of the Natural Environment and Sustainable Development. Editions Didier Millet and Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, Singapore, pp. 76 - 87.","Kloss, C. B. (1907) Notes on the capture of a rare leathery turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in Johore waters. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 49, 63 - 65.","Chua, T. H. (1988) Nesting population and frequency of visits in Dermochelys coriacea in Malaysia. Journal of Herpetology, 22 (2), 192 - 207. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 1563998","Chan, E. H. & Liew, H. C. (1996) Decline of the leatherback population in Terengganu, Malaysia, 1956 - 1995. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 2, 196 - 203."]}

Non-crocodylian reptiles have hearts with a single ventricle, which is partially separated by a muscular ridge that provide some separation of blood flows. An exceptional situation exists in monitor lizards and pythons, where the ventricular left side generates a much higher systolic blood pressure than the right side, thus resembling mammals and birds. This functional division of the ventricle depends on a large muscular ridge and may relate to high metabolic demand. The large leatherback turtle (

Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli 1761:2) Holotype: MZP unnumbered, identified as holotype by Fretey & Bour (1980:198); see also Rhodin & Smith (1982), Bour & Dubois (1984), and Smith & Rhodin (1986) Testudo arcuata Catesby 1771:40 Holotype: Not designated (Pritchard 1980:1). Testudo lyra Lacepède 1788:111 Holotype: Not located (Pritchard 1980:1); possibly in MNHN; type illustrated in the original description (opp. p. 111). Testudo lyra Bonnaterre 1789:22 Holotype: Not located (Pritchard 1980:1); possibly in MNHN; type illustrated in the original description (opp. p. 111). Testudo tuberculata Pennant in Schoepff 1801:123 Holotype: Not located (Pritchard 1980:1); type illustrated in the original description (Pl. XXVIII) and Pennant (1771:Pl. X, Fig. 4) Chelonia lutaria Rafinesque 1814:66 Holotype: Not designated (Pritchard 1980:1). Sphargis mercurialis Merrem 1820:19 Holotype: Not designated (Pritchard 1980:1). Dermatochelys porcata Wagler 1830:ExPl. Tab., Fig. 1 Holotype: Not designated. Testudo coriacea marina Ranzini 1832:3 Holotype: Not located; illustrated in the original description (Pl. IV). Sphargis coriacea schlegelii Garman 1884:303 Holotype: Not designated; erroneously based on Plates 1 and 2 of Siebold’s (1826) Fauna Japonica according to (Pritchard 1980:1); actually based on the specimen illustrated in Temminck & Schegel (1834:Pl. I to III), and Plate I was designated lectotype by TTWG (2021:102). Sphargis angusta Philippi 1899:730 Holotype: MHNHC 1515 (Ortiz & Nuñez 1986:7; see also Pritchard 1980:1)., Published as part of Iverson, John B., 2022, A review of Chelonian type specimens (order Testudines), pp. 1-85 in Megataxa 7 (1) on pages 19-20, DOI: 10.11646/megataxa.7.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5964441, {"references":["Fretey, J. & Bour, R. (1980) Redecouverte du type de Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli) (Testudinata, Dermochelyidae). Bollettino di Zoologia, 47, 193 - 205. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 11250008009440336","Rhodin, A. G. J. & Smith, H. M. (1982) The original authorship and type specimen of Dermochelys coriacea. Journal of Herpetology, 16 (3), 316 - 317. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 1563726","Bour, R. & Dubois, A. (1984 [\" 1983 \"]. Nomenclatural availability of Testudo coriacea Vandelli, 1761: A case against a rigid application of the rules to old, well-known zoological works. Journal of Herpetology, 17 (4) (1983), 356 - 361. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 1563588","Smith, H. M. & Rhodin, A. G. J. (1986) Authorship of the scientific name of the leatherback sea turtle. Journal of Herpetology, 20 (3), 450 - 451. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 1564512","Pritchard, P. C. H. (1980) Dermochelys coriacea. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles, 238, 1 - 4.","Lacepede, B. G. E. de. (1788) Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupedes Ovipares et des Serpens. Tome Premier. Hotel de Thou, Paris, 651 pp. [octavo edition, 8 o]. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 5036","Bonnaterre, P. - J. (1789) Tableau Encyclopedique et Methodique des Trois Regnes de la Nature. Erpetologie. Panckoucke, Hotel de Thou, Paris, 70 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 11660","Pennant, T. (1771) An account of two new tortoises; in a letter to Matthew Maty, M. D. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 61, 266 - 273. https: // doi. org / 10.1098 / rstl. 1771.0032","Siebold, P. F. de (1826) De Historiae Naturalis in Japonia Statu, nec non de augment emolumentisque in decursu perscrutationum expectandis. Dissertatio, cui accedunt Spicilegia Faunae Japonicae. Car. Phil. Bonitas, Wirceburgi, 20 pp.","Ortiz, J. C. & Nunez, H. (1986) Catalogo critico de los tipos de reptiles conservados en el Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Santiago, Chile. Publicacion Ocasional Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, 43, 5 - 23."]}

This dataset contains information on the presence and distribution of sea turtles in Togo. Observations were carried out through a network of ten ecoguards (local guides), facilitated by five fishermen, and coordinated by a field technician, all under the supervision of a scientific coordinator. Data on the occurrence or direct observation of sea turtles on the Togolese coast from September 2012 to August 2013 is presented based on 740 occurrences.

Sea turtle hatchlings, in natural abiotic conditions, emerge from their nests at night and go directly to the sea, following the moonlight's reflection in the ocean. Increased human activities such as tourism and artificial lights on the coasts, however, have interfered with the ability of sea turtle neonates to find their correct destination, negatively affecting their survival rates. Here we endeavored to assess the influence of artificial lights on the hatchlings of the sea turtle Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) in the south coast of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. To that end, 10 experiments were conducted with 15 hatchlings/test subjects. Five experiments took place in artificially illuminated areas and five in non-illuminated areas. Circles with a 2 m radius were drawn on the sand a small 2–3 cm depression was made at the center of each circles. The neonates were then placed in the depressions to simulate their coming from a nest. After the neonates crossed the edge of the circles, their tracks were photographed and drawn on a diagram. To ascertain if the trajectories of the neonates differed between the two groups (hatchlings from illuminated versus non-illuminated nests), the Rayleigh test was used. The significance of those differences was tested using ANOVA. To evaluate similarities and significance of clusters, a Multi-Dimensional Scaling was used. The tracks of 86.67% (N = 65) of the hatchlings from nests at illuminated areas departed from their correct trajectory. The distribution of trajectories was considered random (V = 19.4895, p > 0.05) only for tracks originating from artificially illuminated areas. The movement patterns of hatchlings from illuminated and non-illuminated areas differed significantly (F < 0.0001, p < 0.01). Consistent with this, two distinct groups were identified, one from illuminated and one from non-illuminated areas. Therefore, we conclude that artificial illumination impacts the orientation of hawksbill hatchlings. This suggests that in order to protect this species it is necessary to safeguard its nesting areas from artificial lights.

SUMMARYAdult leatherbacks are large animals (300–500 kg), overlapping in size with marine pinniped and cetacean species. Unlike marine mammals, they start their aquatic life as 40–50 g hatchlings, so undergo a 10,000-fold increase in body mass during independent existence. Hatchlings are limited to the tropics and near-surface water. Adults, obligate predators on gelatinous plankton, encounter cold water at depth (

Microscopical investigations of the gut contents of six individuals of Dermochelys coriacea from southern England and the North Sea revealed the presence in all of these of numerous nematocysts, mainly scyphozoan. Only six species of Scyphozoa occur in British shallow waters and in the North Sea, viz., Pelagia noctiluca (Forskål), Chrysaora hysoscella (L.), Aurelia aurita (L.), Cyanea capillata (L.), C. lamarckii (L.) and Rhizostoma octopus (L.). For the purpose of comparison and identification an inventory was made of the cnidom of these six species (based on preserved material). Nematocysts of one or more of these species appeared to be present in each of the turtles, all six species being represented. One of the turtles in addition appeared to have foraged upon the leptomedusa Aequorea spec. Small numbers of siphonophoran nematocysts were also found, but these may represent contaminations taken in with Scyphozoa, many of which feed upon other coelenterates. As the extremely watery diet of leathery turtles implicates the intake of large amounts of excess sea-water, speculations are put forward about the way in which this water is removed. In our view this is mainly done by oral expulsion and not primarily by renal and lachrymal gland excretion. Basing ourselves on the sparse and very rough data available in the literature, we conclude that the amount of organic matter taken in per day by a fully grown leathery turtle (in its eastern North Atlantic seasonal quarters) may be in the order of 2.5 kg per day (not 8-10 kg as suggested by Duron, 1978), standing for an energy intake of about 11.000-16.000 k.cal. The intake of plastics and other indigestable matters, a

Microscopical investigations of the gut contents of six individuals of Dermochelys coriacea from southern England and the North Sea revealed the presence in all of these of numerous nematocysts, mainly scyphozoan. Only six species of Scyphozoa occur in British shallow waters and in the North Sea, viz., Pelagia noctiluca (Forskål), Chrysaora hysoscella (L.), Aurelia aurita (L.), Cyanea capillata (L.), C. lamarckii (L.) and Rhizostoma octopus (L.). For the purpose of comparison and identification an inventory was made of the cnidom of these six species (based on preserved material). Nematocysts of one or more of these species appeared to be present in each of the turtles, all six species being represented. One of the turtles in addition appeared to have foraged upon the leptomedusa Aequorea spec. Small numbers of siphonophoran nematocysts were also found, but these may represent contaminations taken in with Scyphozoa, many of which feed upon other coelenterates. As the extremely watery diet of leathery turtles implicates the intake of large amounts of excess sea-water, speculations are put forward about the way in which this water is removed. In our view this is mainly done by oral expulsion and not primarily by renal and lachrymal gland excretion. Basing ourselves on the sparse and very rough data available in the literature, we conclude that the amount of organic matter taken in per day by a fully grown leathery turtle (in its eastern North Atlantic seasonal quarters) may be in the order of 2.5 kg per day (not 8-10 kg as suggested by Duron, 1978), standing for an energy intake of about 11.000-16.000 k.cal. The intake of plastics and other indigestable matters, a