Preliminary Survey on the Turtle Community in a Lotic Environment of the Kizu River

概要

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A mark-recapture study was conducted for turtles of the Kizu River, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, from 1999 to 2002. We captured 179 individuals and recorded 745 recaptures, involving four species (Chinemys reevesii, Mauremys japonica, Trachemys scripta elegans, and Pelodiscus sinensis) and the hybrid between C. reevesii and M. japonica. Of these, C. reevesii occupied 63% of the whole sample in individual number. In all four microhabitats (main stream, branch, pools, and irrigation canal), this species was most dominant. In both C. reevesii and M. japonica, females were significantly larger than males in carapace length and body mass. Analysis of age structure suggested that females live longer than males in these two species, as well as in T. scripta elegans. The movement distance estimated from recaptured turtles did not differ between sexes in any species with the maximum distance being 675 m, 375 m, and 734 m in C. reevesii, M. japonica, and T. scripta elegans, respectively. Species composition of the turtle community in the present study site distinctly differed from that in a nearby (<2 km) lentic habitat, where M. japonica was reported to be dominant. Such difference in species composition may reflect the difference in habitat preference between C. reevesii and M. japonica.
日本爬虫両棲類学会の論文