Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica), recorded as Critically Endangered
Yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Yellow pond turtle

Mauremys mutica

The yellow pond turtle, is a medium-sized (to 19.5 cm), semiaquatic turtle in the family Geoemydidae.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Mauremys mutica
CITES
Appendix II
Taxonomy
Testudines · Geoemydidae · Mauremys

Appearance

The yellow pond turtle, is a medium-sized (to 19.5 cm), semiaquatic turtle in the family Geoemydidae. This species has a characteristic broad yellow stripe extending behind the eye and down the neck. The carapace ranges in color from grayish brown to brown, and the plastron is yellow or orange with black blotches along the outer edges.

Range and habitat

This species inhabits ponds, creeks, swamps, marshes, and other bodies of shallow, slow-moving water. It is native to East Asia, ranging from central Vietnam and Laos, north through the coastal provinces of south and central China, with insular populations known from Taiwan, Hainan and the Ryukyu Islands. Although populations in the southern Ryukyus are thought to be native, populations in the northern and central Ryukyus, as well as central Japan, are believed to have been introduced as a result of imports from Taiwan.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

In crisis

The yellow pond turtle is threatened with extinction. China is the largest consumer of turtles in the world, and this trade has been cited as the greatest threat to Asian turtles, among them M. Mutica. The IUCN considers M. Mutica a critically endangered species and it is listed in CITES Appendix II.

Yellow pond turtle is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Yellow pond turtle, Wikidata item Q1499307. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Chinese stripe-necked turtle (Mauremys sinensis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Chinese stripe-necked turtle

Mauremys sinensis
Photograph of Vietnamese pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vietnamese pond turtle

Mauremys annamensis
Photograph of Chinese pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii), recorded as EndangeredEN

Chinese pond turtle

Mauremys reevesii
Photograph of Red-necked pond turtle (Mauremys nigricans), recorded as EndangeredEN

Red-necked pond turtle

Mauremys nigricans

Quick answers

What is Yellow pond turtle?
Yellow pond turtle is a turtle in the family Geoemydidae — Mauremys mutica.
What is the conservation status of Yellow pond turtle?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Mauremys mutica. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Yellow pond turtle live?
It is native to East Asia, ranging from central Vietnam and Laos, north through the coastal provinces of south and central China, with insular populations known from Taiwan, Hainan and the Ryukyu Islands.
Why is Yellow pond turtle in crisis?
Although populations in the southern Ryukyus are thought to be native, populations in the northern and central Ryukyus, as well as central Japan, are believed to have been introduced as a result of imports from Taiwan.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Mauremys mutica?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Yellow pond turtle a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.