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Stuckas, H., Gemel, R., & Fritz, U. (2013). One extinct turtle species less: Pelusios seychellensis is not extinct, it never existed. PLoS ONE, 8(4), e57116.
Added by: Admin (06 Jan 2014 18:25:24 UTC) |
Resource type: Journal Article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057116 BibTeX citation key: Stuckas2013 View all bibliographic details ![]() |
Categories: General Keywords: Pelomedusidae, Pelusios castaneus, Pelusios seychellensis, Schildkröten - turtles + tortoises, Systematik - taxonomy Creators: Fritz, Gemel, Stuckas Collection: PLoS ONE |
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Abstract |
Pelusios seychellensis is thought to be a freshwater turtle species endemic to the island of Mahé, Seychelles. There are only three museum specimens from the late 19th century known. The species has been never found again, despite intensive searches on Mahé. Therefore, P. seychellensis has been declared as “Extinct” by the IUCN and is the sole putatively extinct freshwater turtle species. Using DNA sequences of three mitochondrial genes of the historical type specimen and phylogenetic analyses including all other species of the genus, we provide evidence that the description of P. seychellensis was erroneously based on a widely distributed West African species, P. castaneus. Consequently, we synonymize the two species and delete P. seychellensis from the list of extinct chelonian species and from the faunal list of the Seychelles.
Added by: Admin |