Partial masquerading and background matching in two Asian box turtle species (<i>Cuora</i> spp.)

Animals living in heterogeneous natural environments adopt different camouflage strategies against different backgrounds, and behavioral adaptation is crucial for their survival. However, studies of camouflage strategies have not always quantified the effect of multiple strategies used together. In the present study, we used a human visual model to quantify similarities in color and shape between the carapace patterns of two Cuora species and their preferred habitats. Our results showed that the color of the middle stripe on the carapace of Cuora galbinifrons (Indochinese box turtle) was significantly similar to the color of their preferred substrates. Meanwhile, the middle stripe on the carapace of C. mouhotii (keeled box turtle) contrasted more with their preferred substrates, and the side stripe matched most closely with the environment. Furthermore, the carapace side stripe of C. galbinifrons and the carapace middle stripe of C. mouhotii highly contrasted with their preferred substrates. We quantified the similarity in shape between the high-contrast stripes of both Cuora species and leaves from their habitats. The carapace middle stripe of C. mouhotii was most similar in shape to leaves from the broad-leaves substrate, and the carapace side stripe of C. galbinifrons was the most similar in shape to leaves from the bamboo-leaves substrate. We determined that these species adopt partial masquerading when their entire carapace is exposed and partially match their background when they semi-cover themselves in leaf litter. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that partial masquerading and background matching improve the camouflage effect of Asian box turtles in their preferred habitats. This is a novel study focusing on the influence of the shape and color of individual carapace segments on reducing detectability and recognition.</p

Hibernation in Reeves’ Turtles (<i>Mauremys reevesii</i>) in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China: Hibernation Beginning and End and Habitat Selection

Hibernation protects turtles from extreme winter conditions. Reeves’ turtle (Mauremys reevesii) is a medium-sized aquatic turtle that lives in freshwater habitats in lowland areas with still or slowly moving water. Currently, little is known regarding its overwintering behavior. In the current study, 20 Reeves’ turtles from the wild were investigated using radiotelemetry in the field to determine the beginning and end dates of, and habitat selected for, hibernation. Hibernation began in late October 2021 and arousal began in March 2022. Reeves’ turtles do not appear to be limited in their selection of suitable hibernation habitats, which included fish ponds, abandoned ponds (ponds not being used for farming), marshes, and abandoned fields (fields not being used for farming). In the aquatic hibernation habitats, only herbage cover was significantly different between the selected and random habitats (t = 2.525, df = 9, p = 0.033). In the terrestrial hibernation habitats, there were significant differences in the canopy (Z = −2.201, p = 0.028), slope gradient (Z = −2.032, p = 0.042), herbage cover (Z = −2.379, p = 0.017), and distance from the habitat edge (Z = −2.524, p = 0.012) between the selected and random habitats. This indicates that Reeves’ turtles prefer to hibernate at the soft edges of flat habitats with low canopy and high herbage cover when hibernating in terrestrial habitats and prefer to hibernate at sites with high herbage cover when hibernating in aquatic habitats. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate hibernation in wild Reeves’ turtles in the field, and the results identify key ecological variables correlated with habitat selection during hibernation. This knowledge could inform local conservation measures related to farming activities

Habitat Selection and Home Range of Reeves’ Turtle (<i>Mauremys reevesii</i>) in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China

Habitat selection and range are crucial factors in understanding the life history of species. We tracked 23 adult wild Reeves’ turtles (Mauremys reevesii) from August 2021 to August 2022 in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China, to study their habitat selection, home range, and the characteristics of chosen habitats. Significant differences were observed in aquatic habitats, regarding shelter cover (Z = −6.032, p Z = −6.783, p Z = −2.009, p = 0.045), and distance from the edge (Z = −4.288, p Z = −2.100, p = 0.036), herbage cover (Z = −2.347, p = 0.019), distance from the field edge (Z = −2.724, p = 0.006), dead grass cover (Z = −2.921, p = 0.003), and dead grass thickness (t = 3.735, df = 17, p = 0.002) between the selected and random habitats. The mean home range area observed for this turtle population was 14.34 ± 4.29 ha, the mean core home range was 2.91 ± 2.28 ha, and the mean line home range was 670.23 ± 119.62 m. This study provides valuable information on this endangered species, providing a foundation for the development of conservation plans

DNA barcoding revises a misidentification on mossy frog: new record and distribution extension of <i>Theloderma corticale</i> Boulenger, 1903 (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae)

<p>As an endangered animal group, mossy frog (genus <i>Theloderma</i>) has attracted the attention of biologists and wildlife conservationists. Clarifying the taxonomic status and distribution of each species in <i>Theloderma</i> is important to determine the conservation status for each species, establish appropriate conservation strategies and probe the speciation process. Recently, we discovered a medium-sized species of mossy frog of the genus <i>Theloderma</i> in April 2015 during municipal surveys of amphibians in Dayao Mountain of Jinxiu. It was collected from the water-filled tree cavities. However, there remains some uncertainty about the species determination of the mossy frog in the Yinshan station of Dayao Mountain in Guangxi Province, China. Previously, the mossy frog in Guangxi Province was recognized as <i>Th. kwangsiense</i>. In order to clarify the species status of the mossy frog obtained from Guangxi, we sequenced 2414 bp of the 12S and 16S genes in the sample collected from the Dayao Mountain. Combining all the sequence in NCBI, genetic analyses from the data suggest that the sample from the Dayao Mountain is <i>Th. corticale</i> rather than <i>Th. kwangsiense</i>. It is most likely that the most previous studies had wrong species identification. And, it is the first time we use DNA barcoding to prove that the species obtained from Guangxi is a new distribution of <i>Th. corticale</i>.</p