Observations in the Natural Habitat
and First Successful Breeding of
Acanthochelys macrocephala
- by H. ARTNER -
Acanthochelys macrocephala occurs from southeastern Bolivia and the Pantanal region of Brazil to the Gran Chaco area of Paraguay (RHODIN et al. 1984, BUSKIRK 1988, IVERSON 1992, VINKE & VINKE 2001). It might be present in the Chaco Austral area of northwestern Argentina as well but this still awaits confirmation. The Gran Chaco in south-central South America comprises approximately 800,000 square kilometers (308,882 square miles) in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Bordered in the north by the Sierra de Santiago in Bolivia and by the Andes in the west, it reaches down to the Sierra de Cordoba in Argentina. Its eastern border is the Rio Paraguay. It is one of the driest areas in South America, especially in its western parts.
Long Term Maintenance
and Breeding of the
Ornate Box Turtle
Terrapene ornata ornata
(AGASSIZ, 1857)
by H. ARTNER
Adults – The maximum size reported so far is 15.4 cm carapace length (6.06"; ERNST et al. 1994). The carapace is rather roundish and wider than in Terrapene carolina. It is mostly flattened on top and dorsally, and usually there is no vertebral keel present. There are no serrations at the rear of the carapace. Its color is brownish to almost totally black with a yellow mid-dorsal stripe. Light lines are radiating out of the scute centers similar to T. carolina bauri. The plastron is equipped with a strong and fully functional hinge between the pectoral and abdominal scutes thus dividing it into two lobes. Similarly to the carapace also the plastron has a pattern of radiating lines on each scute.
Chilling the Eggs During Incubation
as the Key to Successful Breeding of the Annam Leaf Turtle
Mauremys annamensis
(SIEBENROCK, 1903)
- by H. ARTNER -
A breeding report of a group of two males and three females of the Annam Leaf Turtle Mauremys annamensis over
a period of several years is given. Notes on the systematic status of the genus Mauremys are provided followed by a detailed
description of the captive maintenance conditions.
Captive Breeding of
McCord’s Box Turtle
Cuora mccordi ERNST, 1988
- by H. Artner -
Cuora mccordi was described as recently as 1988 on the basis of market/pet trade specimens. There are as yet no reports of the natural occurrence of this species. It may well be that it has already become extinct in its East Asian habitat. The life history of the species is therefore virtually unknown.
Keeping and Breeding the
Yellow-headed Sideneck
Podocnemis cayennensis
(SCHWEIGGER, 1812) over years
- by Harald Artner -
Keeping and breeding of the Yellow-headed Sideneck or Terecay Podocnemis cayennensis in captivity are described in detail. Own observations and data are compared with other published data. Comments on its distribution, natural history and nomenclatural problems are also given. Until 2000 two adult pairs of the species were kept. Since then only one pair remained. The remaining female has successfully reproduced in 1997, 2001, 2002, and in 2005. All together, 53 hatchlings were produced. They had carapace lengths of appr. 40 mm and weighed 10 g.
