Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, Zootaxa 5287 (1), pp. 1-378 : 66-67

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:78E23714-8973-4755-BC94-0A751D7D2B37

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7967703

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/88502B73-FFDB-B834-FF6B-40E47B310938

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758)
status

 

Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) View in CoL — Visitor.

Testudo Caretta Linnaeus, 1758: 197–198 . Holotype: None designated; type material apparently lost, according to Wallin (1985: 126); Testudo caretta Linnaeus, 1758 was based on literature that diagnose Caretta caretta and Eretmochelys imbricata (Wallin 1985: 121) . Type locality: “[h]abitat ad insulas Americanas” (= American Islands); later restricted to “Mari Mediterraneo, Atlantico” (= Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas) by Schoepff (1793: 70), to “ Bermuda Islands” by Smith & Taylor (1950a: 315, 1950b: 16), and to “ Bimini, British Bahamas ” by Schmidt (1953: 107).

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

( Figures 7H View FIGURE 7 & 8A View FIGURE 8 )

Singapore records.

Thalassochelys caretta — Flower, 1896: 860.— Hanitsch, 1898: 9.— Flower, 1899: 618.—Ridley, 1899: 188, 205 ( Singapore Harbour).— Hanitsch, 1912b: 14.

Caretta caretta View in CoL — Gremli, 1988: 62.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 56.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 151.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—B.L. Lim & Das, 1999: 22.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2007: 119.—T.H. Ng & K.K.P. Lim, 2010: 119.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2010: 158.—L.M. Chou, 2011: 77.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 452.

“Loggerhead turtles”—Van Miriah, 2002: Local.

Remarks. Caretta caretta is considered a visitor in Singapore (Ng & Lim 2010). Yet, there are no confirmed records of this species in Singapore. Flower (1896) first reported C. caretta from Singapore from specimen ZRC.2.180 ( Fig. 7H View FIGURE 7 ) that he says was collected in January 1896 “near Singapore ”. Ridley (1899) expressed that C. caretta was often seen sticking its head out of water just outside Singapore Harbour, but chances are it may have been confused with Chelonia mydas , which is seen more frequently around Singapore (see C. mydas account below). Beyond these two accounts, there are no other records for C. caretta from Singapore aside from some that were confiscated by AVA from illegal traders and were released by Underwater World Singapore at Siloso Beach on 6 June 2002, along with C. mydas , Eretmochelys imbricata , and Lepidochelys olivacea (Van Miriah 2002) . The TTWG (2021) does not include Singapore on its list of nesting or foraging habitats for C. caretta , but does list Malaysia under the vagrant category (i.e., visitor). Moll (1976) included C. caretta in Peninsular Malaysia’s chelonian checklist based on reports in the literature, but does not provide any references. At best, it appears that C. caretta is a rare visitor around Sundaland. As we cannot discredit Flower’s (1896) record, we maintain C. caretta as a visitor.

Occurrence. Visitor. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. Lowest.

IUCN conservation status. Vulnerable [2017].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): ZRC.2.180 (1896).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Singapore Harbour*.

Genus Chelonia Brongniart, 1800 (1 species)

Chelonia Brongniart 1800: 89 (type species: Testudo mydas Linnaeus, 1758 , by subsequent designation by Bell, 1828: 516; gender feminine).

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Testudines

Family

Cheloniidae

Genus

Caretta

Loc

Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P. 2023
2023
Loc

Caretta caretta

Gremli, M. 1988: 62
1988
Loc

Thalassochelys caretta

Flower, S. S. 1899: 618
Hanitsch, R. 1898: 9
Flower, S. S. 1896: 860
1896
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