Abstract
Geographically, the genus Sacalia is restricted to southern China, Laos, and Vietnam. Currently, Sacalia quadriocellata occupies the western part of the range, including Hainan, while S. bealei occupies the eastern part of the range. Based on known distributions, the area of contact probably is/was in the vicinity of Hong Kong. However, this area is now heavily developed, and there is a lack of reliable data for Sacalia and other turtle species within this region (Fong et al., 2007). According to the IUCN Red list (2006), there are modest populations of S. quadriocellata in Laos and Vietnam, but the Chinese populations of this species, as well as S. bealei, are certainly endangered. In light of the serious conservation status of these turtles, the lack of any genetic data tied to geography, and overall poor understanding of the genetic structure of the genus, we undertook a phylogeographic survey of the genus Sacalia. This study includes the first-ever field-collected genetic samples of the genus, including a topotypic specimen, and supplemented with trade samples from throughout its range.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1025-1029 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
This research is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (30260019 and 30660026), Hainan Key Project of Science and Technology and National Key Lab. International collaboration was supported by the National Science Foundation EAPSI program provided funding for fieldwork (J.J.F.) and the University of California (Berkeley) Museum of Vertebrate Zoology provided funding for laboratory work (J.J.F.). J.F.P. was supported by both the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation This is UCMP Contribution #1961.