Title
Distribution records and conservation status of the
Burmese Black Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys phayrei
Blyth 1853) in western Myanmar
Author(s)
Platt, Steven G. ;Platt, Kalyar;Myo Myo, Khin ;Me Me , Soe;Rainwater, Thomas R.
Published
2018
Publisher
Herpetology Notes
Abstract
The Burmese Black Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys
phayrei) is the largest tortoise in Asia (carapace length
[CL] to 600 mm and body mass to 37 kg), occurring
from eastern Assam (India) and Bangladesh, eastward
into Myanmar and western Thailand, and southwards
to the Surat Gap near the Thailand-Malaysia border
(Stanford et al., 2015). Manouria emys phayrei (hereafter
Manouria emys) is considered Endangered by the IUCN
(provisionally reassessed as Critically Endangered in
2011) owing to widespread poaching for commercial
markets in southern China, chronic subsistence
harvesting, and habitat loss (Stanford et al., 2015). In
common with most range countries, the distribution
and conservation status of M. emys in Myanmar remain
poorly known (Stanford et al., 2015). Historic records
are available from the Arakan (now Rakhine) Hills,
Moulmein (now Mawlamyaing), southern Tennasserim
(now Tanintharyi), and Kachin State (Theobald, 1876;
Iverson, 1992). More recently, we documented the
occurrence of M. emys in the lowlands along the eastern
base of the Rakhine Hills (Platt et al., 2001), and in
the central Rakhine Hills (Platt et al., 2007). We here
present two additional records of M. emys from western
Myanmar, comment on its conservation status within this
region, and provide conservation recommendations.
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