Sacalia Explained

Sacalia is a genus of turtles in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae). The genus was erected by John Edward Gray in 1870.The Sacalia is native to Southereastern China, Laos, and Vietnam. It was declared an endangered turtle species by the IUCN Red List due to its illegal trade.^[1] The sacalia has a carapace of dark-brown color that permits it to camouflage to its habitat. They are believed to select the area of a river that better matches their color.^[2]

Species

Two species are recognized.

• Sacalia bealei, Beale's eyed turtle or Beale's four-eyed turtle
• Sacalia quadriocellata, four-eyed turtle

Hybridization

What was described as a new species, Sacalia pseudocellata, Chinese false-eyed turtle, is actually a hybrid of a male Cuora trifasciata and a female Sacalia quadriocellata.^[3]

Further reading

• Gray, John Edward (1870). Supplement to the Catalogue of Shield Reptiles in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises). With Figures of the Skulls of 36 Genera. London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Taylor and Francis). x + 120 pp. (Genus Sacalia, p. 35).

Notes and References

1. Le, M., McCormack, T., Hoang, H., Duong, H., Nguyen, T., Ziegler, T., Nguyen, H., & Ngo, H. (2020). Threats from wildlife trade: The importance of genetic data in safeguarding the endangered Four-eyed Turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata). Nature Conservation, 41(2), 91–111. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.41.54661
2. Xiao, F., Yang, C., Shi, H., Wang, J., Sun, L., & Lin, L. (2016). Background matching and camouflage efficiency predict population density in four-eyed turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata). Behavioural Processes, 131, 40–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2016.08.007
3. Stuart, Bryan L. & Parham, James F. (2007). "Recent hybrid origin of three rare Chinese turtles". Conservation Genetics. 8 (1): 169-175.