Malayan snail-eating turtle  (Malayemys subtrijuga)

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1), and listed on Appendix II of CITES (3).

Another victim of Asia’s insatiable demand for freshwater turtles (4), the Malayan snail-eating turtle has a brown to chestnut upper shell (carapace) edged with a fine yellow line. The oval carapace is slightly domed and the larger scutes bear small knobs (2). The lower shell, or plastron, is yellow or cream-coloured with large dark-brown to black blotches on each scute (5). The large, black head is patterned with several light stripes (2). Male Malayan snail-eating turtles have longer and narrower shells and larger tails than females (5).

Occurs in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and extreme northern Peninsular Malaysia (2). The Malayan snail-eating turtle has also possibly been introduced to Sumatra and Java, Indonesia (2) (5).

The Malayan snail-eating turtle inhabits a range of freshwater habitats where there is little current, muddy bottoms and plenty of aquatic vegetation. This includes streams, small lakes, canals, marshes and rice paddies (2) (5).

The Malayan snail-eating turtle is a carnivorous reptile, named after its penchant for small snails. However, it also consumes earthworms, aquatic insects, crustaceans and small fish (2).

The Malayan snail-eating turtle nests (at least in Thailand) during the dry season (5), laying a clutch of four to six white, elongated eggs (2). After being incubated at 28 to 30 degrees Celsius for around 167 days, the young turtles hatch (5). Like other turtles, this species takes a long time to reach maturity; males mature after about three years while females are sexually mature at about five years (6).

Pond turtles, including the Malayan snail-eating turtle, are widely eaten by people (7). Many populations of Malayemys species are exploited for food and in some areas the eggs are also collected for consumption (6). The Malayan snail-eating turtle is also often captured to be released into ponds at Buddhist temples (2) (6). This exploitation has apparently caused numbers to decline throughout its range, particularly in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam. Finally, habitat deterioration due to pollution and accidental capture in fishing nets are also contributing to this species’ vulnerable status (6).

The Malayan snail-eating turtle is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and thus any international trade in this species should be carefully monitored (3). This turtle is also subject to a number of national laws; in Cambodia and Thailand, consumption, use and export of this species is prohibited and in Vietnam the export of all native turtle species is banned. The export of freshwater turtles is regulated in Malaysia, there are annual harvest quotas in place in Indonesia, and Myanmar lists the Malayan snail-eating turtle as a protected species. Only in Lao PDR is no protection known to be in place (6). Whether these measures are sufficient and adequately enforced to ensure this turtle’s future is yet to be seen.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

For further information on turtle conservation in Asia see:

• Asian Turtle Conservation Network:
  www.asianturtlenetwork.org