White Spot Development, Incubation and Hatching Success of Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) Eggs from Rantau Abang, Malaysia

Copeia ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 1989 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eng-Heng Chan
1984 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 567 ◽  
Author(s):  
CJ Limpus ◽  
NC McCachlan ◽  
JD Miller

In Australia, breeding of the cosmopolitan leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, is concentrated on 22.3 km of beach near Wreck Rock (24�19'S., 151�58'E.) in south-east Queensland. Up to three females nest there in most years. The mean size of 14 clutches was 82.79; the mean hatching success was 15.3% for clutches on the beach and 51.8% for these moved to dunes near the laboratory. The high level of failure is attributed to early embryonic death, probably caused by the fine sand, when damp, restricting gas exchange round the eggs.


2013 ◽  
Vol 150 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
MASSIMO DELFINO ◽  
TORSTEN M. SCHEYER ◽  
FRANCESCO CHESI ◽  
TAMARA FLETCHER ◽  
RICHARD GEMEL ◽  
...  

AbstractPsephophorus polygonus Meyer, 1847, the first fossil leatherback turtle to be named, was described on the basis of shell ossicles from the middle Miocene (MN6–7/8?) of Slovakia. The whereabouts of this material is uncertain but a slab on display at the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien is considered the neotype. We rediscovered further type locality ossicles in four European institutions, re-evaluated their gross morphology and described for the first time their microstructure by comparing them with Dermochelys coriacea, the only living dermochelyid turtle. The gross morphology is congruent with that already described for P. polygonus, but with two significant exceptions: the ridged ossicles of P. polygonus may have a distinctly concave ventral surface as well as a tectiform shape in cross-section. They do not develop the external keel typical of many ossicles of D. coriacea. Both ridged and non-ridged ossicles of P. polygonus are characterized by compact diploe structures with an internal cortex consisting of a coarse fibrous meshwork, whereas the proportionately thinner ossicles of D. coriacea tend to lose the internal cortex, and thus their diploe, during ontogeny. The ossicles of both P. polygonus and D. coriacea differ from those of other lineages of amniotes whose carapace is composed of polygonal ossicles or platelets, in having growth centres situated at the plate centres just interior to the external bone surface and not within the cancellous core or closer to the internal compact layer. The new diagnosis of P. polygonus allows us to preliminarily re-evaluate the taxonomy of some of the Psephophorus-like species. Despite some macro- and micromorphological differences, it seems likely that Psephophorus was as cosmopolitan as extant Dermochelys and had a broadly similar ecology, with a possible difference concerning the dive depth.


Author(s):  
J.S. Edmonds ◽  
Y. Shibata ◽  
R.I.T. Prince ◽  
K.A. Francesconi ◽  
M. Morita

Examination of extracts of tissues of a leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea (L.) (Reptilia: Dermochelyidae) by high-performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry has demonstrated the presence of arsenobetaine, arsenocholine and inorganic arsenate in heart muscle and liver, and arsenobetaine and inorganic arsenate in pectoral muscle. Although arsenobetaine was the major form in all tissues, inorganic arsenate and arsenocholine accounted for 50% and 15% respectively of arsenic in aqueous extracts of the liver.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Callie A. Veelenturf ◽  
Elizabeth M. Sinclair ◽  
Peter Leopold ◽  
Frank V. Paladino ◽  
Shaya Honarvar

Abstract Hatching success in sea turtles is hindered by a variety of biotic and abiotic factors. This study of the nesting ecology of leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles, investigated how several environmental factors and beach characteristics on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea influence sea turtle reproductive success. Average clutch hatching success was 40.4% for green turtles and 41.73% for leatherback turtles. For leatherback turtles, clutch elevation relative to the high tide line (HTL) was found to be the most influential factor in determining hatching success, highlighting the sensitivity of this species to sea level rise (SLR). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that nest distance to vegetation and sand conductivity also played significant roles in leatherback clutch hatching success. For leatherback clutches, 33% percent of experimental nests were affected by inundation and 17% by predation. An optimum clutch elevation range for leatherback turtles was identified, where a distinct increase in hatching success was observed between -0.286 m to -0.0528 m above the HTL. For green sea turtles, 64% of experimental nests were affected by predation, confounding conclusions about the roles of environmental characteristics in green turtle hatching success. We propose further investigation into influential characteristics in green turtle nests and confirmation of the observed optimum elevation range on Bioko Island and other nesting grounds. Identified sensitivities of each species to SLR and beach characteristics will be used to encourage the government of Equatorial Guinea to consider the vulnerability of their resident turtle populations when planning for future coastal development.


1975 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 568-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Mrosovsky ◽  
Sara J. Shettleworth

1999 ◽  
Vol 248 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter H. Dutton ◽  
Brian W. Bowen ◽  
David W. Owens ◽  
Ana Barragan ◽  
Scott K. Davis

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila R. Ferrara ◽  
Richard C. Vogt ◽  
Martha R. Harfush ◽  
Renata S. Sousa-Lima ◽  
Ernesto Albavera ◽  
...  

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