Turtles of the World, 2012 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status

This is our 6th annual compilation of an annotated checklist of all recognized and named taxa of the world’s modern chelonian fauna, documenting recent changes and controversies in nomenclature, and including all primary synonyms, updated from our previous five checklists (Turtle Taxonomy Working Group 2007b, 2009, 2010, 2011; Rhodin et al. 2008). We continue to provide an updated comprehensive listing of important aspects of taxonomy, names, distribution, and conservation status of all turtles and tortoises of the world. We strive to record the most recent justified taxonomic assignment of terminal taxa in a hierarchical framework, providing annotations, including alternative possible arrangements, for some recently proposed changes. We provide common English names and detailed distributional data for all taxa, listing occurrence by countries and many smaller political or geographic subunits (states or regions), including indications of native, extirpated, and introduced (modern or prehistoric) populations. We also include current published and draft IUCN Red List status determinations for all turtles, as well as CITES listings. The diversity of turtles and tortoises in the world that has existed in modern times (since 1500 AD), and currently generally recognized as distinct and included on this checklist, now consists of 331 species. Of these, 56 are polytypic, representing 121 additional recognized subspecies, or 452 total taxa of modern turtles and tortoises. Of these, 9 species and 2 subspecies, or 11 taxa (2.4%), are extinct. As of the current IUCN 2012 Red List, 134 turtle species (58.8% of 228 species listed, 40.5% of all 331 recognized species) are officially regarded as globally Threatened (Critically Endangered [CR], Endangered [EN], or Vulnerable [VU]). We record additional draft Red List evaluations by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) of the 103 previously “unevaluated” species, and updated draft re-evaluations of previously listed species, allowing us to evaluate the overall current threat levels for all turtles and tortoises. Of the 331 total species of turtles and tortoises, 101 (30.5%) are CR or EN, 155 (46.8%) are Threatened (CR, EN, or VU), and 164 (49.6%) are Threatened or Extinct. If we provisionally adjust for predicted threat rates of Data Deficient species, then ca. 53% of all turtles are Threatened. If we include Extinct species, and also adjust for Data Deficient species, then ca. 57% of all modern turtles and tortoises are either already Extinct or Threatened. Turtles are among the most endangered of the major groups of vertebrates, surpassing birds, mammals, cartilaginous or bony fishes, and amphibians.