Turtles of the World, 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status

This is our fourth 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 three checklists (Turtle Taxonomy Working Group [2007b, 2009], Rhodin et al. [2008]). This year we have expanded the checklist into a 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 as to whether or not we accept recently proposed changes, and for some taxonomic placements we show alternative arrangements. 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 and updated draft IUCN Red List status determinations for all turtles, as well as CITES listings. The diversity of turtles and tortoises in the world that have existed in modern times (since 1500 AD), and currently generally recognized as distinct and included on this checklist, now consists of 328 species. Of these, 56 are polytypic, representing 124 additional recognized subspecies, or 452 total taxa of modern turtles and tortoises. Of these, 8 species and 2 subspecies, or 10 taxa, have gone extinct. As of the current 2010 IUCN Red List, 129 turtle species (62.3% of 207 species listed, 39.3% of all species) are officially regarded as globally Threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable). We now record additional draft Red List evaluations of the 121 previously “unevaluated” species, and updated draft re-evaluations of 77 previously listed species, allowing us to evaluate the overall current threat levels for all turtles and tortoises. Of the 328 total species of turtles and tortoises, 156 (47.6%) are Threatened, with 90 (27.4%) Critically Endangered or Endangered. If we adjust for predicted threat rates of Data Deficient species, then 54% of all turtles are Threatened. If we include Extinct in the Wild and Extinct species, then 50.3% of all modern turtles and tortoises are either already extinct or threatened with extinction. Turtles are among the most endangered of any of the major groups of vertebrates, more than birds, mammals, cartilaginous fishes, or amphibians.