Common name: Chinese Three-keeled Pond Turtle

Synonyms and Other Names: Reeve's turtle

Taxonomy: available through www.itis.gov

Identification: Three strong keels on the carapace, which is usually brown. The legs are webbed and the tail is quite long. Coloration: body usually grey with yellowish spots and the head has a pattern of stripes. Some Reeve's turtles entire body and soft parts might be dark brown or completely black. Reaches sexual maturity in China at 4 to five inches; grows as large as 14 inches in Japan.

Size: 4-14 inches

Native Range: Mauremys reevesii is native to most of temperate and subtropical China, North Korea and South Korea; populations also occur in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan (van Dijk, 2013).

Alaska	Hawaii	Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands	Guam Saipan

Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) Explained
Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps

Means of Introduction: Pet escape or release.

Status: Failed in California, Guam, and Massachusetts.

Impact of Introduction: The impacts of this species are currently unknown, as no studies have been done to determine how it has affected ecosystems in the invaded range. The absence of data does not equate to lack of effects. It does, however, mean that research is required to evaluate effects before conclusions can be made.

Remarks: None.

References: (click for full references)

Behler, J.L. and F.W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. NY.

Cardoza, J.E., G.S. Jones, T.W. French, and D.B. Halliwell. 1993. Exotic and translocated vertebrates of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Fauna of Massachusetts Series, Publication #17223-110-200-11/93-C.R. Volume 6. 95 pp.

Conant, R. and J.T. Collins. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Third ed.

Ernst, C.H., J.E. Lovich, and R.W. Barbour. 1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

Holland, D.C. - herpetologist, Fallbrook, CA.

Leberer, T. 2003. Records of freshwater turtles on Guam, Mariana Islands. Micronesica 35-36:649-652.

Spinks, P.Q., G.B. Pauly, J.J. Crayon, and H.B. Shaffer. 2003. Survival of the western pond turtle (Emys marmorata) in an urban California environment. Biological Conservation 113(2):257-267.

van Dijk, P.P. 2013. Mauremys reevesii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. http://www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded 23 July 2015.

Other Resources:
Reeves turtle basic information (Snapping Turtle homepage)

The Reeve's Turtle, Chinemys reevesii: An Alternative to Sliders and Painted Turtles

Reeves' Turtle, Chinemys reevesii (Tortuga Gazette)

Asian Turtle Consortium

Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group

US Fish and Wildlife Service Ecological Risk Screening Summary for Mauremys reevesii

Author: Pam Fuller, Ann Foster, and Robert S. Powell

This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.