Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758)

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, Zootaxa 5287 (1), pp. 1-378 : 66-67

Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) — Visitor.

Testudo Caretta Linnaeus, 1758: 197–198 . Holotype: None designated; type material apparently lost, according to Wallin (1985: 126); Testudo caretta Linnaeus, 1758 was based on literature that diagnose Caretta caretta and Eretmochelys imbricata (Wallin 1985: 121) . Type locality: “[h]abitat ad insulas Americanas” (= American Islands); later restricted to “Mari Mediterraneo, Atlantico” (= Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas) by Schoepff (1793: 70), to “ Bermuda Islands” by Smith & Taylor (1950a: 315, 1950b: 16), and to “ Bimini, British Bahamas ” by Schmidt (1953: 107).

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

( Figures 7H & 8A )

Singapore records.

Thalassochelys caretta — Flower, 1896: 860.— Hanitsch, 1898: 9.— Flower, 1899: 618.—Ridley, 1899: 188, 205 ( Singapore Harbour).— Hanitsch, 1912b: 14.

Caretta caretta — Gremli, 1988: 62.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 56.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 151.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—B.L. Lim & Das, 1999: 22.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2007: 119.—T.H. Ng & K.K.P. Lim, 2010: 119.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2010: 158.—L.M. Chou, 2011: 77.—P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 452.

“Loggerhead turtles”—Van Miriah, 2002: Local.

Remarks. Caretta caretta is considered a visitor in Singapore (Ng & Lim 2010). Yet, there are no confirmed records of this species in Singapore. Flower (1896) first reported C. caretta from Singapore from specimen ZRC.2.180 ( Fig. 7H ) that he says was collected in January 1896 “near Singapore ”. Ridley (1899) expressed that C. caretta was often seen sticking its head out of water just outside Singapore Harbour, but chances are it may have been confused with Chelonia mydas , which is seen more frequently around Singapore (see C. mydas account below). Beyond these two accounts, there are no other records for C. caretta from Singapore aside from some that were confiscated by AVA from illegal traders and were released by Underwater World Singapore at Siloso Beach on 6 June 2002, along with C. mydas , Eretmochelys imbricata , and Lepidochelys olivacea (Van Miriah 2002) . The TTWG (2021) does not include Singapore on its list of nesting or foraging habitats for C. caretta , but does list Malaysia under the vagrant category (i.e., visitor). Moll (1976) included C. caretta in Peninsular Malaysia’s chelonian checklist based on reports in the literature, but does not provide any references. At best, it appears that C. caretta is a rare visitor around Sundaland. As we cannot discredit Flower’s (1896) record, we maintain C. caretta as a visitor.

Occurrence. Visitor. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Not Evaluated.

Conservation priority. Lowest.

IUCN conservation status. Vulnerable [2017].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): ZRC.2.180 (1896).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Singapore Harbour*.

Genus Chelonia Brongniart, 1800 (1 species)

Chelonia Brongniart 1800: 89 (type species: Testudo mydas Linnaeus, 1758 , by subsequent designation by Bell, 1828: 516; gender feminine).

Figures

FIGURE 7. A) Pulchrana laterimaculata, B) Sylvirana guentheri, C) Leptomantis cyanopunctatus, D) Nyctixalus pictus, E) Polypedates leucomystax, F) Theloderma horridum, G) Crocodylus porosus, and H) Caretta caretta. Photographs by: Alex Figueroa [A–B, D–F], Marcus A.H. Chua [C], Jensen G.H. Seah [G], and Kelvin K.P. Lim [H].

FIGURE 8. A) Caretta caretta, B) Chelonia mydas, C) Eretmochelys imbricata, D) Lepidochelys olivacea, E) Dermochelys coriacea, F) Dermochelys coriacea, G) Trachemys scripta, and H) Batagur borneoensis. Photographs by: Halvard Aas Midtun [A], Marcus A.H. Chua [B], Karenne Tun [C], Ashesh Rathor [D], Tan Heok Hui [E], Alastair Rae [F], Holly Siow [G], and Kelvin K.P. Lim [H].