On the Occurrence of the Khorat Snail-Eating Turtle (Malayemys khoratensis) in Lao People's Democratic Republic with Notes on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Exploitation

The Khorat snail-eating turtle (Malayemys khoratensis) is a recently described (2016), poorly studied freshwater turtle known from the Khorat Plateau in Thailand and a small area near Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic. We investigated the occurrence and natural history of M. khoratensis during field surveys of Xe Champhone Ramsar Site (XCRS) and Nong Louang Wetland Complex (NLWC) in Savannakhet Province, and also examined museum specimens and published and unpublished photographs of Malayemys spp. from Lao. Our field surveys confirmed the occurrence of M. khoratensis in the XCRS and NLWC, where populations remain subject to harvest at levels unlikely to be sustainable. We examined 7 museum specimens from Vientiane, Savannakhet, Khammouan, and Champasak provinces. Museum specimens from Vientiane, Savannakhet, and Khammouan provinces were referable to M. khoratensis. Published photographs confirm the occurrence of M. khoratensis in Vientiane Province, and Malayemys subtrijuga in Champasak Province. Collectively, our records extend the geographic distribution of K. khoratensis by > 300 km from previously reported localities. We posit the existence of a biogeographic barrier in southern Lao and adjacent Thailand that separates the allopatrically occurring M. khoratensis and M. subtrijuga.