保育類龜板品種之鑑定

IDENTIFICATION OF THE ENDANGERED WILDLIFE SPECIES FOR TURTLE SHELL

龜是部份種別分別各列入保育及非保育類，在世界重視保育的潮流下，中藥龜板藥材涉及的保育問題必須儘速解決，否則保育問題後患無窮。本研究從中藥市場採集各種龜板樣品，從腹甲各盾的特徵差異之比較來開發鑑定方法，研究結果，瀕臨絕種野生動植物國際貿易公約（CITES） 附錄I 及 II ，共有哈米頓氏龜等7 種，非保育類有馬來龜等26 種。我們將研究結果，從腹甲形態特徵、編出簡易能區別保育類龜板的檢索表、照片箭號圖示其特徵，得以區分是否保育類，及鑑定出正確的品種。使政府有關機構、中藥進口商、零售商、藥廠、中醫師、保育團體有明確的鑑定依據，不進口不使用保育類龜板，以期有效解決龜板保育問題。Wildlife conservation is a world wide trend. It has become a common consensus for countries on the globe to protect wildlife. A few wild animals based Traditional Chinese medicinal drugs were listed as endangered wildlife species, but it caused very serious problems of conservation. Since then, Chinese medicine had turned out to be the center of criticism in the world. Turtle shell was one of these problems, it is very important to find a settled method for turtle shell. In Chinese traditional drugs, we only used the plastron, there were great variations on morphology, and even the turtle experts could not identify it. So, the main problem was how to tell the protected species from those that were not protected. In a five years efforts, we collected the samples from the traditional dealers, and developed the identifying methods. We presented a detail identification description on morphological will characteristics and offered a simple key that, we believed, were quite easy to learn. It will help to educate the Chinese drugs dealers, government officers, to know the protected and non-protect species. From our collections, there were 7 species belong to the endangered species according to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). They were (1) CITES I : Geoclemys hamiltonii Gray, Kachuga tecta (Gray), Morenia ocellata (Boulenger); (2) CITES II : Geochelone platynota Blyth, Indotestudo elongata (Blyth), Manouria impressa (Gunther), and Testudo horsfieldi Gray. The other 26 species were not listed on endangered wildlife species. With this report, the traditional Chinese drug importers and dealers will have a handy for reference, they will pay attention to the protected species, and refuse to use them. Our government officers will also have a standard for punishment. It will be very big helpful for the protection of turtle in Taiwan Chinese drugs.