The Sulawesi forest turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi) is a critically endangered species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is monotypic within the genus Leucocephalon. It is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia. These turtles have a unique clutch size, which is 1 or 2 eggs per clutch, that is significantly less than an average turtle's clutch size.Ives, I. E., S. G. Platt, J. S. Tasirin, I. Huwowu, S. Siwu, and T. R. Rainwater. 2008. Field surveys, natural history observations, and comments on the exploitation and conservation of Indotestudo forstenii, Leucocephalon yuwonoi, and Cuora amboinensis in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 7:240–248
Etymology The specific name, yuwonoi, is in honor of Indonesian herpetologist Frank Bambang Yuwono (born 1958).Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Leucocephalon yuwonoi, p. 292).
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of L. yuwonoi are freshwater swamps and rivers. They also prefer a heavily covered area rather than a more open area. They like broadleaf canopy cover and deeper ground cover.Simms, Angela, et al. "Preliminary Insights on the Spatial Ecology, Population Demography, and Sexual Dimorphism of the Critically Endangered Sulawesi Forest Turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi)." Journal of Herpetology 56.4 (2022): 461-469.
Conservation Conservation methods are very important with species, due to very low numbers in this species and with people destroying their habitats for agriculture purposes.Riyanto, A. 2006. Notes on exploitation, population status, distribution, and natural history of the Sulawesi forest turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi) in North Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 5:320–323 As of 2016 The Riverview Zoo in Peterborough, Ontario, had managed to hatch two Sulawesi forest turtles. As of 2022, there are only a few captive populations where we have been able to gain an understanding of Sulawesi forest turtles.
See also Forsten's tortoise (Indotestudo forstenii) – another threatened turtle endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia.
References
Further reading Artner H (2008). "The world's extant turtle species, Part 1". Emys 15 (3): 4–32. (Notochelys yuwonoi, new combination, p. 10). Fritz U, Obst FJ (1996). "Zur Kenntnis der Celebes-Erdschildkröte, Heosemys yuwonoi (McCord, Iverson & Boeadi, 1995)". Herpetofauna 18 (102): 27–34. (Heosemys yuwonoi, new combination). (in German). McCord WP, Iverson JB, Boeadi [B] (1995). "A New Batagurid Turtle from Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia". Chelonian Conservation and Biology 1 (4): 311–316. (Geoemyda yuwonoi, new species). McCord WP, Iverson JB, Spinks, Shaffer HB (2000). "A new genus of geoemydid turtle from Asia". Hamadryad 25 (2): 20–24. (Leucocephalon, new genus; L. yuwonoi, new combination).