Species Diversity, Richness and Abundance of Tortoise and Turtles (Testudines) In Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Charles Embelemi Edure¹ , Ogamba Emmanuel Nwabueze²

1. Dept. of Biological Sciences, Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State Nigeria.
2. Dept. of Biological Sciences, Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State Nigeria.

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.10 , Issue.7 , pp.83-86, Jul-2024

Online published on Jul 31, 2024

Copyright © Charles Embelemi Edure, Ogamba Emmanuel Nwabueze . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
A seasonal baseline assessment of the diversity and abundance of the Testudine reptiles (Tortoise and Turtles) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria was conducted from January to December 2021. This was done to determine the current status of the distribution and abundance of Tortoise and Turtles and to measure the effect of weather on the availability of Testudines and the stability of the ecosystem. Testudine samples were obtained using traps, fences, visual searches and by hand while snorkeling and surveying. Result show that a total of 342 individuals from 3 families and 6 species were observed in the dry season while a total of 419 individuals from 3 families and 6 species were observed in the wet season. Of these Testudinidae has (3 species), Emydidae (2 species) and Pelomedusidae (1 species). Shannon weaver index was lower in the wet season (1.59) than in the dry season (1.649). Equitability index (Evenness) is also lower in the wet season (0.892) than in the dry season (0.920). Also, Simpson’s Index is lower in the wet season (4.34) than in the dry season (4.86). There are more number of individuals captured in the wet season than in the dry season. This may be due to the fact that Testudines are more prevalent in the wet season as most of them are aquatic organisms or rely on water. The amounts of testudines recorded in this study although seem low, compares favourably with those recorded in similar tropical and subtropical environments of similar survey area. It can therefore be concluded that testudines populations in the Bayelsa state are not under any serious threat. Environmental sustainability and improvement is therefore advocated.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Species, Distribution, Abundance, Turtle, Tortoise, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

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