Geoemyda japonica (Family Geoemydidae), the Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle, is a rather small turtle endemic to three islands (Okinawajima, Kumejima, and Tokashikijima) of the Okinawa Group, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan, and is found only in and around primary or dense secondary forests. It is threatened by deforestation within its natural habitat. The turtle has been designated as one of the National Natural Monuments of Japan; and trading and captive maintenance are strictly regulated by law,

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... but no concrete measures for conservation have yet been carried out. There is an urgent necessity to secure and preserve the habitat. Proposed conservation measures include research on life history and population status, about which only limited information is currently available. distribution. -Japan. Restricted to Okinawajima, Kumejima, and Tokashikijima islands, Okinawa Group, central Ryukyu Archipelago. sYnonYmY. -Geoemyda spengleri japonica Fan 1931; Geoemyda japonica. subspecies. -None. Geoemyda amamiensis Takahashi, Kato, and Ota 2007 from the Late Pleistocene of Tokunoshima Island, Ruykyu Archipelago, is a closely related taxon. status. -IUCN 2007 Red List: Endangered (EN A1ce,B1+2c) (assessed 2000); CITES: Not Listed. Taxonomy. -Okada (1891) first recorded the Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle, as Emys spengleri, from Okinawajima Island, Japan. Stejneger (1907) stated that Japanese specimens could be distinguished from specimens from China (= Geoemyda spengleri sensu stricto) by the presence of a pair of prominent axillary scutes and a different plastral formula. Based on Stejneger's accounts, Fan (1931) recognized two subspecies of G. spengleri -G. spengleri sinensis from the continent, and G. s. japonica from Japan and other Pacific islands. However, he did not refer to a nominate form, and the range he listed for the latter form was actually incorrect. Pope (1935) modified Fan's (1931) accounts and defined two subspecies -G. s. spengleri from the continent, and G. s. japonica from the Ryukyus. Over