CITES Leather Guide
Definition
A reference document maintained by the CITES Secretariat providing scale/pit patterns, macroscopic key characters, and species notes for major commercially traded reptile skins. Used by customs officers and laboratory analysts as the first identification step.
- Publisher
- CITES Secretariat
- Content
- Scale/pit patterns and macroscopic key characters
- Covers
- Major commercially traded reptile skins
- Primary users
- Customs officers and laboratory analysts
Common questions
Why is a macroscopic guide used before laboratory testing?+
Scale and pit-pattern examination can be done quickly at a border checkpoint without special equipment, letting customs officers flag a suspect shipment for detailed laboratory species confirmation rather than requiring genetic testing on every consignment.
What happens when the guide can't distinguish two similar species?+
When scale patterns overlap between closely related species, or leather has been heavily processed, dyed or embossed, examiners escalate to microscopic, chemical, or DNA-based species identification methods the guide alone cannot resolve.
Does processing such as tanning or dyeing affect the identification method?+
Yes, tanning and dyeing can obscure or alter surface scale texture and colour, which is part of why the guide focuses on structural pit and scale patterns that survive processing better than colour or surface finish.
Related terms
- Histological Cross-Section
- A 5-10 micrometre thin section cut perpendicular to the skin surface, stained and mounted for light microscopy. Reveals dermis architecture (collagen orientation,...
- Integumentary Sense Organ (ISO)
- Pressure and chemical sensory pits visible as small circular depressions on reptile scales. In crocodilians their distribution pattern distinguishes crocodiles from alligators...
- Lamellar Microstructure
- The layer-cake cross-section of pangolin scales visible under light microscopy, reflecting the keratinised plates that build up the scale. Distinguishes pangolin scales...
- Osteoderm
- Bone embedded within the skin dermis, characteristic of crocodilians and some lizards. Survives tanning and provides a species-group identification marker visible as...
- Pit Pattern
- The arrangement of scale pits or ISO pores on reptile skin. Scale pit pattern is one of the primary characters in the...