| Brown roofed turtle | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Geoemydidae |
| Genus: | Pangshura |
| Species: | P. smithii |
| Binomial name | |
| Pangshura smithii (Gray, 1863) | |
| Synonyms [1] [3] | |
| |
The brown roofed turtle (Pangshura smithii) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to South Asia. Two subspecies are recognized.
The specific name, smithii, is in honor of Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith. [4]
The carapace of P. smithii is much depressed and feebly keeled. The nuchal shield is small, trapezoidal, and broadest posteriorly. The first vertebral has sinuous lateral borders and is usually a little narrower in front than behind. The second vertebral is shortest, broader than long, and usually with straight or slightly convex posterior border. The third vertebral is considerably longer than broad, subquadrangular, and its posterior border is straight or slightly convex. The fourth vertebral is longest, tapering anteriorly and forming a narrow suture with the third. The fifth vertebral is much broader than the others. The large plastron is feebly angulated laterally. The front lobe is rounded. The hind lobe is angularly notched and as long as or a little shorter than the width of the bridge. The longest median suture is that between the abdominals, which about equals the length of the front lobe. The gulars are usually shorter than the suture between the humerals, their suture with the latter shields forming a right angle. The inguinal is large, and the axillary is smaller. The head is moderate. The snout is short, obtuse, and feebly prominent. The jaws have denticulated edges. The upper jaw is not notched mesially. The alveolar surface of the upper jaw is broad, and the median ridge is nearer the inner than the outer border. There are bony choanae between the orbits. The width of the lower jaw at the symphysis is less than the diameter of the orbit. The fore limbs have large transverse scales. The carapace is pale olive-brown above, and the dorsal keel is usually blackish. The plastral shields and the lower surface of the marginals are dark brown, bordered with yellow. The straight-line carapace length is 8.5 in (22 cm). [5]
Brown roofed turtles exhibit ZZ/ZW sex determination, in contrast to the temperature-dependent sex determination of most turtles. [6]
Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies. [3]
The preferred natural habitats of P. smithii are freshwater swamps and rivers. These creatures also prefer to bask in the sun, twice a day. They often prefer muddy areas. [7]
The Geoemydidae are one of the largest and most diverse families in the order Testudines (turtles), with about 70 species. The family includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles. Members of this family are commonly called Leaf turtle.
The Indian star tortoise is a threatened tortoise species native to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka where it inhabits dry areas and scrub forest. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2016, as the population is thought to comprise more than 10,000 individuals, but with a declining trend. It is threatened by habitat loss and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. It was upgraded to CITES Appendix I in 2019 by full consensus among all member states, giving it the highest level of international protection from commercial trade. Conservation group TRAFFIC found 6,040 were seized globally that were intended to be sold in the pet trade.
The elongated tortoise is a species of tortoise found in Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia.
The Asian forest tortoise, also known commonly as the Mountain tortoise or Burmese Brown Mountain tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia. It is believed to be among the most primitive of living tortoises, based on molecular and morphological studies.
The Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle, also known as the small-headed softshell turtle or the Indo-Gangetic softshell turtle, is an endangered species of softshell turtle native to waterways and rivers of the Indian subcontinent. It is very large, feeding on fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans and molluscs, and even the occasional swimming small rodent or other mammal. C. indica, like other softshell turtles, uses it flexible shell to dig itself deep into sandy lake and river bottoms; here, it patiently waits for potential prey to swim by. They will also ambush and chase their prey, depending on availability, the time of year, and size of the prey. In the past it was included as a subspecies of Chitra chitra, a species restricted to Southeast Asia using current taxonomy.
The Indian eyed turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to South Asia.
The Indian tent turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is found in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
The northern river terrapin is a species of riverine turtle native to Southeast Asia. It has been classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and considered extinct in much of its former range; as of 2018, the population in the wild was estimated at 100 mature individuals.
The black pond turtle, also known commonly as the spotted pond turtle and the Indian spotted turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species, which is endemic to South Asia, belongs to the monotypic genus Geoclemys.
The Cochin forest cane turtle, also known as Kavalai forest turtle, forest cane turtle or simply cane turtle, is a rare turtle from the Western Ghats of India. Described in 1912, its type locality is given as "Near Kavalai in the Cochin State Forests, inhabiting dense forest, at an elevation of about 1500 feet above sea level". Only two specimens were found at that time, and no scientist saw this turtle for the next 70 years. It was rediscovered in 1982, and since then a number of specimens have been found and some studies have been conducted about its phylogeny and ecology.
The red-crowned roofed turtle or Bengal roof turtle is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to South Asia. It was the type species of its former genus Kachuga. Females can grow to a shell length of 56 cm (22 in) and weigh 25 kilograms (55 lb), but males are considerably smaller. The turtles like to bask in the sun on land. In the breeding season, the heads and necks of male turtles exhibit bright red, yellow and blue coloration. The females excavate nests in which they lay clutches of up to thirty eggs.
The Assam roofed turtle or Sylhet roofed turtle is a turtle species of the family Geoemydidae found in the Brahmaputra-Meghna drainage in India (Assam) and parts of eastern Bangladesh. It was formerly placed in the genus Batagur and the defunct genus Kachuga.
The Indian roofed turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. It can be distinguished by the distinct "roof" at the topmost part of the shell. It is found in the major rivers of South Asia. It is a common pet in the Indian Subcontinent.
The big-headed pantanal swamp turtle or pantanal swamp turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae found in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay.
The painted terrapin, painted batagur, or saw-jawed turtle is a species of turtles in the family Geoemydidae. It was formerly in its own genus, Callagur, but has been reclassified to the genus, Batagur.
Dahl's toad-headed turtle is a medium-sized species of side-necked turtle in the family Chelidae. This critically endangered freshwater turtle is endemic to northern Colombia, where it lives in small pools, streams, and swamps, but aestivates on land.
Vanderhaege's toad-headed turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to South America.
The Geoemydinae are a subfamily of turtles consisting of 60 subspecies and 76 taxa.
Pangshura is a genus of geoemydid turtles endemic to South Asia. Its member species were formerly in the obsolete genus Kachuga. A fifth member, Pangshura tatrotia, was described in 2010, but it is only known from Pliocene fossils.
Family Geoemydidae | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Genera |
|  | ||
| † Banhxeochelys | ||||
| Batagur | ||||
| Cuora | ||||
| Cyclemys | ||||
| † Echmatemys | ||||
| Geoclemys | ||||
| Geoemyda | ||||
| Hardella | ||||
| Heosemys | ||||
| Leucocephalon | ||||
| Malayemys | ||||
| Mauremys | ||||
| Melanochelys | ||||
| Morenia | ||||
| Notochelys | ||||
| Orlitia | ||||
| Pangshura | ||||
| Rhinoclemmys | ||||
| Sacalia | ||||
| Siebenrockiella | ||||
| Vijayachelys | ||||
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. †=Extinct. | ||||
