Vijayachelys silvatica

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Cochin Forest Cane Turtle

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Vijayachelys
Species:	V. silvatica

Binomial name

Vijayachelys silvatica
(Henderson, 1912)

Synonyms

Geoemyda silvatica

Cochin Forest Cane Turtle Vijayachelys silvatica once considere to belong to the genus Geoemyda ^[1] is a rare species of turtle found in the Western Ghats of India. Type locality: "Near Kavalai in the Cochin State Forests, inhabiting dense forest, at an elevation of about 1500 feet above sea level," India.

1 Description
2 Notes
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Description

Carapace considerably depressed, with prominent vertebral and thin lateral keels; posterior margin feebly reverted, not serrated. Nuchal shield small ; first vertebral shield broader in front than behind, larger than the second, third, and fourth, which are considerably broader than long and as broad as the costals. Plastron large, nearly as large as the shell opening, angulate laterally, openly emarginate anteriorly and posteriorly ; the width of the bridge is less than the length of the hind lobe ; the longest median suture is between the abdominal shields, the shortest between the gular ; axillary and inguinal shields very small, one of the latter being absent.

Head rather large : snout as long as the orbit, truncate ; upper jaw hooked ; mandibular symphysis very long, longer than the greatest diameter of the orbit. Skin of the hinder part of the head divided into moderately large shields.

Arms with enlarged, squarish or pointed, horny scales, chiefly on the front; hind-limbs more or less club-shaped, the anterior margins and region of heels with enlarged horny scales. Fingers one-third webbed, toes with a rudiment only. Tail short.

Shell dark bronze above ; yellowish below, with two dark blotches on either side, upou the bridge. Front part of head above, and jaws, bright yellow in life, with a red spot on the top of the snout; hinder part of head and neck brown. Limbs and tail black.

Length of shell 120, breadth 83, depth 45 mm.

The above is a description of the type specimen, a male. A second and less mature specimen is in the Madras Museum. Both were obtained in the dense forests of Cochin at an altitude of about 500 metres. According to the natives from whom Dr. Henderson obtained the type, the species inhabits short burrows underground and does not affect the neighbourhood of water. Both specimens were kept in captivity for six months, and Dr. Henderson remarks that they did not show any special partiality for water and when handled did not emit the offensive odour which G. trijuga does. They lived entirely upon vegetable food.^[2]

[edit] Notes

^ Author Praschag, P. Schmidt, C. Fritzsch, G. Muller, A. Gemel, R. Fritz, U. 2006. Geoemyda silvatica, an enigmatic turtle of the Geoemydidae (Reptilia: Testudines), represents a distinct genus. ORGANISMS DIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION 6(2):151-162
^ Smith, M. A. 1941. Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Amphibia

[edit] References

Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). Geoemyda silvatica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2c v2.3)
Groombridge, B., E.O. Moll, and J. Vijaya. 1983 Rediscovery of a rare Indian turtle. Oryx 17: 130-134.
Henderson, J.R. 1912 Preliminary note on a new tortoise from South India. Records of the Indian Museum. Calcutta. 7 (21): 217-218.
Sharath, B. K. 1990 On the Occurrence of the forest cane turtle (Geoemyda silvatica) in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, South India Hamadryad 15: 34
Vijaya, J. 1982 Rediscovery of the forest cane turtle (Heosemys silvatica) of Kerala. Hamadryad 7 (3): 2-3.
Vijaya, J. 1983 Rediscovery of the Forest Cane Turtle, Heosemys (Geoemyda ) Silvatica (Reptilia, Testudinata, Emydidae) from Chalakudy Forests in Kerala J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 79 (3): 676-677
Vijaya, J. 1988 Status of the forest cane turtle (Geoemyda silvatica) Hamadryad 13 (2): 10