Black pond turtle

Black pond turtle
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Geoclemys
Species:	G. hamiltonii
Binomial name
Geoclemys hamiltonii (Gray, 1831)
Synonyms[2]
Emys hamiltonii Gray, 1831 Emys guttata Gray, 1831 Emys picquotii Lesson, 1831 Clemmys (Clemmys) hamiltonii Fitzinger, 1835 Geoclemys hamiltonii Gray, 1856 Damonia hamiltonii Gray, 1869 Melanochelys pictus Murray, 1884 Clemmys palaeindica Lydekker, 1885 Damonia hamiltoni Lydekker, 1889 (ex errore) Geoclemmys hamiltonii Boulenger, 1889 Emys hamiltoni Smith, 1931 Geoclemys hamiltoni Smith, 1931

The black pond turtle (Geoclemys hamiltonii), also known as the spotted pond turtle, is a species of turtle found in South Asia. It is also known as the Indian spotted turtle.^[3] It belongs to the monotypic genus Geoclemys.

Description

This turtle is mainly black with small yellowish spots, and a much-elevated carapace, with three interrupted keels or series of nodose prominences corresponding to the vertebral and costal shields. Its posterior border is strongly serrated in young, but feebly in the adult Its upper jaw is emarginated mesially. The width of the mandible of G. hamiltonii at the symphysis nearly equals the horizontal diameter of the orbit. A large shield, sometimes divided into three, covers the upper surface of the snout and the crown, one shield around the upper jaw and one on each side between the eye and the ear. Its digits are webbed to the claws. The tail is extremely short. The shell is dark brown or blackish, elegantly marked with yellow spots and radiating streaks, and the soft parts are dark brown or blackish, with round yellow spots, largest on the head and neck.^[4]

Distribution

This species is found in southern Pakistan (Indus and Ganges River drainages), northeastern India (Assam), and Bangladesh.

References

References

• Khan, Moh. A.R. 1982 Chelonians of Bangladesh and their conservation. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 79 (1): 110-116.
• Murray, J. A. 1884 Additions to the reptilian fauna of Sind. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (5)14:106-111.
• Philippen, H.-D. 2004 Geoclemys hamiltonii (Gray 1831) - Strahlen-Dreikielschildkröte. Reptilia (Münster) 9 (5): 51-54

External links

• Geoclemys hamiltonii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database

v t e Turtle family Geoemydidae Genus Species of the family Geoemydidae Batagur Burmese roofed turtle Northern river terrapin Painted terrapin Red-crowned roofed turtle Southern river terrapin Three-striped roofed turtle Cuora Amboina box turtle Bourret's box turtle Indochinese box turtle McCord's box turtle Keeled box turtle Pan's box turtle Southern Vietnamese box turtle Chinese three-striped box turtle Yellow-headed box turtle Yellow-margined box turtle Yunnan box turtle Zhou's box turtle Cyclemys Asian leaf turtle Assam leaf turtle Eastern black-bridged leaf turtle Enigmatic leaf turtle Myanmar brown leaf turtle Oldham's leaf turtle Western black-bridged leaf turtle Geoclemys Black pond turtle Geoemyda Black-breasted leaf turtle Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle Hardella Brahminy river turtle Heosemys Arakan forest turtle Giant Asian pond turtle Spiny turtle Yellow-headed temple turtle Leucocephalon Sulawesi forest turtle Malayemys Malayan snail-eating turtle Mekong snail-eating turtle Mauremys Balkan pond turtle Caspian turtle Chinese pond turtle Chinese stripe-necked turtle Japanese pond turtle Red-necked pond turtle Spanish pond turtle Vietnamese pond turtle Yellow pond turtle Melanochelys Indian black turtle Tricarinate hill turtle Morenia Burmese eyed turtle Indian eyed turtle Notochelys Malayan flat-shelled turtle Orlitia Malaysian giant turtle Pangshura Assam roofed turtle Brown roofed turtle Indian roofed turtle Indian tent turtle Rhinoclemmys Black river turtle Brown wood turtle Colombian wood turtle Furrowed wood turtle Large-nosed wood turtle Maracaibo wood turtle Mexican spotted wood turtle Painted wood turtle Spot-legged turtle Sacalia Beal's eyed turtle Four-eyed turtle Siebenrockiella Black marsh turtle Philippine forest turtle Vijayachelys Cane turtle Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2011 update: annotated checklist.