Leith's softshell turtle

Leith's softshell turtle
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)[1][2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Trionychidae
Genus:	Nilssonia[1]
Species:	N. leithii
Binomial name
Nilssonia leithii (Gray, 1872)[1]
Synonyms[3]
Trionyx javanicus Gray, 1831 Testudo gotaghol Buchanan-Hamilton, 1831 (nomen nudum) Aspilus gataghol Gray, 1872 Trionyx leithii Gray, 1872 Isola leithii Gray, 1873 Aspideretes leithii Hay, 1904 Trionyx sulcifrons Annandale, 1915 Trionyx leithi Smith, 1931 (ex errore) Amyda leithi Mertens, Müller & Rust, 1934 Aspideretes leithi Choudhury & Bhupathy, 1993 Trionys leithii Obst, 1996 Trionix leithi Richard, 1999

Leith's softshell turtle (Nilssonia leithii) is a species of turtle found in peninsular Indian rivers including the Bhavani, Godavari, and Moyar Rivers. The type locality is Pune in India.

Description

Intermediate between Trionyx gangeticus and Trionyx hurum. Like the former in the width of the interorbital apace, the comparatively short mandibular symphysis, and the markings of the head; like the latter in the longer and more pointed snout, the absence of a strong ridge on the inner alveolar surface of the mandible, and in the presence, in the young, of four or more dorsal ocelli, which are, however, smaller than in T. hurum.^[4]

Distribution

Leith's softshell turtle is endemic to peninsular India in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu^[2] and Odisha^[1]

References

• Gray, J.E. 1872 Notes on the mud-tortoises of India (Trionyx, Geoffroy). Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) 10:326-340.

Bibliography

• Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (2011-12-31). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status". Chelonian Research Monographs 5. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22. 
• Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology 57 (2). Archived from the original on 2010-12-17. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nilssonia leithii.

• Nilssonia leithii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database

Turtle family Trionychidae Genus Species of the subfamily Cyclanorbinae Cyclanorbis Nubian flapshell turtle Senegal flapshell turtle Cycloderma Aubry's flapshell turtle Zambezi flapshell turtle Lissemys Burmese flapshell turtle Indian flapshell turtle Sri Lankan flapshell turtle   Species of the subfamily Trionychinae Amyda Asiatic softshell turtle Apalone Florida softshell turtle Smooth softshell turtle Spiny softshell turtle Chitra Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle Burmese narrow-headed softshell turtle Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle Dogania Malayan softshell turtle Nilssonia Black softshell turtle Burmese peacock softshell Indian softshell turtle Indian peacock softshell turtle Leith's softshell turtle Palea Wattle-necked softshell turtle Pelochelys Cantor's giant softshell turtle New Guinea giant softshell turtle Northern New Guinea giant softshell turtle Pelodiscus Chinese softshell turtle Hunan softshell turtle Lesser Chinese softshell turtle Northern Chinese softshell turtle Rafetus Euphrates softshell turtle Yangtze giant softshell turtle Trionyx African softshell turtle Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2011 update: annotated checklist.