Assam roofed turtle

Assam roofed turtle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Geoemydidae
Genus: Pangshura
Species: P. sylhetensis
Binomial name
Pangshura sylhetensis
Synonyms[2]
  • Pangshura sylhetensis Jerdon, 1870
  • Jerdonella sylhetensis Gray, 1870
  • Kachuga sylhetensis Boulenger, 1889

The Assam roofed turtle (Pangshura sylhetensis), also known as Sylhet roofed turtle (Bengali names: সিলেটী কাইট্টা, সিলেটী কড়ি কাইট্টা, সিলোটী কাইট্টা, সিলেটী কাছিম, কাঁটা কাছিম।) [3] is a species of the Geoemydidae family of turtles found in the Brahmaputra-Meghna drainage in India (Assam) and parts of eastern Bangladesh. It was formerly in the Batagur genus and defunct genus Kachuga.

Description

Carapace pattern

The species has a triangular and elevated carapace with a promient spiked keel and strongly serrated marginal plates. The carapace is olive-brown in color, with a lighter (yellowish to beige) keel. The head is small and has a weakly hooked upper jaw; a narrow pink stripe runs from the back of each eye to the middle of the back of the head. Adults may attain a maximum length of 20 cm, although body sizes of ~15 cm are more common.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs in the north-eastern & south-eastern parts of Bangladesh, in India (Assam) and possibly in Bhutan. It is found in terrestrial and freshwater habitats in areas with upland tropical moist forest, and fast-flowing streams and perhaps also small rivers. Oxbow lakes may also be inhabited, but shell morphology suggests an adaptation to fast-flowing waters.[3]

Ecology

The species is amphibian. In the cooler months of the dry season, from December to February, it basks during most of the day; individuals living in cooler hill-streams may do so year round. The turtle is shy and never basks on river banks, but only on emergent logs or rocks. At the slightest disturbance, it will dive quickly to the middle of the river, hiding between rocks. Juveniles often flee into accumulations of dead leaves for camouflage and remain motionless.[3]

Reproduction

Assam roofed turtles nest between late October and February, corresponding with the cool, dry season, and produce clutches of 6–12 eggs. Hatchlings appear mainly between March and April, at the beginning of the Southeast Monsoons.[3]

Conservation

The Assam roofed turtle is a rare species known only from a few individuals; it is believed to have one of the narrowest distributions of any south Asian geoemydid. It is exploited for its meat and eggs for local consumption and may also enter the pet trade. Habitat destruction by logging and incidental capture in fishing gear are also thought to present threats. The species is currently classified as Endangered (EN) by the IUCN.[1][3]

References

  1. 1 2 Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). "Pangshura sylhetensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.3. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  2. Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology 57 (2): 239. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Das, I.; Sengupta, S.; Praschag, P. "Pangshura sylhetensis Jerdon 1870 – Assam Roofed Turtle". In Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Iverson,J.B., and Mittermeier, R.A. Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/ SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 5. pp. 046.1–046.6. doi:10.3854/crm.5.046.sylhetensis.v1.2010. line feed character in |chapter= at position 36 (help); line feed character in |editor= at position 27 (help); line feed character in |title= at position 93 (help)

Further reading

External links

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