Aspideretes gangeticus
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| Ganges Soft-shelled Turtle | ||||||||||||||||
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 Skull structure of Aspideretes gangeticus
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| Aspideretes gangeticus (Cuvier, 1825) |
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Trionys hurum |
The Ganges Soft-shelled Turtle Aspideretes gangeticus is a species of softshell turtle found in South Asia in rivers such as the Ganges, Indus and Mahanadi.
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[edit] Description
Costal plates eight pairs, the last well developed and in contact throughout on the median line; two neurals between the first pair of costals; plates coarsely pitted and vermieulate. Epiplastra narrowly separated from each other in front of the ontoplastron, which forms an obtuse or a right angle; plastral callosities very large, hyo-hypoplastral, xiphiplastral, and, in old specimens, ento-plastral. Dorsal skin of young with longitudinal ridges of small tubercles. Head moderate; snout (on the skull) about as long as the diameter of the orbit; interorbital region, in the adult, considerably narrower than the nasal fossa; postorbital arch one third to one half the greatest diameter of the orbit; mandible with the inner edge strongly raised, forming a sharp ridge, which sends off a short perpendicular process at the symphysis; the diameter of the mandible at the symphysis does not exceed the diameter of the orbit. Olive above; back of young vermiculated with fine black lines, but without ocelli; head with a black longitudinal streak from between the eyes to the nape, intersected by two or three inverted-V shaped black streaks; lower parts yellowish. Length of dorsal disk 2 feet.[1]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Boulenger, G. A. 1890. Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Batrachia.
[edit] References
- Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). Aspideretes gangeticus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is vulnerable and the criteria used
- Anderson,J. 1872 Note on Trionyx gangeticus, and Trionyx hurum, B. Hamilton. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) 9: 382-383
- Anderson,J. 1872 On Trionyx gangeticus, Cuvier, Trionyx hurum, B.H. and Dr. Gray. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) 10: 219-222
- Cuvier, G.L.C.F.D. 1825 Recherches sur les ossemens fossiles de quadrupèdes, où l'on rétablit les caractères du plusieurs espèces d'animaux que les révolutions du globe paroissent avoir détruites. Dufour & d'Ocagne, Paris. ed. 3, 5 vols. (Parts of this 5 volume edition are cited as appearing from 1821 to 1824; volume 5 appeared in 1825. It consists mostly of articles reprinted from Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. See also Cuvier 1812.)
- Webb, R.G. 2004 Trionychid turtle miscellany. Hamadryad 28 (1&2): 119-121
