Indian tent turtle

Summary

The Indian tent turtle (Pangshura tentoria) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is found in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Indian tent turtle
P. t. tentoria
Chambal River, Uttar Pradesh, India
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Geoemydidae
Genus: Pangshura
Species:
P. tentoria
Binomial name
Pangshura tentoria
(Gray, 1834)
Synonyms[1][3]
Pangshura tentoria tentoria
  • Emys tentoria
    Gray, 1834
  • Batagur (Pangshura) tentoria
    — Gray, 1856
  • ? Emys namadicus
    Theobald, 1860 (nomen nudum)
  • Clemmys tentoria
    Strauch, 1862
  • Pangshura tentoria
    Günther, 1864
  • Pangshura tentori [sic]
    Theobald, 1868 (ex errore)
  • Pangshura tentorium
    — Gray, 1869
  • Emys (Pangshura) tectum var. intermedia
    Blanford, 1870
  • Cuchoa tentoria
    — Gray, 1870
  • Pangshura leithii
    Gray, 1870
  • ? Emys namadica
    Boulenger, 1889
  • Kachuga intermedia
    — Boulenger, 1889
  • Kachuga tectum intermedia
    Annandale, 1912
  • Kachuga tectum tentoria
    M.A. Smith, 1931
  • Kachuga tecta tentoria
    Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934
  • Kachuga tentoria tentoria
    — Pritchard, 1979
  • Pangshura tentoria tentoria
    — Das, 2001
  • Kachuga tentnria [sic]
    Artner, 2003 (ex errore)
Pangshura tentoria circumdata
  • Kachuga tecta circumdata
    Mertens, 1969
  • Kachuga tecta circumbata [sic]
    Thelwall, 1971 (ex errore)
  • Kachuga tentoria circumdata
    Pritchard, 1979
  • Pangshura tentoria circumdata
    — Das, 2001
Pangshura tentoria flaviventer
  • Pangshura flaviventer
    Günther, 1864
  • Cuchoa flaviventris [sic]
    Gray, 1870 (ex errore)
  • Kachuga tecta flaviventer
    — Mertens, 1969
  • Kachuga tentoria flaviventer
    — Moll, 1987
  • Pangshura tentoria flaviventer
    — Das, 2001

Description edit

P. tentoria is a small species of turtle, growing to a maximum straight carapace length of 27 cm (11 in).[1][4]

Subspecies edit

Three subspecies of P. tentoria are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[5]

  • Pangshura tentoria tentoria (Gray, 1834)
  • Pangshura tentoria circumdata (Mertens, 1969)
  • Pangshura tentoria flaviventer (Günther, 1864)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pangshura.

Geographic range edit

P. tentoria is found in Peninsular India, Nepal, and Bangladesh at elevations below 80 m (260 ft) asl.[1]

  • P. t. tentoriaMahanadi and Godavari river drainages in India (country endemic)
  • P. t. circumdata – upper and central Ganges river drainage in India and southern Nepal
  • P. t. flaviventer – lower Ganges drainage in Bangladesh, India, and southern Nepal

Type locality: "in Indiae Orientalis regione Dukhun [=Deccan] dicta "; restricted by M.A. Smith 1931: 128, to "Dhond, Poona Dist.", India.[5]

Habitat edit

P. tentoria is primarily a riverine turtle that occurs in both small and large rivers. They bask on rocks and tree snags. Females are largely herbivores while males and juveniles are more carnivorous.[1]

Reproduction edit

P. tentoria is oviparous.[1][5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Choudhury, B.C.; Das, I.; Praschag, P. & Singh, S. (2021). "Pangshura tentoria". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T46577A3008697. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T46577A3008697.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. ^ Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 149–368. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. ISSN 1864-5755. (Pangshura tentoria, pp. 240–241).
  4. ^ Das I [fr] (2002). Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Pangshura tentoria, p. 130).
  5. ^ a b c Pangshura tentoria at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database

Further reading edit

  • Gray JE (1834). "Characters of several New Species of freshwater tortoises (Emys) from India and China". Proc. Zool. Soc. London 2: 53–55. (Emys tentoria, new species, p. 54). (in English and Latin).
  • Günther ACLG. (1864). The Reptiles of British India. London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (Pangshura tentoria, pp. 34–35 + Plate IV, figures C, C').
  • Smith MA (1931). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. I.—Loricata, Testudines. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxviii + 185 pp. + Plates I-II. (Kachuga tectum tentoria, pp. 128–129).

External links edit

  • Spinks, Phillip Q.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Iverson, John B.; McCord, William P. (2004). "Phylogenetic hypotheses for the turtle family Geoemydidae" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 32 (1): 164–182. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.12.015. PMID 15186805. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2010.
  • http://www.chelonia.org/kachuga_gallery.htm