Indian flapshell turtle
Indian flapshell turtle | |
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Indian flapshell turtle at Rajaji National Park, India | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Cryptodira |
Family: | Trionychidae |
Genus: | Lissemys |
Species: | L. punctata
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Binomial name | |
Lissemys punctata (Lacépède, 1788)
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Subspecies | |
Synonyms[3] | |
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The Indian flapshell turtle (Lissemys punctata) is a freshwater
Description
The
The carapace length of L. punctata has been known to range from 240 to 370 mm (9.4 to 14.6 in).[7][8] Male's size can be up to 23 cm (9 in.), while Female's size can be maximum of around 35 cm (14 in.) .[5]
Status
The Indian flapshell turtle was placed in Appendix I of CITES in 1975 at the proposal of Bangladesh. However, L. p. punctata was the taxon listed, not L. p. andersoni. Subsequent reviews of the literature and available data could find no evidence to support this endangered status. Some scientists now classify L. p. punctata and L. p. andersoni as a single subspecies. This subspecies is the most common aquatic turtle in India. Consequently, the Indian flapshell turtle was removed from the endangered species list in 1983 (48 FR 52740). This action, however, did not affect the turtle's status on Appendix I of CITES.[9] The species was downgraded to Appendix II in 1995.[2]
Distribution
The Indian flapshell turtle is found in Pakistan, India (common in lakes and rivers), Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh (Indus and Ganges drainages), and Myanmar (Irrawaddy and Salween Rivers). It has been introduced to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is also found in the desert ponds of Rajasthan, where hundreds are killed every year during the dry summers. The race L. p. andersoni is found in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. In 2020 a farmer found a yellow flapshell turtle, believed to be an albino version of the species.[10]
Fossils of this species from as early as the Miocene are known from Nepal.[11]
Type locality: "Des grandes Indes" (= continental India); restricted to "Pondicherry, Coromandel Coast, India" (11° 56'N; 79° 53'E, on the southeast coast of India) by Webb (1980).[12][13]
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Head and front legs
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Underside showing the flaps
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Upperside
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With yellow spots & blotches at Sulthanpur National Park
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Sun basking at Sulthanpur National Park
Habitat and ecology
Food
The Indian flapshell turtle is known to be
Habitat and environmental impact
L. punctata lives in the shallow, quiet, often stagnant waters of rivers, streams, marshes, ponds, lakes and irrigation canals, and tanks. Waters with sand or mud bottoms are preferred because of the turtle's tendency to burrow.
Drought survival
L. punctata is very well adapted, both morphologically and behaviorally, to drought conditions. The turtle uses mainly burrowing and moving from water hole to water hole to avoid
Reproduction
Courtship routines
L. punctata becomes reproductively active at age 2 or 3. Courtship and mating behavior is unique. Courtship begins when the male begins stroking the female's carapace with his neck and limbs extended. When receptive, the female faces the male with her neck extended and they begin bobbing their heads vertically three or four times. This behavior is repeated, then mating begins when the female settles to the bottom and is mounted by the male. Near the end of mating, the male releases his grip and rotates to face the opposite direction from her. They remain attached in this position for as long as 15 minutes. During this time, the female may drag the male about. The pair then separates and copulation ends.[8]
Nesting
Nesting times of L. punctata occur during many periods in the year depending on habitat and location. Generally starts during the late summer to the monsoon season which is around June to November.[16] Swampy areas with soil and exposure to sunlight are common nesting sites. Eggs are usually laid two or three times per year in clutches of 2 to 16. These eggs are buried in soil for protection.[8]
Specific dangers and threats to species survival
Economic and environmental factors
In many South Asian provinces, freshwater turtles and their eggs are commonly used as a source of protein-rich food. There's also a common myth of turtle meat and eggs having aphrodisiac quality.[17][18] As a result, these turtles are often exploited as a source of profit. In Bangladesh and India, this is especially evident as the Indian flapshell turtle is larger and has more meat than other turtles in the area. The value of this meat along with the efforts in the conservation of this species has driven the price of meat higher and has led to an increase in the illegal international exploitation and killing of these animals.[19] Changes to the turtle's natural habitat by the construction of dams and barrages, cultivation along river banks, and pollution are also major threats to the survival of this turtle.[7]
Fake belief about medicinal value
The shell of L. punctata is sometimes believed to have medicinal uses and ground into powder to make traditional medicines, but there is no scientific proof of such. Basically it is a myth that helps smugglers to sell them, which is an illegal activity.[20]
References
- . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- .
- ^ Franklin, Carl (2007). Turtles: An Extraordinary Natural History 245 Million Years in the Making. Voyageur Press. pp. 134-136.
- ^ a b "Species Spotlight Vol. 17". Turtle Survival Alliance. 2019-01-31. Archived from the original on 2022-07-31. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
- ^ Minton SA Jr (1966). "A contribution to the herpetology of West Pakistan". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 134 (2): 27-184.
- ^ a b c d e Environmental Information System (ENVIS) center of India. Zoological survey of India. Lissemys punctata. "::Indian Flap-shelled Turtle::". Archived from the original on 2010-10-29. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
- ^ a b c Ernst C, Altenburg R, Barbour R (1997). Turtles of the World. Netherlands Biodiversity Information Facility. "Turtles of the World > Species". Archived from the original on 2011-03-20. Retrieved 2010-12-03.
- ^ CRS Report for Congress.98-32:Endangered Species List Revisions:A Summary of Delisting and Downlisting (cont'd)Status Archived 2006-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rare yellow turtle found by farmer - CNN Video, 21 July 2020, retrieved 2020-07-27
- ^ "Fossilworks: Lissemys punctata". fossilworks.org. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ Webb RG (1980). "Gray, Hardwicke, Buchanan-Hamilton, and drawings of Indian softshell turtles (Family Trionychidae)". Amphibia-Reptilia 1: 61-74.
- ^ Webb RG (1980). "The identity of Testudo punctata Lacépède, 1788 (Testudines, Trionychidae)". Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, Fourth Series 2: 547-557.
- ^ Hossain L, Sarker S, Sarker N (2008). "Ecology of spotted flapshell turtle, Lissemys punctata (Lacepede, 1788) in Bangladesh". Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka. ECOPRINT. 15: 59-67.
- ^ a b Auffenberg W (1981). "Behavior of Lissemys punctata in a drying lake in Rajasthan, India". Bombay 78 (3): 487-493.
- ISBN 978-0965354097. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ "An appetite for the truth: why do people eat turtle eggs? | Fauna & Flora International". www.fauna-flora.org. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
- ^ "Turtles rescued in largest wildlife bust of its kind in India | Poaching | Earth Touch News". Earth Touch News Network. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
- ^ Moll D, Moll E (2004). The Ecology, Exploitation, and Conservation of River Turtles. Oxford University Press. pp. 177-180.
- ^ Chaudhary, Juhi (15 April 2019). "As global smuggling networks flourish, Indian turtles disappear from traditional habitats". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
Further reading
- Das (2002). Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Lissemys punctata, p. 139).
- Khan MZ, Safi A, Fatima F, Hashmi MUA, Hussain B, Siddiqui S, Khan SI, Ghalib SA (2015). "An evaluation of distribution, status and abundance of freshwater turtles in the selected areas of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan". Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences 9 (1): 3201–3219. http://www.cjpas.net
- Safi A, Khan MZ (2014). "Distribution and current population of freshwater turtles of District Charsadda of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan". Journal of Zoology Studies 1 (4): 31–38. http://www.journalofzoology.com
- Akbar M, Mushtaq-ul-Hassan M, u-Nisa Z (2006). "Distribution of Freshwater Turtles in Punjab, Pakistan". CJES 4 (4): 142–146.
- Biswas S, Bhowmik HK (1984). "Range of Lissemys punctata punctata from the foot-hills of Siwaliks". Hamadryad 9 (2): 10.
- Lacepède BGE (1788). Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupe des Ovipares et des Serpens. Vol.1. Paris: Imprimerie du Roi, Hôtel de Thou. xvii + 651 pp.
- Verma, Anil K.; Sahi, D.N. (1998). "Status, range extension and ecological notes on Indo-Gangetic flapshell turtle, Lissemys punctata andersoni (Testudines: Trionychidae) in Jammu Shiwaliks, J&K State". Cobra 34 (Oct.-Dec.): 6–9.
- Webb RG (1982). "Taxonomic notes concerning the trionychid turtle Lissemys punctata (Lacepede)". Amphibia-Reptilia (Wiesbaden) 3 (2–3): 179–184.