Brown roofed turtle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Brown roofed turtle |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pangshura
|
| Species: |
smithii
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The brown roofed turtle (Pangshura smithii) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to South Asia. Two subspecies are recognized.
Etymology
The specific name, smithii, is in honor of Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith.
Description
The carapace of P. smithii is much depressed and feebly keeled. The nuchal shield is small, trapezoidal, and broadest posteriorly. The first vertebral has sinuous lateral borders and is usually a little narrower in front than behind. The second vertebral is shortest, broader than long, and usually with straight or slightly convex posterior border. The third vertebral is considerably longer than broad, subquadrangular, and its posterior border is straight or slightly convex. The fourth vertebral is longest, tapering anteriorly and forming a narrow suture with the third. The fifth vertebral is much broader than the others. The large plastron is feebly angulated laterally. The front lobe is rounded. The hind lobe is angularly notched and as long as or a little shorter than the width of the bridge. The longest median suture is that between the abdominals, which about equals the length of the front lobe. The gulars are usually shorter than the suture between the humerals, their suture with the latter shields forming a right angle. The inguinal is large, and the axillary is smaller. The head is moderate. The snout is short, obtuse, and feebly prominent. The jaws have denticulated edges. The upper jaw is not notched mesially. The alveolar surface of the upper jaw is broad, and the median ridge is nearer the inner than the outer border. There are bony choanae between the orbits. The width of the lower jaw at the symphysis is less than the diameter of the orbit. The fore limbs have large transverse scales. The carapace is pale olive-brown above, and the dorsal keel is usually blackish. The plastral shields and the lower surface of the marginals are dark brown, bordered with yellow. The straight-line carapace length is 8.5 in (22 cm).
Brown roofed turtles exhibit ZZ/ZW sex determination, in contrast to the temperature-dependent sex determination of most turtles.
Subspecies and geographic ranges
Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies.
- P. s. smithii (Gray, 1863), is found in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra River drainages in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
- P. s. pallidipes (Moll, 1987), is found in the northern tributaries of the Ganges in India and Nepal.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of P. smithii are freshwater swamps and rivers. These creatures also prefer to bask in the sun, twice a day. They often prefer muddy areas.
