Black pond turtle
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The black pond turtle (''Geoclemys hamiltonii''), also known as the spotted pond turtle or the Indian spotted turtle, is a
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of freshwater
turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
. It belongs to the
monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
'' Geoclemys''.


Etymology

The specific name, ''hamiltonii'', is in honor of Scottish botanist and ichthyologist Francis Hamilton.


Description

''G. hamiltonii'' is mainly black with small yellowish spots, and a much-elevated carapace, with three interrupted keels or series of nodose prominences corresponding to the vertebral and costal shields. The posterior border of the carapace is strongly serrated in young, but feebly in the adult. The nuchal is moderate, broader posteriorly than anteriorly. The first vertebral is not or scarcely broader anteriorly than posteriorly. The second and third vertebrals are broader than long in the young, nearly as long as broad in the adult, narrower than the costals. The plastron is large, angulate laterally, truncate anteriorly. The posterior lobe of the plastron is much narrower than the opening of the shell, nearly as long as the width of the bridge, deeply notched posteriorly. The head is rather large. The snout is very short, not projecting. The upper jaw is emarginated mesially. The width of the mandible at the symphysis nearly equals the horizontal diameter of the orbit. A large shield covers the upper surface of the snout and the crown, sometimes divided into three, one shield around the upper jaw and one on each side between the eye and the ear. The digits are webbed to the claws. The tail is extremely short. The shell is dark brown or blackish, elegantly marked with yellow spots and radiating streaks, and the soft parts are dark brown or blackish, with round yellow spots, largest on the head and neck. Maximum straight carapace length is .Das (2002).


Geographic range

''G. hamiltonii'' is found in southern
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
( Indus and
Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
River drainages), northeastern
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
(
Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
), Sri Lanka, and
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
.


References


Further reading

* Das I (2002). ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India''. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. . (''Geoclemys hamiltonii'', p. 125). * Gray JE (1831). ''Synopsis Reptilium or Short Descriptions of the Species of Reptiles. Part I: Cataphracta, Tortoises, Crocodiles, and Enaliosaurians''. London: Treuttel, Wurz & Co. 85 pp. (''Emys hamiltonii'', new species, pp. 21, 72). *Khan, Mohammad Ali Reza (1982). "Chelonians of Bangladesh and their conservation". ''J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.'' 79 (1): 110-116 + Plates I-II. (''Geoclemys hamiltoni'', p. 113). * Murray JA (1884). "Additions to the reptilian fauna of Sind". ''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Fifth Series'' 14: 106–111. *Philippen H-D (2004). "Geoclemys hamiltonii ''(Gray 1831) - Strahlen-Dreikielschildkröte'' ". ''Reptilia'' (Münster) 9 (5): 51–54. (in German). * 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. (''Geoclemys hamiltoni'', pp. 111–112 + Plate I, figure 6).


External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1345661 Geoclemys Reptiles of Pakistan Reptiles of India Turtles of Asia Reptiles described in 1831 Taxa named by John Edward Gray