The Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle (''Chitra chitra'') is a large
species of
softshell turtle in the
family Trionychidae. The species is
endemic to
Southeast Asia.
Common names
''Chitra chitra'' is also known
commonly as Nutaphand's narrowhead softshell. It is a name given in honor of
Wirot Nutaphand, a Thai herpetologist who did taxonomy.
Description
''C. chitra'' can reach a straight
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
length of 4.9 ft (1.5 m).
Geographic range
''C. chitra'' is found in
Indonesia,
Malaysia, and
Thailand.
[
]
Habitat
''C. chitra'' inhabits freshwater rivers and their tributaries.[
]
Reproduction
''C. chitra'' is oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...
.[ Nutaphand (1986) reported that a large female laid over 100 eggs.
]
Subspecies
Two subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[. www.reptile-database.org.]
*''Chitra chitra chitra'' – Malaysia, Thailand
*''Chitra chitra javanensis'' – Java, Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
In captivity
The largest ''C. chitra'' in the world was a female named ''Sumo''. She was a pet in the possession of Kittipong Jaruthanin Kittipong Jaruthanin ( th, กิตติพงษ์ จารุธาณินทร์ or spelt Kittipong Jarutanin; born 1958 in Din Daeng District, Bangkok) is a Thai nature explorer, collector, aquarist, aquarium trader and ichthyologist. ...
, a Thai fish explorer and collector. She died in September 2023, aged more than 40 years.
References
Further reading
*Nutaphand, Wirot (1986). " anlai, the world's largest soft-shelled turtle 'Thai Zoological Magazine''1 (4): 4-70 (''Chira chitra'', new species). (in Thai).
External links
Chitra (genus)
Turtles of Asia
Critically endangered fauna of Asia
Reptiles described in 1986
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Reptiles of the Malay Peninsula
Reptiles of Thailand
Fauna of Sumatra
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