Leith's softshell turtle

Leith's softshell turtle
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3)[1][2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Trionychidae
Subfamily:	Trionychinae
Genus:	Nilssonia[1]
Species:	N. leithii
Binomial name
Nilssonia leithii (Gray, 1872)[1]
Synonyms[3]
Trionyx javanicus — Gray, 1831 (part) Testudo gotaghol Buchanan-Hamilton, 1831 (nomen nudum) Aspilus gataghol — Gray, 1872 Trionyx leithii Gray, 1872 Isola leithii — Gray, 1873 Aspideretes leithii — O.P. Hay, 1904 Trionyx sulcifrons Annandale, 1915 Trionyx leithi M.A. Smith, 1931 (ex errore) Amyda leithi — Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934 Aspideretes leithi — Choudhury & Bhupathy, 1993 Trionys leithii — Obst, 1996 Trionix leithi — Richard, 1999

Leith's softshell turtle (Nilssonia leithii ) is a species of turtle found in peninsular Indian rivers including the Bhavani, Godavari, and Moyar Rivers. The type locality is Pune in India.

Etymology

The specific name, leithii, is in honor of Andrew H. Leith, a physician with the Bombay Sanitary Commission.^[4]

Description

Nilssonia leithii is intermediate between Nilssonia gangetica and Nilssonia hurum. It is like the former in the width of the interorbital apace, the comparatively short mandibular symphysis, and the markings of the head. It is like the latter in the longer and more pointed snout, the absence of a strong ridge on the inner alveolar surface of the mandible, and in the presence, in the young, of four or more dorsal ocelli, which are, however, smaller than in N. hurum.^[5]

Distribution

Leith's softshell turtle is endemic to peninsular India in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu^[2] and Odisha^[1]

References

Further reading

• Gray JE. 1872. "Notes on the Mud-Tortoises of India (Trionyx, Geoffroy)". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Fourth Series 10: 326-340. (Trionyx leithii, new species, 334-335).

External links

• Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (2011-12-31). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status". Chelonian Research Monographs. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-22. 
• Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nilssonia leithii.

• Nilssonia leithii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database

Turtle family Trionychidae
Genus	Species of the subfamily Cyclanorbinae
Cyclanorbis	Nubian flapshell turtle Senegal flapshell turtle
Cycloderma	Aubry's flapshell turtle Zambezi flapshell turtle
Lissemys	Burmese flapshell turtle Indian flapshell turtle Sri Lankan flapshell turtle
	Species of the subfamily Trionychinae
Amyda	Asiatic softshell turtle
Apalone	Florida softshell turtle Smooth softshell turtle Spiny softshell turtle
Chitra	Asian narrow-headed softshell turtle Burmese narrow-headed softshell turtle Indian narrow-headed softshell turtle
Dogania	Malayan softshell turtle
Nilssonia	Black softshell turtle Burmese peacock softshell Indian softshell turtle Indian peacock softshell turtle Leith's softshell turtle
Palea	Wattle-necked softshell turtle
Pelochelys	Cantor's giant softshell turtle New Guinea giant softshell turtle Northern New Guinea giant softshell turtle
Pelodiscus	Chinese softshell turtle Hunan softshell turtle Lesser Chinese softshell turtle Northern Chinese softshell turtle
Rafetus	Euphrates softshell turtle Yangtze giant softshell turtle
Trionyx	African softshell turtle
Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2011 update: annotated checklist.