Brahminy river turtle

Brahminy river turtle

Hardella thurjii
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Hardella Gray, 1870
Species:	H. thurjii
Binomial name
*Hardella thurjii* (Gray, 1831)
Synonyms^[1]
Hardella thurjii thurjii Emys thuryi Gray, 1831 (nomen oblitum) Emys thurjii Gray, 1831 Emys thuji Gray, 1831 (ex errore) Emys flavonigra Lesson, 1831 Emys thugi Gray, 1832 (ex errore) Clemmys (Clemmys) thurgii Fitzinger, 1835 (ex errore) Emys thurgii Gray, 1844 Clemmys thurgi Strauch, 1862 (ex errore) Batagur thurgii Theobald, 1868 Kachuga oldhami Gray, 1869 Hardella thurgi Gray, 1870 Emys thurgi Günther, 1871 Batagur (Hardella) thurgi Anderson, 1879 Batagur cautleyi Lydekker, 1885 Batagur falconeri Lydekker, 1885 Hardella thurgii Siebenrock, 1906 Hardella thurjii Siebenrock, 1909 Hardella thurjii thurjii Wermuth & Mertens, 1977 Hardella thurji Pritchard, 1979 (ex errore) Hardella thurji thurji Obst, 1985 Hardella thurjii indi Hardella indi Gray, 1870 Hardella thurjii indi Wermuth & Mertens, 1977 Hardella thurji indi Obst, 1984

The brahminy river turtle or crowned river turtle (Hardella thurjii) is a species of turtle found in northern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in the watersheds of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Indus rivers. It belongs to the monotypic genus, Hardella.

Description

This species has a shell with a large, moderately flat, dark brown or black carapace (dorsal surface) and a yellow or black plastron (ventral surface).^[2] The shell is up to 18 inches (460 mm) in length in females, and is shorter in males.^[3] The lower jaw is heavily dented.

Reproduction

The reproductive habits of H. thurjii are unique among reptiles in that the females lay their eggs under water rather than on dry land. Their reproductive cycle follows seasonal changes in the water levels of the rivers in which they live. In autumn, females lay their eggs under water, where higher water levels submerge the eggs for 40 to 45 days. In the winter, lower water levels expose the eggs for five months. The rising water levels of spring submerge the almost mature eggs once again, and the turtles hatch in the river.

Indian zoologist Dhruvajyoti Basu first documented the unique reproductive habits of the brahminy river turtle in 2011. The Prague Zoo incubated the first brahminy river turtle which was born in captivity in 2012.^[4]

References

↑ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 223–224. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
↑ Catalogue of the chelonians, rhynchocephalians, and crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History), George Albert Boulenger, ASIN: B004QM945U, University of Toronto Libraries, 2001.
↑ Boulenger, G. A. 1890. Fauna of British India. Reptilia and Amphibia.
↑ "Screen Director: The largest turtle thriller.".

Notes

Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). "Hardella thurjii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2006. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 11 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1cd+2 cd v2.3).
Das, Indraneil 1984 Record length of the Brahminy River turtle Hardella thurjii Hamadryad 9 (3): 18.

External links

Turtle family Geoemydidae

Genus	Species of the family Geoemydidae

Batagur	Burmese roofed turtle Northern river terrapin Painted terrapin Red-crowned roofed turtle Southern river terrapin Three-striped roofed turtle

Cuora	Amboina box turtle Bourret's box turtle Indochinese box turtle McCord's box turtle Keeled box turtle Pan's box turtle Southern Vietnamese box turtle Chinese three-striped box turtle Yellow-headed box turtle Yellow-margined box turtle Yunnan box turtle Zhou's box turtle

Cyclemys	Asian leaf turtle Assam leaf turtle Eastern black-bridged leaf turtle Enigmatic leaf turtle Myanmar brown leaf turtle Oldham's leaf turtle Western black-bridged leaf turtle

Geoclemys	Black pond turtle

Geoemyda	Black-breasted leaf turtle Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle

Hardella	Brahminy river turtle

Heosemys	Arakan forest turtle Giant Asian pond turtle Spiny turtle Yellow-headed temple turtle

Leucocephalon	Sulawesi forest turtle

Malayemys	Malayan snail-eating turtle Mekong snail-eating turtle

Mauremys	Balkan pond turtle Caspian turtle Chinese pond turtle Chinese stripe-necked turtle Japanese pond turtle Red-necked pond turtle Spanish pond turtle Vietnamese pond turtle Yellow pond turtle

Melanochelys	Indian black turtle Tricarinate hill turtle

Morenia	Burmese eyed turtle Indian eyed turtle

Notochelys	Malayan flat-shelled turtle

Orlitia	Malaysian giant turtle

Pangshura	Assam roofed turtle Brown roofed turtle Indian roofed turtle Indian tent turtle

Rhinoclemmys	Black river turtle Brown wood turtle Colombian wood turtle Furrowed wood turtle Large-nosed wood turtle Maracaibo wood turtle Mexican spotted wood turtle Painted wood turtle Spot-legged turtle

Sacalia	Beal's eyed turtle Four-eyed turtle

Siebenrockiella	Black marsh turtle Philippine forest turtle

Vijayachelys	Cane turtle

Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2011 update: annotated checklist.

Extant turtle taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Subclass: Anapsida
Order: Chelonii or Testudines

Suborder

Superfamily

Family

Subfamily	Genus

Cryptodira

Chelydridae

	Chelydra Macrochelys

Chelonioidea

Cheloniidae

Carettinae	Caretta Lepidochelys

Cheloniinae	Chelonia Eretmochelys Natator

Dermochelyidae

	Dermochelys

Kinosternoidea

Dermatemydidae

	Dermatemys

Kinosternidae

Kinosterninae	Kinosternon Sternotherus

Staurotypinae	Claudius Staurotypus

Testudinoidea

Emydidae

Deirochelyinae	Chrysemys Deirochelys Graptemys Malaclemys Pseudemys Trachemys

Emydinae	Clemmys Emys Glyptemys Terrapene

Geoemydidae

Geoemydinae	Batagur Cuora Cyclemys Geoclemys Geoemyda Hardella Heosemys Leucocephalon Malayemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Notochelys Orlitia Pangshura Sacalia Siebenrockiella Vijayachelys

Rhinoclemmydinae	Rhinoclemmys

Platysternidae

	Platysternon

Testudinidae

	Aldabrachelys Astrochelys Chelonoidis Chersina Cylindraspis Geochelone Gopherus Homopus Indotestudo Kinixys Malacochersus Manouria Psammobates Pyxis Stigmochelys Testudo

Trionychia

Carettochelyidae

	Carettochelys

Trionychidae

Cyclanorbinae	Cyclanorbis Cycloderma Lissemys

Trionychinae	Amyda Apalone Chitra Dogania Nilssonia Palea Pelochelys Pelodiscus Rafetus Trionyx

Pleurodira

Chelidae

Chelinae	Acanthochelys Chelus Mesoclemmys Phrynops Platemys Rhinemys

Chelodininae	Chelodina Elseya Elusor Emydura Flaviemys Myuchelys Pseudemydura Rheodytes

Hydromedusinae	Hydromedusa

Pelomedusidae

	Pelomedusa Pelusios

Podocnemididae

	Erymnochelys Peltocephalus Podocnemis

Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2012 update: annotated checklist. Extinct turtles not included.

Portal Book See also List of Testudines families

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