| Brahminy river turtle |
 |
| Hardella thurjii |
| Conservation status |
|
|
| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: |
Animalia |
| Phylum: |
Chordata |
| Class: |
Reptilia |
| Order: |
Testudines |
| Suborder: |
Cryptodira |
| Family: |
Geoemydidae |
| Genus: |
Hardella |
| 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
- Hardella thrrji indi Gosławski & Hryniewicz, 1993
|
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[edit]
This species has a shell with a moderately flat, dark brown to black carapace or dorsal surface and a yellow or black plastron or dorsal surface. The shell is up to 18 in (460 mm) in length in the females, and somewhat shorter in males.[2]The lower jar is heavily dentated.
Reproduction[edit]
The reproductive habits of Hardella thurjii are unique among reptiles in that females lay their eggs under water rather than on dry land. Their reproduction cycle follows seasonal fluctuations in the water levels of the rivers where they live. In the autumn, females lay their eggs under water, and higher water levels submerge the eggs for forty to forty-five days. In the winter, lower water levels expose the eggs for five months. In the spring, rising water levels again submerge the nearly mature eggs, and the turtles hatch into 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 born into captivity in 2012.[3]
References[edit]
- Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000). Hardella thurjii. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 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[edit]
