The Malayan softshell turtle (''Dogania subplana'') 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
softshell turtle
The Trionychidae are a taxonomic family of a number of turtle genera, commonly known as softshell turtles. The family was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can a ...
in the family
Trionychidae
The Trionychidae are a taxonomic family of a number of turtle genera, commonly known as softshell turtles. The family was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can a ...
. It is
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 ...
in its
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 ...
.
Geographic range
It is found in
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
,
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
,
Kalimantan,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
,
Sabah
Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...
,
Sarawak
Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, and
Sumatra.
[Das, Indraneil. 2006. ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Borneo''. Ralph Curtis Books. Sanibel Island, Florida. 144 pp. . ( (''Dogania subplana'') p. 136.)]
Description
Adults may attain a
carapace length of 35 cm (13.7 in). The head is large and muscular. The carapace is flat, and has straight sides. Juveniles are reddish on the sides of the neck, and have a few round black spots (ocelli) on the carapace. These markings become obscure as the turtles age.
This
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 ...
is a medium to dark brown-green. The nose is long and tapered as with members of the family, Trionychidae. It has eight pairs of
pleuralia.
JCVI.org
(Retrieved Feb 23, 2010.)
Habitat
''D. subplana'' prefers to live in the clean running water which is found in rocky streams at higher elevations.
Diet
It feeds on snail
A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class G ...
s and other molluscs, crushing their shells with its powerful jaws.
References
;Bibliography
*
Further reading
* Alderton, D. 1988. Turtles and tortoises of the world. Facts on File, New York.
* Auliya, M. 2006. ''Taxonomy, Life History, and conservation of giant reptiles in west Kalimantan''. Natur und Tier Verlag, Münster, 432 pp.
* Baur, G. 1893. Notes on the classification and taxonomy of the Testudinata. Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 31: 210–225.
* Boulenger, G.A. 1889. ''Catalogue of the Chelonians, Rhynchocephalians, and Crocodiles in the British Museum (Natural History)''. British Museum, London, 311 pp.
* Chan-ard, T.; Grossmann, W.; Gumprecht, A. & Schulz, K.D. 1999. ''Amphibians and reptiles of peninsular Malaysia and Thailand - an illustrated checklist''. ilingual English and German Bushmaster Publications, Würselen, Germany, 240 pp.
* Cox, Merel J.; Van Dijk, Peter Paul; Nabhitabhata, Jarujin & Thirakhupt, Kumthorn. 1998. ''A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand''. Ralph Curtis Publishing, 144 pp. .
* Ernst, C.H. and Barbour, R.W. 1989. ''Turtles of the World''. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. - London.
* Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, E. 1809. ''Mémoire sur les tortues molles''. Nouv. Bull. soc. Philom. Paris 1 (22): 363–367.
* Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, E. 1809. ''Sur les tortues molles, nouveau genre sous le nom de Trionyx, et sur la formation des carapaces''. Ann. Mus. Hist. nat. Paris 14: 1-20 1
* Gray, J.E. 1863. Notice of a new species of Dogania from Asia. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (3) 12: 158–159.
* Gray, J.E. 1856. ''Catalogue of Shield Reptiles in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises)''. British Museum, London, 79 pp. 855
* Grossmann, W. & Tillack, F. 2001. ''Bemerkungen zur Herpetofauna des Khao Lak, Phang Nga, thailändische Halbinsel. Teil III: Ergebnisse der Jahre 1999 und 2000''. Sauria 23 (3): 21–34.
Hendrickson, J.R. 1966. Observations on the fauna of Pulau Tioman and Pulau Tulai. 5. The Reptiles. Bull. Nat. Mus. Singapore 34: 53–71.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2078114
Dogania
Turtles of Asia
Reptiles of Southeast Asia
Reptiles of Indonesia
Reptiles of Malaysia
Reptiles of the Philippines
Reptiles of Borneo
Taxa named by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire
Reptiles described in 1809
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot