''Lissemys'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of softshell

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

s in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Cyclanorbinae Cyclanorbinae, also known commonly as the flapshell turtles, is a subfamily of softshell turtles in the family Trionychidae. The subfamily is native to Africa and Asia. Taxonomy Morphological evidence supports Cyclanorbinae being the sister g ...

of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Trionychidae Trionychidae is a family of turtles, commonly known as softshell turtles or simply softshells. The family was described by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can adapt to li ...

. The genus is indigenous to southern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Species

The genus ''Lissemys'' contains three extant

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

which are recognized as being valid. *''

Lissemys ceylonensis ''Lissemys ceylonensis'', commonly known as the Sri Lankan flapshell turtle, is a species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fert ...

'' – Sri Lankan flapshell turtle *''

Lissemys punctata The Indian flapshell turtle (''Lissemys punctata'') is a freshwater species of turtle found in South Asia. The "flap-shelled" name stems from the presence of femoral flaps located on the plastron. These flaps of skin cover the limbs when they ret ...

'' – Indian flapshell turtle *''

Lissemys scutata The Burmese flapshell turtle (''Lissemys scutata''), is a species in the family Trionychidae. The species is endemic to Asia. Taxonomy Some experts ( M.A. Smith, 1931; Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934) considered ''L. scutata'' to be a subspeci ...

'' – Burmese flapshell turtle Several

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

species have been described for this genus, such as ''

Lissemys piramensis ''Lissemys'' is a genus of softshell turtles in the subfamily Cyclanorbinae of the family Trionychidae. The genus is indigenous to southern Asia. Species The genus ''Lissemys'' contains three extant species which are recognized as being valid. ...

'' , from

Piram Island Piram Island or Piram Bet is an island in Gulf of Cambay of Arabian Sea which falls under Bhavnagar district of Gujarat state, India. Except the campus of lighthouse, the island is privately owned. Geography The island is situated 7.2 nautical m ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, but these are largely considered ''nomen dubia''. However, the extant Indian flapshell turtle (''L. punctata'') is known from fossils from as early as the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

. ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Lissemys''.

References

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* *

Species

References

Bibliography

Further reading