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| Amyda ornata jongli Praschag & Gemel, 2022 Photos: Peter Praschag. |
Abstract
We describe a new subspecies of Amyda ornata (Gray, 1861) from the southeastern parts of Bangladesh (Chittagong hill tracts), adjacent regions of north-eastern India (Mizoram, Assam and Tripura) and Myanmar, based on morphological characteristics. The holotype comprises some skeletal elements held by the Natural History Museum of Vienna; the five paratypes consist of living specimens in the private collection of PP “Turtle Island” (a turtle conservation zoo in Graz, Austria). After the genetic identity had been determined in a previous investigation, the morphological description was carried out by examining living specimens and photo documents; and additionally, by evaluating the computed tomography of further living animals with exact location data.
Amyda ornata jongli ssp. nov. differs from the other Amyda ornata subspecies mainly by its relatively compact and stout head in subadults and adults, its paler, greyish and less contrasting colouration missing distinct bright yellow pigments, ochre-coloured irises, and the existence of more distinct tubercles in the neck region and in the posterior section of the carapace than both other subspecies of Amyda ornata. The tubercles along the front of the carapace protrude clearly in subadult and adult specimens. This softshell turtle is heavily exploited within its limited distribution. Therefore, special comments on conservation aspects are given together with a final discussion on distribution and systematics.
Key Words: Amyda ornata jongli ssp. nov., Bangladesh, conservation, distribution, India, morphology, Myanmar, Reptilia, Testudines, Trionychidae, systematics
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| Tubercles are visible, protruding over the front of the carapace in the nuchal and back region in subadult and adult animals. Photo: Peter Praschag. |
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| Lateral shot of the head of a living Amyda ornata jongli ssp. nov. showing the ochre-coloured eyes and the shape of the head. Photo: Peter Praschag. |
Order: Testudines Batsch, 1788
Family: Trionychidae Gray, 1825
Subfamily: Trionychinae Gray, 1825
Genus: Amyda Schweigger in Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809
Species: Amyda ornata (Gray, 1861)
Subspecies: Amyda ornata magnapapulae Hoser, 2021 nomen rejectum according to Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG, 2021).
Amyda ornata jongli ssp. nov.
Diagnosis on morphological base:
The heads in subadults and adults are stout (see Figs 5, 7a), with a dome rising up steeply from the top of the proboscis to the top of the head, in the region of prefrontals and frontals (see Fig. 9). Compared to the two other subspecies of A. ornata, a broader distance between the eyes is seen in A. o. jongli (see Figs 3, 7b), although this relative distance varies depending on the ontogenetic stage of the specimen considered. Rather uniform pale and greyish colouration, carapace is olive greyish, bright yellow pigmentation missing (Fig. 6a–j). Yellow-greyish dots, and vermiculation on head and neck is faded and not distinctly marked, ochre-coloured irises, ring-shaped skin around eyes with indistinct light dots, no pronounced “zebra striped” pattern; carapace with (or sometimes without, but less common) distinct black strokes and blotches or irregular saddle-shaped dark colouration on carapace (see Fig. 9). Black pigmentation mostly in the form of square spots on the rear edge of the carapace and two or three stripes running sideways from the center line of the carapace (compare Fig. 6a–j of the paratypes). Distinct tubercles in nuchal and back region. Nuchal tubercles protrude in a round or pointed shape along the front edge of the carapace in subadult and adult specimens (Fig. 8). Juveniles with tubercles on carapace running concentric, not longitudinal. Plastron white (in juveniles) changing to yellowish-grey during growth, mottled with clouds of black pigments especially on the parts of underlying bony skeleton.
Derivatio nominis: The subspecies name jongli (noun in apposition) refers to the special term of local fishermen in Bangladesh who call this softshell turtle “jongli” in Bengali, deriving from “jangala” in Sanskrit. It means wild and ferocious, as the animals are powerful and struggle when captured. Simultaneously it means also “…coming from rivers of jungle woodlands”. Rahman et al. (2015) mention also the name “Tui-lip”, used by the Mro tribe.
Suggested common names: English: “Northern Asiatic softshell turtle”.
German: “Nördliche Knorpel-Weichschildkröte”.
Peter Praschag and Richard Gemel. 2022. A New Subspecies of the Asiatic Softshell Turtle Amyda ornata (Gray, 1861) from Its northern Distribution Range. Herpetozoa. 35: 81-93. DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.35.e86055
