Sanjanadalvi at 10:30, 3 October 2025

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{{Short description|Species of freshwater turtle predominant in South Asia}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = [[Miocene]] to recent, {{fossil range|15.97|0}}
| image = Lissemys punctata andersoni.jpg
| image_caption = ''L. p. andersoni'' at [[Rajaji National Park]], India
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Rahman, S.C. |author2=Ahmed, M.F. |author3=Choudhury, B.C. |author4=Praschag, P. |author5=Singh, S. |date=2021 |title=''Lissemys punctata'' |volume=2021 |article-number=e.T123802477A3008930 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T123802477A3008930.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = <ref name="CITES">{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
| genus = Lissemys
| species = punctata
| authority = ([[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1788)
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision = * ''L. p. andersoni''
* ''L. p. punctata''
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true|title=List
|''Testudo punctata'' {{small|Lacépède, 1788}}
|''Testudo granulosa'' {{small|[[Georg Adolf Suckow|Suckow]], 1798}}
|''Testudo scabra'' {{small|[[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1801}}
|''Testudo granosa'' {{small|[[Johann David Schoepff|Schoepff]], 1801}}
|''Testudo granulata'' {{small|[[François Marie Daudin|Daudin]], 1801}}
|''Trionyx coromandelicus'' {{small|[[Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire|É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire]], 1809}}
|''Trionyx granosus'' {{small|— [[August Friedrich Schweigger|Schweigger]], 1812}}
|''Trionyx'' (''Emyda'') ''punctatus'' {{small|— [[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1831}}
|''Emyda punctata'' {{small|— Gray, 1831}}
|''Trionyx punctata'' {{small|— Gray, 1832}}
|''Cryptopus granosus'' {{small|— [[André Marie Constant Duméril|A.M.C. Duméril]] & [[Gabriel Bibron|Bibron]], 1835}}
|''Emyda vittata'' {{small|[[Wilhelm Peters|W. Peters]], 1854}}
|''Emyda ceylonensis'' {{small|Gray, 1856}}
|''Emyda granosa'' {{small|— [[Alexander Strauch|Strauch]], 1862}}
|''Emyda dura'' {{small|[[John Anderson (zoologist)|Anderson]], 1876}} (''[[nomen nudum]]'')
|''Emyda [granosa] granosa'' {{small|— [[Friedrich Siebenrock|Siebenrock]], 1909}}
|''Emyda granosa ceylonensis'' {{small|— [[Nelson Annandale|Annandale]], 1912}}
|''Emyda granosa intermedia'' {{small|Annandale, 1912}}
|''Lissemys punctata punctata'' {{small|— [[Malcolm Arthur Smith|M.A. Smith]], 1931}}
|''Lissemys punctata granosa'' {{small|— M.A. Smith, 1931}}
|''Trionyx punctatus granosus'' {{small|— [[Robert Mertens|Mertens]], [[Lorenz Müller|L. Müller]] & Rust, 1934}}
|''Trionyx punctatus punctatus'' {{small|— Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934}}
|''Lissemys punctata garnosa'' {{small|Rhodes & Dadd, 1968}} (''[[ex errore]]'')
|''Lissemys punctata andersoni'' {{small|[[Robert G. Webb|Webb]], 1980}}
|''Lissemys punctata andersonii'' {{small|Artner, 2003}} (''ex errore'')
|''Lissemys andersoni'' {{small|— Joseph-Ouni, 2004}}
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="Fritz 2007">{{Cite journal|journal=Vertebrate Zoology |title=Checklist of Chelonians of the World|year=2007|author=Fritz, Uwe|author2=Havaš, Peter|volume=57|issue=2|pages=315–316|doi=10.3897/vz.57.e30895 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
| range_map =
| range_map_caption =
}}

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 retract into the shell. What protection the flaps offer against [[Predation|predators]] is unclear.<ref>Franklin, Carl (2007). ''Turtles: An Extraordinary Natural History 245 Million Years in the Making''. Voyageur Press. pp. 134-136.</ref> Indian flapshell turtles are widespread and common in the South Asian provinces. It is morphologically an evolutionary link between the softshell and hardshell aquatic turtles.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2019-01-31|title=Species Spotlight Vol. 17|url=https://turtlesurvival.org/species-spotlight-vol-17/|access-date=2021-09-26|website=Turtle Survival Alliance|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-07-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220731091000/https://turtlesurvival.org/species-spotlight-vol-17/}}</ref> Exploitation for profit and habitat change are threats to their survival.

==Description==
{{Multiple image
| image1 = Lissemys punctata5.jpg
| direction = vertical
| image2 = Lissemys punctata 88503116.jpg
| align = left
| caption1 = Adult
| caption2 = Juvenile
}}
The [[carapace]] of ''L. punctata'' viewed from above is broadly oval in adults, but more circular in young, widest just anterior to hind limbs. The width of the disc is 77–86% of its length, the carapace is moderately arched, shell height is 35.0–40.5% of carapace length, the margin of the carapace is smooth and slightly flared posteriorly, the marginal bones are not united with the pleurals, the plastron is large but mostly [[cartilaginous]], and its length is 88–97% of the carapace length. A pair of large flaps can be closed over the hind limbs with a smaller flap over tail; seven plastral callosities are present, and the head is large, its width is 21–25% of the carapace width. The nose is short and stout; the nasal septum has no lateral ridge, the edges of the jaws are smooth, the alveolar surfaces are expanded
and granular. The claws are large and heavy; the penis is thick and oval, with deep dorsal cleft and four pointed, soft papillae; the tail is very short in both sexes.<ref name=minton>[[Sherman A. Minton|Minton SA Jr]] (1966). "A contribution to the herpetology of West Pakistan". ''Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History''. '''134''' (2): 27–184.</ref>

The carapace length of ''L. punctata'' has been known to range from {{convert|240|to|370|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ENVIS>Environmental Information System (ENVIS) center of India. Zoological survey of India. ''Lissemys punctata''. {{cite web |url=http://zsienvis.nic.in/endb/end_reptilia/reptilia_data/lissemys_punctata.htm |title=::Indian Flap-shelled Turtle:: |access-date=2010-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029172905/http://zsienvis.nic.in/endb/end_reptilia/reptilia_data/lissemys_punctata.htm |archive-date=2010-10-29 }}</ref><ref name=NLBIF>Ernst C, Altenburg R, Barbour R (1997). ''Turtles of the World''. Netherlands Biodiversity Information Facility. {{cite web |url=http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/turtles.php?menuentry=soorten&id=222 |title=Turtles of the World > Species |access-date=2010-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320235607/http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/turtles.php?menuentry=soorten |archive-date=2011-03-20 }}</ref> The male's size can be up to 23 cm (9 in.), while the female's size can be maximum of around 35 cm (14 in.) .<ref name=":0" />

==Status==
The Indian flapshell turtle was placed in Appendix I of [[CITES]] in 1975 at the proposal of Bangladesh. However, ''L. p. punctata'' was the taxon listed, not ''L. p. andersoni''. Subsequent reviews of the literature and available data could find no evidence to support this endangered status. Some scientists now classify ''L. p. punctata'' and ''L. p. andersoni'' as a single [[subspecies]]. This subspecies is the most common aquatic turtle in India. Consequently, the Indian flapshell turtle was removed from the endangered species list in 1983 (48 FR 52740). This action, however, did not affect the turtle's status on Appendix I of CITES.<ref>CRS Report for Congress.98-32:Endangered Species List Revisions:A Summary of Delisting and Downlisting (cont'd)[http://www.cnie.org/nle/crsreports/biodiversity/biodv-18a.cfm#Indian%20flap-sheIled%20tnrtle. Status] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060513071451/http://www.cnie.org/NLE/CRSreports/biodiversity/biodv-18a.cfm |date=2006-05-13 }}</ref> The species was downgraded to Appendix II in 1995.<ref name="CITES"/>

==Distribution==
The Indian flapshell turtle is found in [[Pakistan]], [[India]] (common in lakes and rivers), [[Sri Lanka]], [[Nepal]], [[Bangladesh]] (Indus and [[Ganges]] drainages), and [[Myanmar]] ([[Irrawaddy River|Irrawaddy]] and Salween Rivers). It has been [[introduced species|introduced]] to the [[Andaman Islands|Andaman]] and [[Nicobar Islands]]. It is also found in the [[desert]] ponds of [[Rajasthan]], where hundreds are killed every year during the dry summers. ''L. p. andersoni'' is found in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. In 2020, a farmer found a yellow flapshell turtle, believed to be an albino version of the species.<ref>{{Citation |title=Rare yellow turtle found by farmer - CNN Video|date=21 July 2020 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2020/07/21/india-yellow-turtle-found-orig-mss.cnn |access-date=2020-07-27}}</ref>

[[Fossil]]s of this species from as early as the [[Miocene]] are known from Nepal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=364626|title=Fossilworks: Lissemys punctata|website=fossilworks.org|access-date=17 December 2021|archive-date=14 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214040617/http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=364626|url-status=live}}</ref>

The type locality is given as: "''Des grandes Indes''" (= continental India); restricted to "Pondicherry, Coromandel Coast, India" (11° 56'N; 79° 53'E, on the southeast coast of India) by Webb (1980).<ref>[[Robert G. Webb|Webb RG]] (1980). "Gray, Hardwicke, Buchanan-Hamilton, and drawings of Indian softshell turtles (Family Trionychidae)". ''Amphibia-Reptilia'' '''1''': 61-74.</ref><ref>Webb RG (1980). "The identity of ''Testudo punctata'' Lacépède, 1788 (Testudines, Trionychidae)". ''Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, Fourth Series'' '''2''': 547-557.</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Lissemys punctata1.jpg|Head and front legs
File:Lissemys punctata2.jpg|Underside showing the flaps
File:Lissemys punctata3.jpg|Upperside

File:Indian flapshell turtle with Spots visible 01.jpg|With yellow spots and blotches at [[Sultanpur National Park|Sulthanpur National Park]]


</gallery>

==Habitat and ecology==
===Food===
The Indian flapshell turtle is known to be [[omnivorous]]. Its diet consists of frogs, shrimp, snails, aquatic vegetation, plant leaves, flowers, fruits, grasses, and seeds.<ref name=ENVIS/>

===Habitat and environmental impact===
''L. punctata'' lives in the shallow, quiet, often stagnant waters of rivers, streams, marshes, ponds, lakes, irrigation canals, and tanks. Waters with sand or mud bottoms are preferred because of the turtle's tendency to burrow.<ref name=ENVIS/> ''L. punctata'' turtle plays an important role to reduce pollution in aquatic [[ecosystems]] by feeding on snails, insects, and fragments of dead animals.<ref>Hossain L, Sarker S, Sarker N (2008). "Ecology of spotted flapshell turtle, ''Lissemys punctata'' (Lacepede, 1788) in Bangladesh". ''Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka. ECOPRINT''. '''15''': 59-67.</ref>

===Drought survival===
''L. punctata'' is very well adapted, both morphologically and behaviorally, to drought conditions. The turtle uses mainly burrowing and moving from water hole to water hole to avoid [[desiccation]]. The femoral flaps that cover the retracted legs help the turtle survive dry conditions. During a time of drought, the turtles enter a time of [[estivation]] in an attempt to survive the dry conditions.<ref name=Auffenberg>[[Walter Auffenberg|Auffenberg W]] (1981). "Behavior of ''Lissemys punctata'' in a drying lake in Rajasthan, India". ''Bombay'' '''78''' (3): 487-493.</ref> Although many turtles die during drought conditions, some turtles have been reported to survive up to 160 days.<ref name=ENVIS/><ref name=Auffenberg/>

==Reproduction==
===Courtship routines===
''L. punctata'' becomes reproductively active at age 2 or 3. Courtship and mating behavior is unique. Courtship begins when the male begins stroking the female's carapace with his neck and limbs extended. When receptive, the female faces the male with her neck extended and they begin bobbing their heads vertically three or four times. This behavior is repeated, then mating begins when the female settles to the bottom and is mounted by the male. Near the end of mating, the male releases his grip and rotates to face the opposite direction from her. They remain attached in this position for as long as 15 minutes. During this time, the female may drag the male about. The pair then separates and [[copulation (zoology)|copulation]] ends.<ref name=NLBIF/>

===Nesting===
Nesting times of ''L. punctata'' occur during many periods in the year depending on habitat and location. Generally, they start during the late summer to the monsoon season, which is around June to November.<ref name="BHUPATHY">{{cite journal |last1=Bhupathy |first1=S |last2=Webb |first2=Robert |last3=Praschag |first3=Peter |title=Lissemys Punctata (Bonnaterre 1789) - Indian Flapshell Turtle |journal=Chelonian Research Monographs Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtle and Tortoises |series=Chelonian Research Monographs |date=20 February 2014 |volume=5 |pages=076.1–076.12 |doi=10.3854/crm.5.076.punctata.v1.2014 |isbn=978-0-9653540-9-7 |url=http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Accounts/crm_5_076_punctata_v1_2014.pdf |access-date=18 October 2019}}</ref> Swampy areas with soil and exposure to sunlight are common nesting sites. Eggs are usually laid two or three times per year in clutches of two to 16. These eggs are buried in soil for protection.<ref name=NLBIF/>

==Specific dangers and threats to species survival==
[[File:Indian flap shell turtle.jpg|thumb|Indian flapshell turtle kept at the [[Madras Crocodile Bank Trust]]]]
===Economic and environmental factors===
In many South Asian provinces, freshwater turtles and their eggs are commonly used as a source of protein-rich food. Also, a common myth holds that turtle meat and eggs have aphrodisiac qualities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=An appetite for the truth: why do people eat turtle eggs? {{!}} Fauna & Flora International|url=https://www.fauna-flora.org/news/an-appetite-for-the-truth-why-do-people-eat-turtle-eggs|access-date=2021-09-26|website=www.fauna-flora.org|date=4 March 2013 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Turtles rescued in largest wildlife bust of its kind in India {{!}} Poaching {{!}} Earth Touch News|url=https://www.earthtouchnews.com/environmental-crime/poaching/turtles-rescued-in-largest-wildlife-bust-of-its-kind-in-india|access-date=2021-09-26|website=Earth Touch News Network|language=en}}</ref> As a result, these turtles are often exploited as a source of profit. In Bangladesh and India, this is especially evident, as the Indian flapshell turtle is larger and has more meat than other turtles in the area. The value of this meat, along with the efforts in the conservation of this species, has driven the price of meat higher and has led to an increase in the illegal international exploitation and killing of these animals.<ref name=Moll>Moll D, Moll E (2004). ''The Ecology, Exploitation, and Conservation of River Turtles''. Oxford University Press. pp. 177-180.</ref>
Changes to the turtle's natural habitat by the construction of dams and barrages, cultivation along river banks, and pollution are also major threats to the survival of this turtle.<ref name=ENVIS/>

===Fake belief about medicinal value===
The shell of ''L. punctata'' is sometimes believed to have medicinal uses and ground into powder to make traditional medicines, but no scientific proof of efficacy has been found. Basically, this myth helps smugglers to sell them, which is an illegal activity.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Chaudhary|first=Juhi|title=As global smuggling networks flourish, Indian turtles disappear from traditional habitats|url=https://scroll.in/article/919693/as-global-smuggling-networks-flourish-indian-turtles-disappear-from-traditional-habitats|access-date=2021-09-26|website=Scroll.in|date=15 April 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Das (2002). ''Snakes and other Reptiles of India''. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. {{ISBN|0-88359-056-5}}. (''Lissemys punctata'', p. 139).
*Khan MZ, Safi A, Fatima F, Hashmi MUA, Hussain B, Siddiqui S, Khan SI, Ghalib SA (2015). "An evaluation of distribution, status and abundance of freshwater turtles in the selected areas of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan". ''Canadian Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences'' '''9''' (1): 3201–3219. http://www.cjpas.net
*Safi A, Khan MZ (2014). "Distribution and current population of freshwater turtles of District Charsadda of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan". ''Journal of Zoology Studies'' '''1''' (4): 31–38. http://www.journalofzoology.com
*Akbar M, Mushtaq-ul-Hassan M, u-Nisa Z (2006). "Distribution of Freshwater Turtles in Punjab, Pakistan". ''CJES'' '''4''' (4): 142–146.
*Biswas S, Bhowmik HK (1984). "Range of ''Lissemys punctata punctata'' from the foot-hills of Siwaliks". ''Hamadryad'' '''9''' (2): 10.
*[[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacepède BGE]] (1788). ''Histoire Naturelle des Quadrupe des Ovipares et des Serpens. Vol.1.'' Paris: Imprimerie du Roi, Hôtel de Thou. xvii + 651 pp.
*Verma, Anil K.; Sahi, D.N. (1998). "Status, range extension and ecological notes on Indo-Gangetic flapshell turtle, ''Lissemys punctata andersoni'' (Testudines: Trionychidae) in Jammu Shiwaliks, J&K State". ''Cobra'' '''34''' (Oct.-Dec.): 6–9.
*[[Robert G. Webb|Webb RG]] (1982). "Taxonomic notes concerning the trionychid turtle ''Lissemys punctata'' (Lacepede)". ''Amphibia-Reptilia (Wiesbaden)'' '''3''' (2–3): 179–184.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Lissemys punctata}}
*https://web.archive.org/web/20101029172905/http://zsienvis.nic.in/endb/end_reptilia/reptilia_data/lissemys_punctata.htm
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110320235607/http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/turtles.php?menuentry=soorten

{{Trionychidae}}

{{Taxonbar |from=Q784190}}

[[Category:Lissemys]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Reptiles of India]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1788]]

Indian flapshell turtle - Revision history

Sanjanadalvi at 10:30, 3 October 2025