Malayemys subtrijuga

(Schlegel & Müller, 1845)

Vernacular names
English : Mekong snail-eating turtle
French : Tortue mangeuse d’escargots du Mékong

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Testudines
Family : Geoemydidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
The species can grow to 20 cm in shell length. Shell black with reddish-brown areas, roughly oval with very blunt ends and three rows of keels. Head black with yellow three yellow lines around eyes and many vertical lines near snout.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in South East Asia and occurs in south Vietnam, Cambodia and east Thailand. Introduced to Java and Sumatra (Indonesia). Lives in shallow rivers and ponds, either in sluggish or very slow-moving waters.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species is still relatively common in intact habitat but has been collected in big numbers locally. It also suffers from habitat loss.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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