Geoclemys hamiltonii (Gray 1830) – Spotted Pond Turtle, Black Pond Turtle

Abstract

The spotted pond turtle, Geoclemys hamiltonii (Family Geoemydidae), is a medium-sized (straight carapace length to 40.5 cm) freshwater turtle from lentic waterbodies of the northern and northeastern Indian subcontinent. The species is primarily carnivorous, feeding on snails and insect larvae, but vegetative material has been found in some digestive tracts. Two clutches of 18[long dash]30 eggs are produced annually, eggs measuring ca. 51 x 21 mm. Drainage of standing water bodies for agriculture and urbanization and capture for food are factors suspected to threaten wild populations. The species has been reported to be rapidly declining in Bangladesh, but populations in a few protected areas in India are apparently relatively abundant. Distribution. [long dash] Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh. Distributed from eastern Pakistan, through the Ganga basin of northern India, to Bangladesh and northeastern India. Synonymy. [long dash] Emys hamiltonii Gray 1830, Clemmys (Clemmys) hamiltonii, Geoclemys hamiltonii, Damonia hamiltonii, Emys guttata Gray 1831, Emys picquotii Lesson 1831, Melanochelys pictus Murray 1884, Clemmys palaeindica Lydekker 1885, Geoclemys sivalensis Tewari and Badam 1969. Subspecies. [long dash] None recognized. Status. [long dash] IUCN 2009 Red List: Vulnerable (A1d+2d) (assessed 2000); CITES: Appendix I; Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule I; Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Act: Schedule III.