Asian Brown Tortoise
Manouria emys (Schlegel & Müller, 1844)
Also calledBaning Coklat (ind) · Braune Landschildkröte (deu) · Braune Waldschildkröte (deu) · Braune hinterindische Landschildkröte (deu) · Jabuti-gigante-asiático (por) · Tortue brune (fra) · barna teknős (hun) · želva mohutná (ces) · Коричневая черепаха (rus) · سلحفاة البنية الآسيوية (ara) · سلحفاة الغابات الآسيوية (ara) · এশীয় শিলা কচ্ছপ (ben) · เต่าหก (tha) · エミスムツアシガメ (jpn)
The Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia. It is believed to be among the most primitive of living tortoises, based on molecular and morphological studies.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
description
Manouria emys phayrei — Pai & H. T. W. Tan, 2014: 188 (Nee Soon Swamp Forest). Manouria emys emys — Stanford et al., 2015: 86.1. — TTWG, 2021: 252.
Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution
discussion
Remarks. Manouria emys occupies a wide, native distribution ranging from Bangladesh and India, east through Myanmar, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo (TTWG 2021). Given this distribution, it has been suspected that M. emys occurred naturally in Singapore, and is even listed as extirpated (Stanford et al. 2015; TTWG 2021). Gray (1854) mistakenly listed Singapore as the locality of a specimen collected in Penang (Gray 1855). As no historical specimens exist for M. emys from Singapore, we exclude it from Singapore’s herpetofauna checklist. Nonetheless, released individuals have been sighted at BTNR on 5 January 1989 (Lim 1989), NSSF in June 2002 (K. W. Li pers. comm.), 9 June 2011 (Y. Cai pers. comm.), and on 29 January 2014 (Pai & Tan 2014), and UP on 12 May 2014 (W. Ng pers. comm.). LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens.
Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution
materials_examined
Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens. Family Trionychidae Gray, 1825 (1 species) Genus Lissemys Smith, 1931 (1 species)
Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution
description
Manouria fusca Gray 1854: 134 Holoype: BMNH 1947.3.4.57 (illustrated in Gray 1856: Pl. 4, and reproduced in Bour 1998 a: 27). Teleopus luxatus Le Conte 1854: 187 Syntypes (number uncertain): Originally in the ANSP (Baur 1892), but no longer present (Malnate 1971). Manouria emys phayrei (Blyth 1853: 639) Syntypes (2; Das et al. 1998: 127; Das 2009: 4): ZSI 813 (photographed in Kundu et al. 2018: 8), and 15492 (Kundu et al. 2018: 6). A skull illustrated in Anderson (1872; reproduced in Bour 1998 a: 29) was recorded as the ‘ type’ (i. e., lectotype) by Anderson (see also Bour 1998 a: 28).
A review of Chelonian type specimens (order Testudines)
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
M. emys is the largest tortoise in mainland Asia. The largest adults of the northern subspecies (M. e. phayrei) can reach 25 kg (55 lb) in the wild and much more in captivity. It has a broad, flattened upper shell and a large lower shell, with distinctive features on its head, limbs, and skin that set it apart from other tortoises.
The carapace is considerably depressed (flattened), its depth less than half its length. Anterior and posterior margins are reverted (upturned) and strongly serrated (toothed). A nuchal (neck) shield is present, along with two supracaudal (above the tail) shields. Dorsal shields show concentric striations (grooves) and are often concave. Vertebral shields are much broader than long and at least as broad as costals (side plates). The lower shell (plastron) is large, with the gular region (throat area) produced (slightly extended) and typically notched (indented). The hind lobe (rear section) is deeply notched (indented). Pectoral shields may be widely separated or joined by a short median suture (seam). The axillary (armpit) shield is very small, while the inguinal (groin) shield is large. The head is moderate in size, featuring two large prefrontal shields and a large frontal shield. The beak is not hooked. Jaws are feebly denticulated (weakly toothed), with a strong median ridge (raised line) on the upper jaw's alveolar surface (inner surface). …
Range & habitat
M. emys occurs in countries across Asia, which includes Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
What it does
This species has been observed in the wild to consume whole fungi, shoots of koster's curse (Miconia crenata), leaves and petioles of elephant ears (Alocasia sarawakensis and Alocasia scabriuscula), shoots of Begonia sp., shoots of Phrynium sp., shoots of vegetable fern (Diplazium esculentum), and flowers of wild ginger (Etlingera coccinea). Most commonly eaten were plants of the genus Alocasia, with individuals observed standing nearly vertical to reach leaves. In captivity, individuals have accepted a wide variety of food, predominantly being herbivorous but occasionally consuming frogs, snails, or carrion when presented.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Manouria emys in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 2441830.