Platysternon megacephalum Gray, 1831
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.13258271 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/927587F5-FFCA-FFFE-FC83-F97C1048F977 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Platysternon megacephalum Gray, 1831 |
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Platysternon megacephalum Gray, 1831 View in CoL
Big-headed Turtle ( Fig. 12A View Fig )
One subadult individual of P. megacephalum was observed by P. Brakels and P. Pawangkhanant on 16 July 2019 in Mork District , Xiangkhouang Province (elevation 2,000 m asl) .
Morphological characters of the individual from Xiangkhouang Province agreed well with the descriptions of Hendrie et al. (2011) and Chan-ard et al. (2015). The photographed individual ( Fig. 12A View Fig ) agrees with the diagnosis of P. megacephalum in the following characters: head covered dorsally and laterally with a continuous horny shield, very large, triangular, cannot be withdrawn into the carapace; jaws well-developed, covered with horny plates forming a beak; tail as long as the body. Head and carapace olive with irregular black spots; plastron and bridge yellowish with small black spots.
Ecological notes. The turtle was recorded at 2000 h at a large rocky stream at 2,000 m asl, and subsequently released in the same location.
Distribution. In Laos, this species has been previously recorded from Houaphan, Vientiane, Bolikhamxai, Khammouan, and Xekong provinces ( Teynié and David 2010). This is the first record of this species from Xiangkhouang Province. Elsewhere, this species has been reported from China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand ( Rhodin et al. 2017).
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