Indian flapshell turtle

Indian flapshell turtle Temporal range: Miocene to recent, 15.97–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Indian flapshell turtle at Rajaji National Park, India
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Trionychidae
Genus:	Lissemys
Species:	L. punctata
Binomial name
Lissemys punctata (Lacépède, 1788)
Subspecies
L. p. andersoni L. p. punctata
Synonyms[3]
Testudo punctata Lacépède, 1788 Testudo granulosa Suckow, 1798 Testudo scabra Latreille, 1801 Testudo granosa Schoepff, 1801 Testudo granulata Daudin, 1801 Trionyx coromandelicus É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809 Trionyx granosus — Schweigger, 1812 Trionyx (Emyda) punctatus — Gray, 1831 Emyda punctata — Gray, 1831 Trionyx punctata — Gray, 1832 Cryptopus granosus — A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Emyda vittata W. Peters, 1854 Emyda ceylonensis Gray, 1856 Emyda granosa — Strauch, 1862 Emyda dura Anderson, 1876 (nomen nudum) Emyda [granosa] granosa — Siebenrock, 1909 Emyda granosa ceylonensis — Annandale, 1912 Emyda granosa intermedia Annandale, 1912 Lissemys punctata punctata — M.A. Smith, 1931 Lissemys punctata granosa — M.A. Smith, 1931 Trionyx punctatus granosus — Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934 Trionyx punctatus punctatus — Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934 Lissemys punctata garnosa Rhodes & Dadd, 1968 (ex errore) Lissemys punctata andersoni Webb, 1980 Lissemys punctata andersonii Artner, 2003 (ex errore) Lissemys andersoni — Joseph-Ouni, 2004

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. It is unclear what protection the flaps offer against predators.^[4] 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.^[5] Exploitation for profit and habitat change are threats to their survival.