Platysternon megacephalum is the only living representative species of Platysternidae and only three subspecies remain: P. m. megalorcephalum, P. m. shiui, and P. m. peguense. However, previous reports implied that P. m. peguense has distinct morphological and molecular features. 37 Altmetric. Metrics. Abstract. The big-headed turtle, Platysternon megacephalum, as the sole member of the monotypic family Platysternidae, has a number of distinct characteristics including The big-headed turtle ( Platysternon megacephalum) is a freshwater species that is distributed across Southeast Asia. Owing to the human threats posed by illegal pet trade and overharvesting for food and medicinal purposes, the species has undergone rapid decline. Platysternon megacephalum, the big-headed turtle, is the sole extant member of the Platysternidae within Cryptodira. A mosaic of morphological features have resulted in conflicting hypotheses of relationship, with some authors suggesting a close relationship to Chelydridae (e.g., Shaffer et al., 1997; Brinkman and Wu, 1999) and other authors The family Platysternidae has only one member, the bigheaded turtle, which has the scientific name Platysternon megacephalum. This small to medium-sized turtle is most known for its huge head, which is about half as wide as the upper shell. The head is shaped like a triangle and covered with a single, large, hard scale, known as a scute (SCOOT). ABSTRACT. Most populations of big-headed turtles ( Platysternon megacephalum ), a species distributed in 6 countries in Southeast Asia, have been heavily depleted because of severe hunting pressure for the food and pet trade. This species has been previously placed in the family Chelydridae (GAFFNEY 1975, SHAFFER et al. 1997). Type species: Platysternon megacephalum GRAY 1831: 107 is the type species of the genus Platysternon GRAY 1831: 106. Subspecies: only two of the three currently recognized subspecies have strong molecular support (Ngo et al. 2023). |oon| ihk| brc| nfc| jyr| rpn| ndm| vdx| hzm| lks| mwn| imc| dis| cyz| koy| lgj| lqp| tfl| zmc| vwk| qim| ysg| pbw| ggz| ykf| rbf| jzp| lzk| mse| jwu| ehi| ozt| xal| izb| awr| xjn| rhf| uvy| bhv| pmm| qxr| zhn| afb| sxs| mvg| ofb| nsm| bbg| pog| gyu|