Malayemys macrocephala (Malayan Snail-eating Turtle)
The common name of this Freshwater-Turtle in English is commonly called Malayan Snail-eating Turtle and Thai name called เต่านามลายู (Dtao Na Malayu), เต่านาหัวใหญ่ (Dtao Na Hua Yai), เต่านาหัวโต (Dtao Na Hua Toh).
เต่านามลายู : Malayemys macrocephala (Gray, 1859)
Malayemys macrocephala is a species of the Snail-eating Turtle Genus (Malayemys) within the Freshwater Pond Turtle Family (Geoemydidae), Superfamily Testudinoidea, in the Suborder Cryptodira, in the Turtles Order (Testudines), in the Reptile Class (Reptilia), in the Chordate Phylum (Chordata) in the Animal Kingdom (Animalia).
Geographic Range
The range of Malayemys macrocephala occurs in lowland river basins of northern and central Thailand, south through Peninsular Thailand to northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. It possibly also occurs marginally in western Lao PDR, western Cambodia, and southeastern Myanmar (Dawson et al. 2018)
Habitat and Ecology
Malayemys macrocephala inhabits seasonally flooded habitats. It is adaptable to anthropogenic habitats and thrives in rice habitats such as paddy fields.
Type locality: “Siam”, restricted to Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani Province, Thailand (Chao Phraya River Basin; approx. 50 km NNE of Bangkok; 14.017° N, 100.733° E).
The species is used for merit-making ceremonies (capture and then released).
Synonym
- Geoclemmys macrocephala John Edward Gray (1859)
- Geoclemys macrocephala John Edward Gray (1859)
- Geoclemys macrocephala John Edward Gray (1860)
- Clemmys macrocephala Alexander Strauch (1862)
- Emys macrocephala Albert Charles Lewis Günther (1864)
- Damonia macrocephala John Edward Gray (1869)
- Geoclemys macrocephala René Léon Bourret (1941)
- Malayemys macrocephala Timothy R. Brophy (2004)
- Malayemys macrocephala Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG) (2014)