ON TESTUDO EMYS AND ITS AFFINITIES. i91 



NOTE XXYIII. 



ON TESTUDO EMYS SCHLEG. & MULL. AND ITS 

 AFFINITIES 



Dr. Th. W, VAN LIDTH DE JEUDE. 



(Plates 5 and 6). 



In 1840 ^) Sclilegel and SaL Muller described in number 

 2 of the zoological part of » Verhandelingen over de na- 

 tuurlijke geschiedenis der Nederlandsche Overzeesche Be- 

 zittingen" a new species of Testudo, which differed from 

 the other species of this genus by its broad, slightly- 

 elevated shell, and by the extra-ordinary large scales, which 

 cover the outer parts of the forefeet, the heel of the hind 

 feet and the parts between the hind legs and the tail. In 

 their description of this species, which they named Testudo 

 emys, they mention the presence of 25 marginal shields, 

 among which one nuchal shield, of a moderate size, the 

 posterior part of which is broad and straight-lined. The 

 two posterior marginals (the caudals) are strongly bent 

 downwards. Moreover they mention the large abdominals 

 with two pairs of shields in front and two pairs of posterior 

 shields. The pectorals, which were overlooked in this 

 enumeration of shields of the plastron, are described as a 

 shield on each side of the plastron under the S^d and 4:^^ 



1) The publication of this work lasted from 3839 till 1844, so 1844 is 

 generally taken as the year of publication of the description of TeUudo emys; 

 but the 2nd number containing this description was issued in 1840. 



Notes frora the Leyden Museum, Vol, X.VII. 



