CHELONID^. 27 



Family CHELONID^. 



Shell covered with epidermal, horny shields. Neck short, in- 

 completely retractile. Ear hidden. Temple completely roofed 

 over ; parietal bone in contact with the squamosal ; parietals 

 prolonged downwards towards the pterygoids. Limbs paddle- 

 shaped, the digits of the fore limb much elongate ; phalanges 

 without condyles ; claws one or two. 



Marine turtles, approaching the shoi'e only for the purpose of 

 depositing their eggs, which are very numerous, spherical, soft- 

 shelled, and buried in the sand. 



Two genera : — 



Costal shields 4 pairs Chelone, p. 27. 



Costal shields 5 or more pairs Thalassoohelys, p. 29. 



Genus CHELONE. 

 Brougn. Bull. Soc. Philoin. iii, p. 89 (1800). 



Carapace with persisting foutanelles between the costal and 

 marginal plates. Costal shields four pairs. An intergular shield 

 and a series of inframarginal plastral shields. Head covered with 

 symmetrical shields. 



Two species : — 



Upper jaw not hooked C. my das, p. 27. 



Upper jaw hooked C. imhricata, p. 28. 



23. Chelone my das. 



Tesiudo mi/das, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 350 (1768). 



Chelonia mi/das, Schweigg. Prodr. p. 22 (1814) ; Boulcng. Cat. 



Chelon. p. 180 (1889); id. Faun. Brit. Ind., Kept. p. 48 (1890). 

 Chelonia virqata, Schweigg. I. c. ; Cantor, Jouru. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 



xvi, p. 617 (1847) ; Giinth. Kept. Brit. Jnd. p. 53 (1864). 



Malay name, Pemju. 



Carapace feebly unicarinate in the young, sometimes with slight 

 indication of lateral keels, arched or subtectiform in the adult ; 

 doi-sal shields juxtaposed ; margin not or but indistinctly serrated, 

 formed of 25 shields. Snout very short, jaws not hooked ; horny 

 sheaths of upper jaw with feebly denticulated edge and striated 

 inner surface, of lower jaw with strongly deuticnlated ridges ; 

 symphysis of lower jaw short ; one pair of prsefrontal shields. 

 Limbs usually with a single claw ; the second digit sometimes 

 provided with a distinct claw in young specimens. Young dark 

 brown or olive above, the limbs margined with yellow ; yellow 

 beneath, with a large dark- brown spot on the hand and foot. 



