2. a) Head appears short with eyes very close to end of snout; 



snout length (proboscis) less than diameter of eye; neck 

 broadly attached to shell Chitra indica 



b) Head appears long with eyes in normal position, not close 

 to snout; proboscis length > eye diameter; greenish head 

 with 3 pairs of oblique black stripes on neck 

 Aspideretes gangeticus 



3. a) Shell strongly domed; longitudinal ridges of carapace 



absent or, if present, number no more than three; 

 terrestrial 4 



b) Shell not strongly domed but slightly flattened; single 

 median longitudinal ridge on shell; aquatic and 

 semiaquatic 6 



4. a) Columnar hindlimbs and hindlimbs elephant-like; no 



distinct ridge on carapace; carapace brown and yellowish; 

 no stripes on head or shell Indotestudo elongata 



b) Hindlimbs not columnar, hindfeet flattened with elongate 

 curved claws; carapacial ridge may be present 5 



5. a) Three distinct ridges on carapace; plum-colored carapace 



usually with three yellowish stripes; reddish stripe on 

 head running through eye usually present; plastron plain 

 yellow Melanochelys tricarinata 



b) Carapace lacks ridges; dark brown to black carapace 

 without stripes; no red stripe on head but yellowish 

 reticulations may be present; plastron dark with a 

 yellowish stripe on each side .... Melanochelys tri juga 



6. a) Anterior margin of fourth vertebral scute in broad 



contact with posterior margin of third; upper jaw with 



