144 



TESTtTDlNID^. 



M.'irgii) of carapace not reverted nor serrated, in the young as 

 well as in the adult; a narrow nuchal shield ; discal shields con- 

 centrically grooved ; vertebral shields broader than eostals. Plas- 

 tron with thick anterior lip, which is truncate or very slightly 

 notched anteriorly, and does not project, or projects but slightly, 

 beyond the anterior border of the carapace ; the length of the 

 thickened anterior lip equals about one fifth the length of the 

 plastron in the female and one fourth in the male ; hind lobe very 

 short, truncate or very openly notched, its length half or less than 

 half the width of the bridge ; the longest median suture is between 

 the abdominal shields, which ccjuals twice to four times that between 

 the pectorals ; the smallest shields are the gulars ; inguinal large, 

 axillary small. Carapace yellowish or pale olive, uniform or ele- 

 gantly marked with black areolar and radiating bands ; plastron 

 yellow, uniform or with a few radiating black markings on each 

 shield. 



Length of shell 19 centim. 



Tropical Africa. 



Vjxb, Hell, Tr. Linn. Soc. xv. p. 395 (1827) ; JVar/l Si/st. Amph. 

 p. 138 (1830) ; Omy, Syn. Bept. p. 16 (1831) ; J>«?«. 'S^-Bibr. ii. p. 155 

 (1835) ; Gray, Cat. Tort. p. 12 (1844), aiid Sh. Rept. i. p. 14 

 (1855); Straueh, Chehn. Stud. p. 23 (1862): Gray, Supnl. Cat. 

 Sh. Bept. i. p. 12 (1870). 



Neural plates alternately tetragonal and octagonal ; costal plates 

 very unequal in size, third, fifth, and seventh pointed distally; 

 supracaudal shield undivided. Plastron extensively united to the 

 carap;ice by suture, with short axillary and inguinal buttresses 

 which do not reach the costal plates ; front lobe hinged, movable ; 

 entoplastron anterior to the humero-pectoral suture. Skull with 

 narrow bony postorbital and temporal arches; alveolar surface 

 without median ridge ; beak hooked ; choance between the eyes. 



