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Current Herpetol. 20(2) 2001 



16. Notch of prefrontal at posterior 

 orbital margin 



The prefrontal was usually shallowly 

 notched at the posterior orbital margin in 

 the Cuora trifasciata species-group and Cu. 

 inccordi. Such a notch was absent in the 

 other species. We coded this character as: 

 (0) absent; (1) mostly present. 



7 7. Contact between maxilla and pteryg- 

 oid 



The maxilla contacted the pterygoid in 

 most batagurid species. On the other 

 hand, such a contact was absent in Cisto- 

 clemmys flavomarginata, and was very 

 weak or sometimes absent in Geoemyda. 

 We coded this character as: (0) present; (1) 

 very weak or sometimes absent; (2) absent. 



18. Prootic participation in processus 

 trochlearis oticum 



Cyclemys, Geoemyda silvatica, Heos- 

 e/nys, Mauremys, Notochelys and Sacalia, 

 as well as batagurines, had the processus 

 trochlearis oticum mainly formed by the 

 prootic. In Cistoclemmys flavomarginata, 

 Cuora, Geoemyda japonica, Melanochelys, 

 Pyxidea, and Rhinoclemmys, the prootic 

 exposure was distinctly reduced, with the 

 processus mainly formed by the quadrate. 

 In the other geoemydines, the processus 

 was formed by both prootic and quadrate. 

 We coded this character as: (0) mainly by 

 prootic; (1) by both prootic and quadrate; 

 (2) mainly by quadrate. 



19. Quadrate participation in canalis 

 cavernosum 



The quadrate participated in the canahs 

 cavernosum in Cuora, while it usually did 

 not in the remaining batagurids. We coded 

 this character as: (0) absent; (1) usually 

 present. 



20. Hyoid apparatus 



In most batagurid turtles, the hyoid was 

 well ossified, and the second pair of bran- 

 chial horns was slightly shorter than the 



first. On the other hand, the hyoid was 

 weakly ossified (rather cartilaginous), and 

 the second pair was much shorter than the 

 first in Cistoclemmys, Geoemyda, Pyxidea, 

 Rhinoclemmys annulata, and R. rubida. 

 We coded this character as: (0) well 

 ossified with second branchial horns 

 slightly shorter than the first; (1) weakly 

 ossified with second branchial horns much 

 shorter than the first. 



21. Plastral hinge 



The plastral hinge was present in Cisto- 

 clemmys, Cuora, Cyclemys, Notochelys, 

 and Pyxidea. They also possessed a well to 

 extensively developed musulus testoscapu- 

 laris and m. testoiliacus, which were associ- 

 ated with shell closure (Bramble, 1974). 

 Among them, only Cuora amboinensis and 

 Cistoclemmys closed both anterior and 

 posterior plastral lobes without gaps 

 between the carapace and plastron. We 

 did not examine the condition of the 

 muscles in Batagur and Geoclemmys, 

 which lack a plastral hinge. The other 

 species lacked a plastral hinge and m. test- 

 oscapularis and m. testoiliacus were poorly 

 developed. We coded this character as: (0) 

 absent; (1) present but impossible to close 

 without gaps; (2) present and possible to 

 close without gaps. 



22. Anal notch of plastron 



The plastron was distinctly notched 

 posteromedially at the anal scutes in most 

 batagurids. However, the notch was very 

 shallow in Cuora mccordi, and absent in 

 Cistoclemmys, and Cuora amboinensis. 

 We coded this character as: (0) present; (1) 

 present but very shallow; (2) absent. 



23. Serration at posterior margin of 

 carapace 



Hieremys, Siebenrockiella, Cyclemys, 

 Geoemyda japonica, G. spengleri, Heose- 

 mys, Mauremys japonica, Notochelys, and 

 Pyxidea had strong serration at the poste- 

 rior margin of carapace. In the other 



