NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Ganges Soft-shelled Turtle
Nilssonia gangetica (Cuvier, 1825)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Indian softshell turtle
Gurung pratap · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Indian softshell turtle (Nilssonia gangetica), or Ganges softshell turtle, is a species of softshell turtle found in South Asia in rivers such as the Ganges, Indus and Mahanadi. This vulnerable turtle reaches a carapace length of up to 94 cm (37 in). It feeds mostly on fish, amphibians, carrion and other animal matter, but also takes aquatic plants. This turtle is listed in part II of Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and possession of this species is an offence.
Wikipedia contributors, Indian softshell turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:38:21.999740+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nilssonia gangetica (Cuvier, 1825)
- Name authority
- (Cuvier, 1825)
- Common name
- Ganges Soft-shelled Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Trionychidae
- Genus
- Nilssonia
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyTrionychoidea
- familyTrionychidae
- genusNilssonia
- speciesNilssonia gangetica (Cuvier, 1825)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nilssonia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Burmese Soft-shelled TurtleNilssonia formosa (Gray, 1869) | TrionychidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| (Indian) Peacock Soft-shelled TurtleNilssonia hurum (Gray, 1831) | TrionychidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black Soft-shelled TurtleNilssonia nigricans (Anderson, 1875) | TrionychidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Trionys hurum Gray, 1831 Gray, 1831 | synonym |
| Trionyx gangeticus mahanaddicus Annandale, 1889 Annandale, 1889 | synonym |
| Trionyx gangeticus Cuvier, 1825 Cuvier, 1825 | synonym |
| Gymnopus duvaucelii Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Duméril & Bibron, 1835 | ambiguous synonym |
| Aspilus gataghol Gray, 1872 Gray, 1872 | ambiguous synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Nilssonia&species=gangetica Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:47F7S. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.