taxonID	type	description	language	source
03E7B24EFFFF9E66FF1B81D126C380FC.taxon	description	Although N. formosa and N. hurum exhibit similar head and carapace patterns as juveniles, N. formosa lacks a light-coloured blotch across the snout typical for N. hurum, and has bar-like yellow patches on the temples that extend from ear level up to the crown. As growth proceeds, these pale head markings are gradually replaced by black spots and vermiculations on a cinnamon ground. The temporal blotches, ranging from yellow to orange or bluish grey in colour depending on population, do not reach the top of the head in N. hurum and remain distinct throughout life in all except very old or melanistic individuals, allowing for the easy distinction of the two species (Figs. 1 b, c). The same diagnostic traits differentiating N. hurum from N. formosa refer also to N. nigricans, another species recorded from nearby regions (Assam, Tripura, and West Bengal in India, Bangladesh, Nepal; cf. Praschag et al. 2021; TTWG 2025).	en	Farkas, Balázs, Praschag, Peter (2025): First record of the critically endangered Burmese peacock soft-shelled turtle Nilssonia formosa from India (Testudines: Trionychidae). Zootaxa 5706 (3): 448-450, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5706.3.8, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5706.3.8
03E7B24EFFFF9E66FF1B81D126C380FC.taxon	distribution	Nilssonia formosa is known to co-occur with Amyda ornata phayrei throughout its range (Kuchling et al. 2004), so also in Manipur. The Indian records presented here not only extend its geographical range towards the west but also shift its upper elevation limit from 200 m a. s. l. (Horne et al. 2021) to 780 m a. s. l.	en	Farkas, Balázs, Praschag, Peter (2025): First record of the critically endangered Burmese peacock soft-shelled turtle Nilssonia formosa from India (Testudines: Trionychidae). Zootaxa 5706 (3): 448-450, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5706.3.8, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5706.3.8
