Gray, 1863a
Malayan flat-shelled turtles
Recognition
This genus is unique in normally having more than five vertebral scutes. Usually six or seven are present, as one or two smaller scutes develop between the normal 4th and 5th vertebrals. These additional scutes have symmetrical connections with the adjacent pleural scutes and a definite position in the vertebral series. In this way they differ from the abnormal extra vertebrals that originate through asymmetrical subdivisions of existing vertebrals in other turtles. Only one living species is known, Notochelys platynota, the Malayan flat-shelled turtle.