(Blyth, 1863)
Burmese star tortoise
Recognition
The oval carapace (to 26 cm) is domed but flattened dorsally with descending sides and a slight cervical indentation; the posterior marginals are only slightly expanded and weakly serrated. No cervical scute is present. Vertebral 1 is about as long as broad or occasionally longer, vertebrals 2-5 are broader than long; the 5th is expanded and the 4th relatively small. Well-defined growth annuli surround the flat vertebral and pleural areolae. There are usually 11 marginals on each side, and the supracaudal scute is undivided and downcurved. The carapace is dark brown or black with six or fewer radiating stripes extending from the yellow areola of each vertebral and pleural (6-12 in G. elegans). Two yellow stripes form a V-shaped pattern on each marginal (lateral marginals are almost entirely yellow). The well-developed plastron is notched both anteriorly and posteriorly. Its forelobe is longer, but narrower than the hindlobe. The plastral formula is: abd > hum > fem > gul > an > pect; the pectoral scute is extremely narrow. The gulars are somewhat thickened, broader than long, and do not greatly extend anteriorly. The bridge is wide, and its axillary scute is smaller than the inguinal. Plastron and bridge are yellow, and each plastral scute has a dark-brown or black blotch. The head is moderate with a nonprojecting snout and a weakly hooked, tricuspid upper jaw. The large prefrontal is divided longitudinally and is followed by a large single frontal scale; other head scales are small. Skin of the head, limbs, and tail is yellow to tan. The anterior surface of the forelimbs is covered with large pointed to rounded scales. The tail ends in a large horny scale.
Males have longer, thicker tails with the vent nearer the tip.
Distribution
Geochelone platynota inhabits central Myanmar.
Habitat
G. platynota is a forest dweller.
Natural History
According to Smith (1931), nesting occurs at the end of February. He also stated that the eggs are large (55 x 40 mm) and few in number.
IUCN Red List Status (1996)
Critically endangered (A1cd+2cd, C2a).