Manipur: Critically endangered Burmese peacock softshell turtle found in India for first time

Guwahati: In a discovery that has stunned herpetologists and conservationists alike, researchers have confirmed the first-ever record of the critically endangered Burmese peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia formosa) from India — expanding the known range of this elusive species beyond Myanmar for the first time.

The finding, published in the latest issue of Zootaxa by Balázs Farkas (Hungary) and Peter Praschag (Austria), is based on a re-examination of an overlooked photograph from a 2016 study on Manipur’s turtle diversity, where Nilssonia formosa was wrongly identified as the Indian Peacock Softshell turtle (Nilssonia hurum). N. formosa is one of the world’s rarest and most threatened freshwater turtles.

The authors report the species’ presence at Loktak Lake and Irong Ichil in Thoubal district of Manipur — both wetland habitats in India’s Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot. The study notes that the Loktak specimen represents the first photographic voucher of N. formosa from India.

Its discovery also extends the species’ known elevation range from 200 meters to 780 meters above sea level, revealing its ecological adaptability in new terrain.

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Nilssonia formosa is easily distinguishable from related species by its yellow or orange bar-like markings on the temples, which fade into intricate black vermiculations as the turtle matures.

Once thought to be confined to Myanmar’s Chindwin River basin, its presence in India confirms long-suspected hydrological links between the Manipur River (known as the Myittha in Myanmar) and the Chindwin system, allowing for natural range expansion.

The researchers emphasize that this record raises the number of Nilssonia species known from India to five, encompassing all recognized members of the genus. “This is a remarkable discovery that reshapes our understanding of the species’ distribution,” they write, adding that such findings underscore the importance of re-examining historical field data and photographs with modern taxonomic tools.

With N. formosa listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to habitat loss and exploitation, experts say the discovery calls for immediate conservation attention in northeast India. Loktak Lake — already a Ramsar site and home to the endangered Sangai deer — could now become a key stronghold for one of Asia’s most imperiled turtles.