Heosemys is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

 turtle

Turtle

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...

s ("terrapins" in British English

British English

British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...

) in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Geoemydidae

Geoemydidae

Geoemydidae is the largest and most diverse family in the order Testudines with about 70 species. It includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles.-Characteristics:...

 (formerly called Bataguridae). The genus Heosemys was split out of the related genus Geoemyda

Geoemyda

Geoemyda is a genus of freshwater turtles in the family Geoemydidae . It contains the following species:* Ryukyu Black-breasted Leaf Turtle, Geoemyda japonica* Black-breasted Hill Turtle, Geoemyda spengleri...

by McDowell in 1964.

Species

Four species are placed under Heosemys:

• Arakan Forest Turtle
  Arakan Forest Turtle
  The Arakan forest turtle is an extremely rare turtle species which lives only in the Arakan hills of western Myanmar....
  
   (Boulenger, 1903), Heosemys depressa
• Giant Asian Pond Turtle
  Giant Asian Pond Turtle
  The giant Asian pond turtle inhabits rivers, streams, marshes, and rice paddies from estuarine lowlands to moderate altitudes throughout Cambodia and Vietnam and in parts of Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand....
  
   (Gray, 1860), Heosemys grandis
• Spiny Turtle
  Spiny Turtle
  The Spiny turtle inhabits lowland and hill rainforest, usually in the vicinity of small streams, mainly in hill areas up to 900 m...
  
   (Gray, 1831), Heosemys spinosa
• Yellow-headed temple turtle
  Yellow-headed Temple Turtle
  The yellow-headed temple turtle is a large turtle native to Southeast Asia . Its name derives from the fact that this turtle is often found near Buddhist temples within its range....
  
   (Anderson, 1875), Heosemys annandalii

Some other species, initially placed here also, are now in different genera. The Sulawesi Forest Turtle

Sulawesi Forest Turtle

The Sulawesi forest turtle is a species of turtle in the Geoemydidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Leucocephalon.It is endemic to Indonesia.-Source:...

 is now classified under Leucocephalon, the Philippine Pond Turtle

Philippine Pond Turtle

Siebenrockiella leytensis is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to the Philippines. It is classified as critically endangered. It is known as the Philippine forest turtle, the Philippine pond turtle, the Palawan turtle, or the Leyte pond turtle...

 under Siebenrockiella

Siebenrockiella

Siebenrockiella is a small genus of black marsh turtles. It was formerly monotypic but now has two species with the addition of the Philippine forest turtle...

, and the Cochin Forest Cane Turtle under Vijayachelys.

External links

(PDF)

• Key to identifying Heosemys species