OCCURRENCE AND EVIDENCE OF Lissemys punctata andersoni, A SUB-SPECIES OF INDIAN FLAPSHELL TURTLE, AT RECORD ELEVATION OF 1440M IN DARJEELING HILLS, WEST BENGAL

Lissemys punctata andersoni was discovered, identified and photographically recorded with the help of the local community in Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal for the first time at an elevation of 1440 m in a small village (27.032377°N-88.355111°E) in Takdah Cantonment located in Kurseong Subdivision of District Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. This sub-species had never been reported from West Bengal, India, and Darjeeling- Sikkim Himalayas before. The sighted individual was a sub-adult, with a carapace length of 180 mm and had a 9 mm long slit on the right dorsal carapace. The individual was later surrendered to the Forest Department of West Bengal by the local community.