The skirt turtle is a medium-sized aquatic turtle. The adult body length can reach about 23cm. The color of the carapace is single and the pattern is not obvious. We can observe and distinguish male and female skirt turtles from the following aspects.

The tortoise shell of female skirt turtles is wider and the tail is thin and short. The base of the tail is thin, the anus is closer to the rear edge of the plastron, and the notch formed by the two anal shields of the plastron is shallow. Usually individuals will be larger than males. The tortoise shell of the male skirt turtle is narrow, the tail is thick and long, the base of the tail is thick, the anus is far from the rear edge of the plastron, and the notch formed by the two anal shields of the plastron is deep.