West African mud turtle | |
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Conservation status | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Family: | Pelomedusidae |
Genus: | Pelusios |
Species: | P. castaneus |
Binomial name | |
Pelusios castaneus[1][2] Schweigger, 1812[1][2] |
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Synonyms[2] | |
Emys castanea - Schweigger, 1812 |
The West African mud turtle or West African side-necked turtle (Pelusios castaneus) is a species of turtle in the Pelomedusidae family. It is endemic to West Africa.
Contents |
Taxonomy
The so-called Seychelles black terrapin, Seychelles mud turtle, or Seychelles terrapin was considered a species of turtle (Pelusios seychellensis) in the Pelomedusidae family, endemic to Seychelles.
Genetic analysis of the lectotype has shown, however, that this turtle was never a separate species, and is in fact Pelusios castaneus.[3] It is possible that specimens were confused in a private collection before being acquired by the Zoological Museum Hamburg in 1901, or else mislabeled there.[4]
Distribution
Found in the following countries of West Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo. Introduced: Guadeloupe[1]
References
- ^ a b c d Rhodin 2011, p. 000.215
- ^ a b c Fritz 2007, pp. 346-347
- ^ "One Extinct Turtle Less: Turtle Species in the Seychelles Never Existed". Science Daily. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ^ Stuckas, Heiko; Gemel, Richard; Fritz, Uwe; Canestrelli, Daniele (April 3, 2013). "One Extinct Turtle Species Less: Pelusios seychellensis Is Not Extinct, It Never Existed". PLoS ONE 8 (4). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057116. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
Bibliography
- Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (2011-12-31). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status". Chelonian Research Monographs 6. Archived from the original on 2012-01-22.
- Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007-10-31). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (pdf). Archived from the original on 2010-12-29. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
External links
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