West African mud turtle

West African mud turtle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Pleurodira
Family:	Pelomedusidae
Genus:	Pelusios
Species:	P. castaneus
Binomial name
Pelusios castaneus (Schweigger, 1812)
Synonyms
Emys castanea Schweigger, 1812 Sternothaerus leachianus Bell, 1825 Pelusios castaneus — Wagler, 1830 Chelys (Sternotherus) castaneus — Gray, 1831 Sternotherus castaneus — Gray, 1831 Sternotherus leachianus — A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Clemmys (Pelusios) castanea — Fitzinger, 1835 Sternotherus derbianus Gray, 1844 Sternothaerus castaneus — Gray, 1856 Sternothaerus derbianus — Gray, 1856 Sternothaerus nigricans castaneus — Siebenrock, 1906 Sternothaerus nigricans var. castanea — Boulenger, 1907 Pelusios derbianus — Schmidt, 1919 Pelusios nigricans castaneus — Hewitt, 1927 Pelusios seychellensis Siebenrock, 1906 Pelusios subniger castaneus — Mertens, 1933 Pelusios castaneus castaneus — Laurent, 1965 Pelusios castaneus derbianus — Laurent, 1965 Pelusios derbyanus Pritchard, 1967 (ex errore)

The West African mud turtle (West African side-necked turtle, swamp terrapin) (Pelusios castaneus) is a species of turtle in the Pelomedusidae family. Pelusios castaneus is endemic to West and Middle Africa.

Taxonomy

Pelusios seychellensis lectotype

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. 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.

Distribution

Found in the following countries of West and Middle 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.

External links

• Pelusios castaneus West African mud turtle.