Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: December 31st, 2022.
 
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Genus
Pelusios
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African Mud Turtles, African Hinged Terrapins
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Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröten
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Afrikanske Klapskildpadder
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1830 |  |
Pelusios Wagler (type species: Testudo subnigra Lacepede 1788) |
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1846 | |
Pelusius Agassiz [substitute name] (syn. Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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1863 | |
Anota Gray [not Anota Hallowell 1852 (Sauria)] (type species: Sternotherus niger Dumeril & Bibron 1835; syn. Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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1863 | |
Notoa Gray (type species: Testudo subnigra Lacepede 1788; syn. Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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1863 | |
Tanoa Gray (type species: Sternotherus sinuatus Smith 1838; syn. Fritz & Havas 2006) |
Contents:
17 species, of which 2 (11.8%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0%  100%
Distribution:
SubSaharan Africa, Madagascar.
Reported from:
Angola
(incl.
Cabinda),
Benin,
Botswana,
Burkina Faso,
Burundi,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Equatorial Guinea
(Rio Muni),
Eswatini,
Ethiopia,
Gabon,
Gambia,
Ghana,
Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau
(incl.
Bijagos Archipelago),
Ivory Coast,
Kenya,
Liberia,
Madagascar
(incl.
Nosy Be),
Malawi,
Mali,
Mozambique
(incl.
Bazaruto Archipelago),
Namibia,
Niger,
Nigeria,
Rwanda,
Sao Tome & Principe
(Sao Tome),
Senegal,
Seychelles
(incl.
Praslin),
Sierra Leone,
Somalia,
South Africa
(Gauteng,
KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo,
Mpumalanga,
North West Province),
South Sudan,
Sudan,
Tanzania
(incl.
Pemba),
Togo,
Uganda,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Pelusios adansonii
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Sahelian Mud Turtle, Sahelian Terrapin, (Adanson's Mud Turtle, Adanson's Hinged Terrapin)
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Adansons Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Sahel-klapskildpadde
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1812 | |
Emys adansonii Schweigger |
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Chelys adamsonii [lapsus] Gray in Griffith 1831 |
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Hydraspis adansonii Gray 1831 |
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Pentonyx andansonii Duméril & Bibron 1835 |
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Pelomedusa adansonii Gray 1844 |
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Sternotherus adansonii Duméril & Bibron in Duméril & Duméril 1851 |
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Pelusios adansonii Schmidt 1919 |
Remarks:
Listed to occur in Algeria by Trape, Trape & Chirio (2012), but presumably in error.
Kenyan records refer to broadleyi (Bour 1986; Iverson 1992).
Distribution:
Benin,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Gambia,
Mali,
Niger,
Nigeria,
Senegal,
South Sudan,
Sudan.
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Pelusios bechuanicus
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Okavango Mud Turtle, Okavango Hinged Terrapin
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Okawango-Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Okavango-klapskildpadde
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1932 | |
Pelusios bechuanicus Fitzsimons |
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Pelusios castaneus bechuanicus Mertens 1971 |
Distribution:
Angola,
Botswana,
Namibia,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Pelusios broadleyi
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Lake Turkana Mud Turtle, (Broadley's Mud Turtle)
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Turkana-Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Turkana-klapskildpadde
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1986 | |
Pelusios broadleyi Bour |
Distribution:
Ethiopia,
Kenya.
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Pelusios carinatus
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African Keeled Mud Turtle, Keel-backed Terrapin
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Gekielte Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Kølrygget Klapskildpadde
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1956 | |
Pelusios carinatus Laurent |
Distribution:
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Gabon.
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Pelusios castaneus
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Chestnut Mud Turtle, Chestnut Terrapin, (West African Mud Turtle, West African Hinged Terrapin)
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Westafrikanische Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Kastaniebrun Klapskildpadde
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1812 | |
Emys castanea Schweigger |
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Pelusios castaneus Wagler 1830 |
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Chelys castaneus Gray in Griffith 1831 |
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Sternotherus castaneus Gray 1831 |
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Clemmys castanea Fitzinger 1835 |
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Sternothaerus nigricans castaneus Siebenrock in Voeltzkow 1906 |
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Pelusios nigricans castaneus Hewitt 1927 |
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Pelusios subniger castaneus Mertens 1933 |
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Pelusios castaneus castaneus Laurent 1965 |
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1825 | |
Sternothaerus leachianus Bell (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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1844 | |
Sernotherus derbianus Gray (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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Pelusios derbianus Angel 1937 |
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Pelusios castaneus derbianus Laurent 1965 |
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1906 | |
Sternothaerus nigricans seychellensis Siebenrock in Voeltzkow (Stuckas, Gemel & Fritz 2013) |
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Pelusios subniger seychellensis Mertens, Müller & Rust 1934 |
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Sternothaerus castaneus seychellensis Rendahl 1939 |
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Pelusios castaneus seychellensis Blanc 1971 |
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Pelusios seychellensis Bour 1983 |
Other common names:
seychellensis: Seychelles Mud Turtle, Seychelles Black Terrapin
Remarks:
Listed for Mauritania (e.g., The Reptile Database, viewed in 2008), but no confirmed records exist from the country (Padial 2006). Although the putative introduction of castaneus to Cape Verde (St. Maria Islet) has been repeated in several works, it was never confirmed (Stuckas, Gemel & Fritz 2013). P. seychellensis was considered an extinct species since c. 1950 (Dijk, Iverson, Shaffer, Bour & Rhodin 2012), but Stuckas, Gemel & Fritz (2013) showed that this form is actually identical with castaneus and suggested that the type material of seychellensis was probably mislabelled.
Extinct in:
Seychelles.
Introduced to:
Guadeloupe
(incl.
Iles des Saintes),
Martinique.
Distribution:
Angola
(incl.
Cabinda),
Benin,
Burkina Faso,
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Chad,
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Gabon,
Gambia,
Ghana,
Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau
(incl.
Bijagos Archipelago),
Ivory Coast,
Liberia,
Niger,
Nigeria,
Sao Tome & Principe
(Sao Tome),
Senegal,
Sierra Leone,
Togo.
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Pelusios castanoides
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Yellow-bellied Mud Turtle, Yellow-bellied Hinged Terrapin
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Gelbbauch-Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Gulbuget Klapskildpadde
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1931 | |
Pelusios nigricans castanoides Hewitt |
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Pelusios subniger castanoides Mertens 1934 |
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Pelusios castaneus castanoides Broadley 1981 |
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Pelusios castanoides Bour 1983 |
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1979 | |
Pelusios castaneus kapika Bour (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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Pelusios castanoides kapika Bour 1983 |
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1983 | |
Pelusios castanoides intergularis Bour |
Other common names:
castanoides: East African Yellow-bellied Mud Turtle
intergularis: Seychelles Yellow-bellied Mud Turtle
Distribution:
Kenya,
Madagascar
(incl.
Nosy Be),
Malawi,
Mozambique
(incl.
Bazaruto Archipelago),
Senegal,
Seychelles
(incl.
Praslin),
Somalia,
South Africa
(KwaZulu-Natal),
Tanzania
(incl.
Pemba,
Zanzibar).
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Pelusios castanoides
© Henrik Bringsøe
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Pelusios chapini
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Central African Mud Turtle, Central African Hinged Terrapin, Central African Giant Mud Turtle, Congo Mud Turtle, (Chapin's Mud Turtle)
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Kongo-Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Centralafrikansk Klapskildpadde
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1965 | |
Pelusios castaneus chapini Laurent |
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Pelusios chapini Bour 1983 |
Remarks:
There are no published records from Angola (Marques, Ceríaco, Blackburn & Bauer 2018), but the species may occur in and has been listed for the country by McCord, Joseph-Ouni & Bour (2004).
Not recorded from South Sudan (Spawls, Mazuch & Mohammad 2023), although listed for the country by Rhodin, Iverson, Bour, Fritz, Georges, Shaffer & Dijk (2021).
Distribution:
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Gabon,
South Sudan,
Uganda.
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Pelusios cupulatta
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Ivorian Mud Turtle, Ivory Coast Mud Turtle, Forest Hinged Terrapin, (Cupulatta's Mud Turtle)
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Braune Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Ivoriansk Klapskildpadde
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2003 | |
Pelusios cupulatta Bour & Maran |
Distribution:
Ghana,
Guinea,
Ivory Coast,
Liberia,
Nigeria,
Sierra Leone,
Togo.
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Pelusios gabonensis
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Forest Mud Turtle, African Forest Turtle, Gabon Hinged Terrapin, (African Hinged Terrapin)
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Zentralafrikanische Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Skov-klapskildpadde
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1856 | |
Pentonyx gabonensis Dumeril |
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Pelomedusa gabonensis Strauch 1862 |
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Sternothaerus gabonensis Bocage 1866 |
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Pelusios gabonensis Schmidt 1919 |
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1902 | |
Sternothaerus steindachneri Siebenrock (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
Distribution:
Angola
(Cabinda),
Cameroon,
Central African Republic,
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Equatorial Guinea
(Rio Muni),
Gabon,
Ivory Coast,
Liberia,
Nigeria,
Togo,
Uganda.
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Pelusios marani
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Yombi Mud Turtle, (Gabon Mud Turtle, Maran's Mud Turtle)
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Marans Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Yombi-klapskildpadde
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2000 | |
Pelusios marani Bour |
Distribution:
Congo-Brazzaville,
Gabon.
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Pelusios nanus
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African Dwarf Mud Turtle, Dwarf Terrapin
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Zwerg-Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Afrikansk Dværg-klapskildpadde
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1956 | |
Pelusios nanus Laurent |
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Pelusios adansonii nanus Wermuth & Mertens 1977 |
Remarks:
Regarded as a subspecies of adansoni by some authors (e.g., Wermuth & Mertens 1977).
Distribution:
Angola,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Tanzania,
Zambia.
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Pelusios niger
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West African Black Mud Turtle, West African Black Forest Turtle, Black Hinged Terrapin
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Schwarze Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Vestafrikansk Sort Klapskildpadde
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1835 | |
Sternotherus niger Dumeril & Bibron |
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Pelusios niger Schmidt 1919 |
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1897 | |
Sternothaerus oxyrhinus Boulenger (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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1924 | |
Sternothaerus heinrothi Kanberg (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
Remarks:
Joger's (1990) record of niger from the Central African Republic refer to gabonensis (Chirio & Ineich 2006).
Distribution:
Angola,
Benin,
Cameroon,
Equatorial Guinea
(Rio Muni),
Gabon,
Liberia,
Nigeria,
Sierra Leone,
Togo.
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Pelusios rhodesianus
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Zambian Mud Turtle, Variable Mud Turtle, Variable Hinged Turtle, Mashona Hinged Terrapin, Zambian Swamp Terrapin, (Hewitt's Hinged Terrapin)
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Schwarzbauch-Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Zambiansk Klapskildpadde
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1927 | |
Pelusios nigricans rhodesianus Hewitt |
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Pelusios subniger rhodesianus Mertens, Müller & Rust 1934 |
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Pelusios rhodesianus Hewitt 1935 |
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Pelusios castaneus rhodesianus Laurent 1965 |
Remarks:
Regarded as a synonym of castaneus by Wermuth & Mertens (1977).
Distribution:
Angola
(incl.
Cabinda),
Botswana,
Burundi,
Central African Republic,
Congo-Brazzaville,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Mozambique,
Namibia,
Rwanda,
South Africa
(KwaZulu-Natal),
Tanzania,
Uganda,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Pelusios sinuatus
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East African Serrated Mud Turtle, Serrated Hinged Terrapin
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Gesägte Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte, Gezähnelte Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Savtakket Klapskildpadde
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1838 | |
Sternotherus sinuatus Smith |
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Pelusios sinuatus Schmidt 1919 |
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1848 | |
Sternotherus dentatus Peters (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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1895 | |
Sternothaerus bottegi Boulenger (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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Pelusios sinuatus bottegi Vamberger, Hofmeyr, Cook, Netherlands & Fritz 2019 |
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1927 | |
Pelusios sinuatus zuluensis Hewitt (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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1933 | |
Pelusios sinuatus leptus Hewitt (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
Distribution:
Botswana,
Burundi,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Eswatini,
Ethiopia,
Kenya,
Malawi,
Mozambique,
Rwanda,
Somalia,
South Africa
(Gauteng,
KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo,
Mpumalanga,
North West Province),
Tanzania,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Pelusios subniger
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East African Black Mud Turtle, Pan Hinged Terrapin, (Lacepede's Hinged Terrapin)
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Dunkle Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Østafrikansk Sort Klapskildpadde
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1789 | |
Testudo subnigra Bonnaterre |
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Emys subnigra Schweigger 1812 |
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Pelusios subniger Wagler 1830 |
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Sternotherus subniger Gray 1831 |
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Clemmys subnigra Fitzinger 1835 |
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Sternothaerus subniger Gray 1856 |
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1798 | |
Testudo nigricans Donndorff (Fritz & Havas 2006) |
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Terrapene nigricans Merrem 1820 |
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Kinosternon nigricans Bell 1825 |
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Sternotherus nigricans Duméril & Bibron 1835 |
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Pelusios nigricans Schmidt 1919 |
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1983 | |
Pelusios subniger parietalis Bour |
Other common names:
parietalis: Seychelles Black Mud Turtle
subniger: Common East African Black Mud Turtle
Remarks:
Joger's (1990) record of subniger from the Central African Republic refer to chapini (Chirio & Ineich 2006).
Jacobsen (2009) provided the first record of subniger from the country.
Records from Guadeloupe (introduced) refer to castaneus (Iverson 1992).
Extinct in:
Seychelles.
Introduced to:
Chagos Archipelago,
Glorioso Islands,
Mauritius.
Distribution:
Botswana,
Burundi,
Central African Republic,
Congo-Kinshasa,
Madagascar,
Malawi,
Mozambique
(incl.
Bazaruto Archipelago),
Rwanda,
Senegal,
Seychelles
(incl.
Praslin),
South Africa
(KwaZulu-Natal,
Limpopo,
Mpumalanga),
Tanzania,
Zambia,
Zimbabwe.
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Pelusios subniger
© Rune Midtgaard
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Pelusios upembae
|
Upemba Mud Turtle, Upemba Basin Terrapin
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Upemba-Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
|
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Upemba-klapskildpadde
|
|
1981 | |
Pelusios bechuanicus upembae Broadley |
|
| |
Pelusios upembae Bour 1983 |
Distribution:
Congo-Kinshasa.
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Pelusios williamsi
|
Lake Victoria Mud Turtle, (Williams' Mud Turtle)
|
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Ostafrikanische Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte
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Lake Victoria-klapskildpadde
|
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1965 | |
Pelusios williamsi williamsi Laurent |
|
1965 | |
Pelusios williamsi lutescens Laurent |
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1984 | |
Pelusios williamsi laurenti Bour |
Other common names:
laurenti: Ukerewe Island Mud Turtle
lutescens: Semliki River Mud Turtle, Albert Nile Mud Turtle
williamsi: Common Lake Victoria Mud Turtle
Distribution:
Congo-Kinshasa,
Kenya,
Rwanda,
Tanzania,
Uganda.
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