PBDB Taxon

Basic info	Taxonomic history	Classification	Included Taxa
Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle)

Reptilia - Testudines - Cheloniidae

Taxonomy

Testudo caretta was named by Linnaeus (1758). It is extant.

It was recombined as Caretta caretta by Rafinesque (1814), Hay (1930), Berry and Lynn (1936), Chesi and Delfino (2006), Pérez-García et al. (2008), Pérez-García and Ortega (2011), van Dijk et al. (2014) and Rhodin et al. (2017).

Synonyms

Testudo cephalo was named by Schneider (1783). It is extant.

It was recombined as Caouana cephalo by Cocteau and Bibron (1838); it was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Caretta atra was named by Merrem (1820). It is extant.

It was recombined as Thalassochelys (Halichelys) atra by Fitzinger (1843); it was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Testudo marina was named by Garsault (1764). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Testudo caouana was named by Lacepède (1788). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Testudo nasicornis was named by Lacepède (1788). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Testudo lauanna was named by Meyer (1790). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Caretta nasuta was named by Rafinesque (1814). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Testudo corianna was named by Gray (1831). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Chelonia pelasgorum was named by Valenciennes in Bory de Saint-Vincent (1833). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Chelonia pelasgica was named by Bibron and Bory de Saint-Vincent (1833). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Caouana elongata was named by Gray (1844). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Thalassochelys corticata was named by Girard (1858). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Caretta gigas was named by Deraniyagala (1933). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Caretta caretta by Rhodin et al. (2017).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1758	Testudo caretta Linnaeus
1764	Testudo marina Garsault
1766	Testudo caretta Linnaeus
1783	Testudo cephalo Schneider
1788	Testudo caouana Lacepède
1788	Testudo nasicornis Lacepède
1790	Testudo lauanna Meyer
1814	Caretta caretta Rafinesque
1814	Caretta nasuta Rafinesque
1820	Caretta atra Merrem
1831	Testudo corianna Gray
1833	Chelonia pelasgica Bibron and Bory de Saint-Vincent
1833	Chelonia pelasgorum Valenciennes in Bory de Saint-Vincent
1838	Caouana cephalo Cocteau and Bibron
1843	Thalassochelys (Halichelys) atra Fitzinger
1844	Caouana elongata Gray
1858	Thalassochelys corticata Girard
1930	Caretta caretta Hay p. 83
1933	Caretta gigas Deraniyagala
1936	Caretta caretta Berry and Lynn p. 189
2006	Caretta caretta Chesi and Delfino p. 103
2008	Caretta caretta Pérez-García et al.
2011	Caretta caretta Pérez-García and Ortega
2014	Caretta caretta van Dijk et al.
2017	Caretta caretta Rhodin et al.

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria

Rank	Name	Author
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
—	Testudinata	(Oppel 1811)
order	Testudines	Batsch 1788
suborder	Cryptodira
superfamily	Chelonioidea
family	Cheloniidae	Bonaparte 1832
subfamily	Carettinae	Gray 1825
genus	Caretta	Rafinesque 1814
species	caretta	()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Caretta caretta Linnaeus 1758 [loggerhead sea turtle]

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Invalid names: Caouana elongata Gray 1844 [synonym], Caretta atra Merrem 1820 [synonym], Caretta gigas Deraniyagala 1933 [synonym], Caretta nasuta Rafinesque 1814 [synonym], Chelonia pelasgica Bibron and Bory de Saint-Vincent 1833 [synonym], Chelonia pelasgorum Valenciennes in Bory de Saint-Vincent 1833 [synonym], Testudo caouana Lacepède 1788 [synonym], Testudo cephalo Schneider 1783 [synonym], Testudo corianna Gray 1831 [synonym], Testudo lauanna Meyer 1790 [synonym], Testudo marina Garsault 1764 [synonym], Testudo nasicornis Lacepède 1788 [synonym], Thalassochelys corticata Girard 1858 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Environment:

marinesuperf

Locomotion:

actively mobilec

Life habit:

aquaticsubo

Diet:

omnivoresubo

Reproduction:

oviparoussubo

Created:

2017-04-17 10:37:12

Modified:

2017-04-17 10:37:12

Source: superf = superfamily, subo = suborder, c = class, subp = subphylum

References: Bush and Bambach 2015, Hendy et al. 2009, Uetz 2005, Carroll 1988

Age range: base of the Irvingtonian to the top of the Holocene or 1.80000 to 0.00000 Ma

Collections (6 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Irvingtonian	1.8 - 0.3	USA (Florida)	Caretta caretta (58089) Cheloniidae indet. (20400)
Late/Upper Pleistocene	0.129 - 0.0117	USA (Florida)	Caretta caretta (34269)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene	0.129 - 0.0	Mexico (Baja California)	Caretta caretta (191984)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Italy (Sicily)	Caretta caretta (175523)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Australia (Queensland)	Caretta caretta (21688)