Etymology. pritchardi in references to Peter Pritchard, known as the Turtle God and named hero of the planet, from Chelonian Research Institute who worked on Pelomedusoides diversity, especially on South America, and has recently passed away.

Elkanemys pritchardi was named by Maniel et al. (2021). Its type specimen is MMCh-PV 73, a partial shell (partially preserved shell including an almost complete plastron excluding the epiplastron and entoplastron and a mostly complete carapace), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is South coast of the Lake Ezequiel Ramos Mexia lake, which is in a Cenomanian fluvial-lacustrine sandstone in the Candeleros Formation of Argentina. It is the type species of Elkanemys.