PBDB Taxon

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

Chelydra (Snapping turtle)

Reptilia - Testudines - Chelydridae

Taxonomy

Chelydra was named by Schweigger (1812). It is extant. Its type is Testudo serpentina. It is the type genus of Chelydridae, Chelydroidea, Chelydrinae.

It was assigned to Paludinosa by Quenstedt (1882); to Chelydrinae by Lydekker (1889) and Hutchison (2008); to Testudines by Anquetin et al. (2009); to Cryptodira by Pérez-García et al. (2008) and Pérez-García and Ortega (2011); to Eucryptodira by Pérez-García (2012); and to Chelydridae by Cope (1875), Cope (1884), Hay (1902), Hay (1908), Hay (1930), Wilson (1967), Holman and Sullivan (1981), Carroll (1988), Shoshani et al. (1989), de Broin and de la Fuente (1993), Frank and Ramus (1996), Knauss et al. (2011), de la Fuente et al. (2014), van Dijk et al. (2014), Rhodin et al. (2017) and Cadena et al. (2017).

Species

Cheliurus, C. acutirostris, C. rossignonii, C. serpentina (syn. C. osceola, Testudo serrata, C. emarginata, Testudo serpentaria, Testudo longicauda, Macrochelys floridana, C. lacertina, Devisia mythodes, C. laticarinata, C. sculpta)

Sister genera

Cheliurus

Synonyms

Devisia was named by Ogilby (1905). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Chelydra by Loveridge and Shreve (1947) and Rhodin et al. (2017).
Emysaurus was named by Dumeril and Bibron (1835). It is extant.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Joyce (2016); it was synonymized subjectively with Chelydra by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Cheliurus was named by Rafinesque (1815). It is extant.

It was considered a nomen nudum by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Chelonura was named by Fleming (1822). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Chelydra by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Ophichelone was named by Jarocki (1822). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Chelydra by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Rapara was named by Gray (1825). It is extant.

It was synonymized subjectively with Chelydra by Rhodin et al. (2017).
Saurochelys was named by Latreille (1825). It is extant.

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

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1812	Chelydra Schweigger
1815	Cheliurus Rafinesque
1822	Chelonura Fleming
1822	Ophichelone Jarocki
1825	Rapara Gray
1825	Saurochelys Latreille
1835	Emysaurus Dumeril and Bibron
1875	Chelydra Cope p. 16
1882	Chelydra Quenstedt p. 149
1884	Chelydra Cope
1889	Chelydra Lydekker p. 134
1902	Chelydra Hay p. 446
1905	Devisia Ogilby
1908	Chelydra Hay p. 223
1930	Chelydra Hay p. 84
1967	Chelydra Wilson p. 203
1981	Chelydra Holman and Sullivan p. 139
1988	Chelydra Carroll
1989	Chelydra Shoshani et al. p. 436
1993	Chelydra de Broin and de la Fuente p. 11
1996	Chelydra Frank and Ramus
2008	Chelydra Hutchison
2008	Chelydra Pérez-García et al.
2009	Chelydra Anquetin et al.
2011	Chelydra Knauss et al.
2011	Chelydra Pérez-García and Ortega
2012	Chelydra Pérez-García
2014	Chelydra de la Fuente et al.
2014	Chelydra van Dijk et al.
2017	Chelydra Cadena et al.
2017	Chelydra 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

Rank	Name	Author
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota
—	Sauropsida
class	Reptilia
—	Testudinata	(Oppel 1811)
order	Testudines	Batsch 1788
suborder	Cryptodira
family	Chelydridae
genus	Chelydra

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.

G. Chelydra Schweigger 1812 [Snapping turtle]

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Chelydra acutirostris Peters 1862 [South American snapping turtle]

Chelydra rossignonii Bocourt 1868 [Central American snapping turtle]

Chelydra serpentina Linnaeus 1758 [Common snapping turtle]

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Invalid names: Chelydra emarginata Agassiz 1857 [synonym], Chelydra lacertina Schweigger 1812 [synonym], Chelydra laticarinata Hay 1916 [synonym], Chelydra osceola Stejneger 1918 [synonym], Chelydra sculpta Hay 1916 [synonym], Devisia mythodes Ogilby 1905 [synonym], Macrochelys floridana Hay 1907 [synonym], Testudo longicauda Shaw in Gray 1831 [synonym], Testudo serpentaria Wiedemann 1802 [synonym], Testudo serrata Pennant in Gray 1830 [synonym]

Invalid names: Cheliurus Rafinesque 1815 [nomen nudum], Chelonura Fleming 1822 [synonym], Devisia Ogilby 1905 [synonym], Emysaurus Dumeril and Bibron 1835 [synonym], Ophichelone Jarocki 1822 [synonym], Rapara Gray 1825 [synonym], Saurochelys Latreille 1825 [synonym]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
O. P. Hay 1908	No supramarginal scutes. Orbit directed outward and upward. Tail with large scutes inferiorly (Boulenger).

Measurements

part	N	mean	minimum	maximum
carapace height	330	131.5	130.0	133.0

Composition:

phosphaticsubp

Body part:

carapacef

Adult length:

100 to < 1000f

Grouping:

solitaryf

Environment:

freshwaterf

Locomotion:

actively mobilec

Life habit:

aquaticf

Diet:

piscivoref

Reproduction:

oviparousf

Created:

2005-08-25 13:50:05

Modified:

2005-09-09 19:46:40

Source: f = family, c = class, subp = subphylum

References: Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Ernst and Barbour 1989

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Barstovian to the top of the Holocene or 16.30000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 12.5 Ma

Collections (30 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Barstovian	16.3 - 12.5	USA (Nebraska)	Chelydra sp. (18442)
Late/Upper Clarendonian	12.5 - 9.4	USA (Florida)	Chelydra sp. (18554)
Late/Upper Hemphillian - Blancan	10.3 - 1.8	USA (Tennessee)	Chelydra sp. (26574)
Late/Upper Hemphillian - Blancan	10.3 - 1.8	USA (Indiana)	Chelydra serpentina (18320)
Blancan	4.9 - 1.8	USA (Kansas)	Chelydra serpentina (19940)
Blancan	4.9 - 1.8	USA (Nebraska)	Chelydra serpentina (19960)
Blancan	4.9 - 1.8	USA (Florida)	Chelydra floridana (19752 113275)
Pleistocene	2.588 - 0.0117	USA (Maryland)	Chelydra serpentina (127111)
Pleistocene	2.588 - 0.0117	USA (South Carolina)	Chelydra serpentina (65405)
Pleistocene	2.588 - 0.0117	Ecuador (Santa Elena)	Chelydra sp. (185514)
Pleistocene	2.588 - 0.0117	USA (Florida)	Chelydra serpentina (227368)
Irvingtonian	1.8 - 0.3	USA (Kansas)	Chelydra serpentina (20390 20422)
Irvingtonian	1.8 - 0.3	USA (Florida)	Chelydra floridana (20308 20400)
Rancholabrean	0.3 - 0.012	USA (Nevada)	Chelydra serpentina (223356)
Rancholabrean	0.3 - 0.012	USA (Florida)	Chelydra serpentina (20440)
Late/Upper Pleistocene	0.129 - 0.0117	USA (Virginia)	Chelydra serpentina (82258 103358)
Late/Upper Pleistocene	0.129 - 0.0117	USA (New Jersey)	Chelydra serpentina (201280)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (interglacial)	0.129 - 0.0117	USA (Georgia)	Chelydra serpentina (20604 20613)
Late/Upper Pleistocene	0.129 - 0.0117	USA (Florida)	Chelydra laticarinata, Chelydra sculpta (34269) Chelydra serpentina (154805)
Late/Upper Pleistocene	0.129 - 0.0117	USA (Michigan)	Chelydra serpentina (200622 200623)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	USA (Georgia)	Chelydra serpentina (152113)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	Canada (Quebec)	Chelydra serpentina (224189)
Holocene	0.0117 - 0.0	USA (Florida)	Chelydra serpentina (227371)