Pelomedusa variabilis PETZOLD, VARGAS-RAMÍREZ, KEHLMAIER, VAMBERGER, BRANCH, DU PREEZ, HOFMEYR, MEYER, SCHLEICHER, ŠIROKÝ & FRITZ, 2014

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Higher Taxa	Pelomedusidae, Pelomedusoidea, Pleurodira, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies
Common Names
Synonym	Pelomedusa variabilis PETZOLD, VARGAS-RAMÍREZ, KEHLMAIER, VAMBERGER, BRANCH, DU PREEZ, HOFMEYR, MEYER, SCHLEICHER, ŠIROKÝ & FRITZ 2014 Pelomedusa variabilis — TTWG 2017: 206 Pelomedusa variabilis — TTWG 2021
Distribution	Ghana, the Ivory Coast Type locality: Gold Coast, Ghana
Reproduction
Types	Holotype: SMF 58075, subadult male Paratypes: Museum für Tierkunde, Senckenberg Dresden (MTD T 33818–33819, male and female, Ghana; MTD T 35041, juvenile, Ghana); The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH 1863.3.27.1, male, Ghana; BMNH 1927.8.27.240–242, juveniles, Ghana); Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn (ZFMK 47521–47523, juveniles, Achimota, Greater Accra Region, Ghana).
Diagnosis	Diagnosis: Medium- to large-sized helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 24.8 cm. Pectoral scutes mostly triangular without midseam contact, but terrapins with pectorals having narrow or wide midseam contact occur. One large undivided temporal head scale. Two small barbels under chin. Colouration extremely variable; very dark individuals are known, as well as specimens with light horn-coloured carapace and completely yellow plastron. Soft parts ventrally lighter than dorsally. [PETZOLD et al. 2014].
Comment	Distribution: Map: Petzold et al. 2014 Habitat: freshwater (Ponds, swamps)
Etymology	The name refers to the variable morphology of the new species.
References	Bour, R. 2008. Global diversity of turtles (Chelonii; Reptilia) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595:593–598 - get paper here Fritz, U., Tolley, K. A., Vamberger, M., & Ihlow, F. 2022. Phylogeny and phylogeography of chelonians from sub-Saharan Africa—A review of current knowledge in tribute to Margaretha D. Hofmeyr. Vertebrate Zoology, 72: 951-969 - get paper here McGovern, P., & Luiselli, L. 2023. Knowledge gaps and conservation priorities for west African chelonians,. Amphibia-Reptilia 44 (2): 121-137 - get paper here PETZOLD, ALICE; MARIO VARGAS-RAMÍREZ, CHRISTIAN KEHLMAIER, MELITA VAMBERGER, WILLIAM R. BRANCH, LOUIS DU PREEZ, MARGARETHA D. HOFMEYR, LEON MEYER, ALFRED SCHLEICHER, PAVEL ŠIROKÝ & UWE FRITZ 2014. A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523–548 - get paper here TTWG; Anders G.J. Rhodin, John B. iverson, Roger Bour, Uwe Fritz, Arthur GeoRges, H. BRadley Shaffer, and Peter Paul van Dijk 2017. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.). In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Pritchard, P.C.H., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Ed Chelonian Research Monographs 7:1–292. doi: 10.3854/crm.7.checklist.atlas.v8.2017 - get paper here TTWG; Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R., Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B., and van Dijk, P.P. 2021. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.). In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., van Dijk, P.P., Stanford, C.B., Goode, E.V., Buhlmann, K.A., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Chelonian Research Monographs 8:1–472. doi:10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021. - get paper here
External links	National Center for Biotechnology Information Google images

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