You are here » home › search results › Pelusios castaneus

Pelusios castaneus (SCHWEIGGER, 1812)

iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Pelusios castaneus?

Add your own observation of
Pelusios castaneus »

We have no photos, try to find some by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaPelomedusidae, Pelomedusoidea, Pleurodira, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: African Mud Turtle 
SynonymEmys castanea SCHWEIGGER 1812
Sternotherus Castaneus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 401
Sternotherus derbianus GRAY 1844 (fide LAURENT 1965)
Sternotherus nigricans seychellensis SIEBENROCK 1906
Pelusios nigricans castaneus — HEWITT 1935: 344
Pelusios subniger castaneus — WERMUTH & MERTENS 1961
Pelusios castaneus derbianus — LAURENT 1956
Sternothaerus nigricans seychellensis — WERMUTH & MERTENS 1977
Pelusios seychellensis — KING & BURKE 1989
Pelusios seychellensis — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989: 19
Pelusios castaneus — KING & BURKE 1989
Pelusios castaneus — BROADLEY 1998
Pelusios cf. castaneus — GOSSMANN et al. 2002
Pelusios seychellensis — JOSEPH-OUNI 2004
Pelusios castaneus — STUCKAS et al. 2013
Pelusios castaneus castaneus — TTWG 2014: 437
Pelusios castaneus seychellensis — TTWG 2014: 437
Pelusios castaneus — TTWG 2021 
DistributionGuinea (Conakry), Senegal, Mauritania ?, Nigeria, W Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire); Burkina Faso, Mali (?; Joger & Lambert 1996), Cameroon (?), Gabon (GRAMENTZ 1999), São Tomé (Gulf of Guinea, D. Hofer, pers. comm., 18 Apr 2013), Central African Republic, Gambia, Benin, Angola

Type locality: "Patria ignota" (unknown); neotype from “vicinity of Koutchatcha (7º20' N, 1º18' E), a village close to the Amou River (ca. 30 km East of Gléï), Ogou Prefecture, Plateaux Region, Togo”.

seychellensis: type locality in error, see comment.  
ReproductionOviparous. Exhibits temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) fide Cornejo-Páramo et al. 2020 (and references therein). 
TypesNeotype: MNHN 2008.0303 (castaneus)
Lectotype: NMW 13247, designated by Bour 1983:353. Paralectotypes: ZMH R 00982, ZMH R 00983, ZMH R 00993(Broadley 1981:655, Bour et al. 2016) [seychellensis] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (1915 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSubspecies: Pelusios castaneus chapini has been raised to species status.

Distribution not corrected yet for that raise. Not in Mauritania according to Padial (pers. comm.). The type locality of Pelusios seychellensis was incorrectly reported as the Iles Glorieuse (=Gloriosa Isles), north of Madagascar, by Loveridge (1941) or "Seychelles" and then restricted to "Seychelles; Mahe" by Siebenrock 1909. For maps see TTWG 2014 and Kindler et al. 2015. The

Synonymy: P. seychellensis is a synonym of P. castaneus fide STUCKAS et al. 2013. See Bour for a somwhat different synonymy.

Conservation: Pelusios seychellensis was declared extinct since 1912 (fide JOSEPH-OUNI 2004) or ca. 1950 (RHODIN et al. 2010), but since it is a synonym of P. castaneus it hasn’t been extinct.

Habitat: freshwater (Lakes, quiet rivers) 
Etymologynamed after the latinized Greek word “kastanea” = brown. 
References
  • Barnett, Linda K. & Emms, Craig 2005. Common reptiles of The Gambia. Rare Repro, Hailsham, East Sussex, 24 pp.
  • Böhme, Wolfgang, Mark-Oliver Rödel, Christian Brede & Philipp Wagner 2011. The reptiles (Testudines, Squamata, Crocodylia) of the forested southeast of the Republic Guinea (Guinée forestière), with a country-wide checklist. Bonn zoological Bulletin 60 (1): 35-61 - get paper here
  • Bonin, F., Devaux, B. & Dupré, A. 2006. Turtles of the World. English translation by P.C.H. Pritchard. Johns Hopkins University Press, 416 pp.
  • Bour, R. 1979. Les tortues actuelles de Madagascar (République Malagache): liste systématique et description de deux sous-espèces nouvelles (Reptilia-Testudines). Bulletin de la Société Etude des Sciences Anjou, N.S. 10:141-154 [1978]
  • Bour, R. 1983. Trois populations endémiques de genre Pelusios (Reptilia, Chelonii, Pelomedusidae) aux îles Seychelles; relations avec les espèces africaines et malagaches. Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Paris (4) 5: 343-382.
  • Bour, R. 2008. Global diversity of turtles (Chelonii; Reptilia) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595:593–598 - get paper here
  • Bour, R. 2008. Neotype of Emys castanea Schweigger, 1812 (Pelomedusidae). Emys 15(4):36-40
  • Bour, R., Luiselli, L., Petrozzi, F., Segniagbeto, G.H., and Chirio, L. 2016. Pelusios castaneus (Schweigger 1812) – West African Mud Turtle, Swamp Terrapin. In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Iverson, J.B., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turt Chelonian Research Monographs 5(9):095.1–11, doi:10.3854/crm.5.095.castaneus. v1.2016 - get paper here
  • Böhme, Wolfgang & Jeffrey Heath 2018. Amphibian and reptilian records from south-central Mali and western Burkina Faso. Bonn zoological Bulletin 67 (1): 59–69 - get paper here
  • Breuil, Michel; Fortuné Guiougou; Karl Questel; Béatrice Ibéné 2009. Modifications du peuplement les Antilles françaises, 2 ème partie. Le Courrier de la Nature n° 251: 36-43
  • Broadley, D.G. 1981. A review of the genus Pelusios Wagler in southern Africa (Pleurodira: Pelomedusidae). Occasional Papers of the National Museum of Rhodesia, B, Natural Science. 6 (9): 633-686. - get paper here
  • Burger, M.; Branch, W.R. & Channing, A. 2004. Amphibians and Reptiles of Monts Doudou, Gabon: Species Turnover Along an Elevational Gradient. California Academy of Sciences Memoir 28: 145–186
  • Ceríaco, L. M. P., Marques, M. P., de Sousa, A. C. A., Veríssimo, J., Beja, P., & Ferreira, S. 2023. Illustrated keys and a DNA barcode reference library of the amphibians and terrestrial reptiles (Amphibia, Reptilia) of São Tomé and Príncipe (Gulf of Guinea, West Africa). ZooKeys 1168: 41-75
  • Chirio, L. 2009. Inventaire des reptiles de la région de la Réserve de Biosphère Transfrontalière du W (Niger/Bénin/Burkina Faso: Afrique de l’Ouest). [Herpetological survey of the W Transfrontier Biosphere Reserve area (Niger/Benin/Burkina Faso: West Africa]. Bull. Soc. Herp. France (132): 13-41 - get paper here
  • Chirio, L. & Lebreton, M. 2007. Atlas des reptiles du Cameroun. MNHN, IRD, Paris 688 pp.
  • Chirio, Laurent and Ivan Ineich 2006. Biogeography of the reptiles of the Central African Republic. African Journal of Herpetology 55(1):23-59. - get paper here
  • Cornejo-Páramo, P., Lira-Noriega, A., Ramírez-Suástegui, C. et al. 2020. Sex determination systems in reptiles are related to ambient temperature but not to the level of climatic fluctuation. BMC Evol Biol 20: 103 - get paper here
  • Duméril, A.M.C., and G. Bibron. 1835. Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles, Vol. 2. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Paris, iv + 680 p. - get paper here
  • Ernst,C.H. and Barbour,R.W. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. - London
  • Gemel, R.; G. Gassner & S. Schweiger 2019. Katalog der Typen der Herpetologischen Sammlung des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien – 2018. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, B 121: 33–248
  • Gramentz, D. 1999. Schwere Zeiten für Reptilien in Gabun. Elaphe 7 (2): 57-60
  • Gramentz, D. 1999. Zur Ökologie und zum Verhalten von Pelusios castaneus (Schweiger, 1812) und Pelusios niger (Duméril & Bibron, 1835) in Gabun. Sauria 21 (3): 7-14 - get paper here
  • Guedes, P., dos Santos, Y., Matilde, E., Alves, J., Rato, C., & Rocha, R. 2023. Phylogenetic relationships of the West African mud turtle (Pelusios castaneus) on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, West Central Africa. Amphibia-Reptilia 44 (3): 391-397 - get paper here
  • Hewitt, J. 1935. Some new forms of batrachians and reptiles from South Africa. Rec. Albany Mus. 4: 283-357
  • Hofer, D. 2002. The São Tomé and Principé Handbook. D. Hofer Verlag, Bern, 152 pp.
  • Hughes, B. 1986. Longevity Records of African Captive Amphibians and Reptiles: Part 1: Introduction and Species List 1 - Amphibians and Chelonians. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (32): 1-5 - get paper here
  • Joseph-Ouni M. 2004. Profiles of extinction #7: Seychelles Mud Turtle, Pelusios seychellensis, Extinct 1912. Reptilia (GB) (33): 3 - get paper here
  • Kindler, Carolin; Maggie Moosig, William R. Branch, James Harvey, Christian Kehlmaier, Zoltán T. Nagy, Hynek Prokop, Pavel Široký and Uwe Fritz 2015. Comparative phylogeographies of six species of hinged terrapins (Pelusios spp.) reveal discordant patterns and unexpected differentiation in the P. castaneus/P. chapini complex and P. rhodesianus. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, DOI: 10.1111/bij.12647 - get paper here
  • Laurent, R.F. 1956. Contribution à l'herpetologie de la région des Grandes Lacs de l'Afrique centrale. Ann. Mus. Roy. Congo Belge (Sci. Zool.), 48: 1-390
  • Laurent, R.F. 1965. A contribution to the knowledge of the genus Pelusios (Wagler). Annales de Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Science Zoologique. Tervuren. Ser. 8, 135: 1-33. - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1941. Revision of the African terrapins of the family Pelomedusidae. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 88: 467-524. - get paper here
  • Luiselli, L.; Demaya, G.S.; Benansio, J.S.; Petrozzi, F.; Akani,<br>G.C.; Eniang, E.A.; Ajong, S.N.; Di Vittorio, M.; Amadi, N.; Dendi, D. 2021. A Comparative Analysis of the Diets of a Genus of Freshwater Turtles across Africa. Diversity 2021, 13, 165 - get paper here
  • Marques, Mariana P.; Luis M. P. Ceríaco , David C. Blackburn , and Aaron M. Bauer 2018. Diversity and Distribution of the Amphibians and Terrestrial Reptiles of Angola -- Atlas of Historical and Bibliographic Records (1840–2017). Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (Ser. 4) 65: 1-501 (Supplement II)
  • McCord, W.P., Joseph-Ouni, M. & Bour, R. 2004. Chelonian Illustrations #15: Madagascan Big-Headed, African Helmeted, and West African Mud Turtles. Reptilia (GB) (35): 63-67 - 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
  • Mertens, R. 1969. Bemerkungen über einige Halswender-Schildkröten. Senckenbergiana biologica 50: 31-38
  • Nieden, F. 1910. Die Reptilien (ausser der Schlangen) und Amphibien. In: Die Fauna der deutschen Kolonien. Reihe 1. Kamerun Heft 2. Berlin: 75pp.
  • Nneji, Lotanna Micah; Adeniyi Charles Adeola, , Agboola Okeyoyin, Ojo Cornelius Oladipo, Yohanna Saidu, Dinatu Samuel, John Yinamga Usongo, Babatunde Emmanuel Adedeji, Olatunde Omotoso, Akindele OluwatosinAdeyi, ObihAlexUgwumba,andAdiahaAldaAlexUgwum 2019. Diversity and distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria. Herpetology Notes 12: 543-559 - get paper here
  • Pauwels, O. S. G. B. Le Garff, I. Ineich, P. Carlino, I. Melcore, L. Boundenga, C. Vigna, T. Stévart, K. Jeffery, C. Orbell, J.-B. Squarcini, J. P. Vande weghe and L. J. T. White 2016. Miscellanea Herpetologica Gabonica V & VI. Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 51: 177 - get paper here
  • Pauwels, O.S.G. & Vande Weghe, J.P. 2008. Les reptiles du Gabon. Smithsonian Institution, Washington: 272 pp. - get paper here
  • Pauwels, O.S.G.; Kamdem Toham, A. & Chimsunchart, C. 2002. Recherches sur l’herpétofaune du Massif du Chaillu, Gabon. Bull. Inst. Roy. Sci. Nat. Belgique (Biologie) 72: 47-57 - get paper here
  • Pawlinsky, Marvin 2013. Haltung, Paarung und Nachzucht der Westafrikanischen Klappbrust-Pelomedusenschildkröte (Pelusios castaneus). Terraria-Elaphe 2013 (3): 81-85 - get paper here
  • Pollo, César J. 2017. Guide of Amphibians and Reptiles of São Tomé and Príncipe. Smashwords / César J. Pollo, 156 pp. - get paper here
  • Schweigger, A.F. 1812. Prodromus Monographia Cheloniorum auctore Schweigger. Königsberg. Arch. Naturwiss. Mathem., 1: 271-368, 406-458.
  • Segniagbeto, G.H.; Dekawole, J.K.; Ketoh, G.K.; Dendi, D.; Luiselli, L. 2022. Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Dahomey Gap Savannah of Togo (West Africa): Effects of Seasons on the Populations of Amphibians and Reptiles. Diversity 14: 964
  • Siebenrock, F. 1906. Schildkröten von Ostafrica and Madagaskar. 2. In: A. Voeltzkow, 1906-1910, Reise in Ost-Afrika in den Jahren 1903-1905 mit Mitteln der Hermann und Elise geb. Heckmann-Wentzel-Stiftung. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse. Systematischen Arbeiten. Stuttgart, pp. 1-40
  • Siebenrock, F. 1909. Über die Berechtigung der Selbständigkeit von Sternotherus nigricans seychellensis Siebenrock. Zool. Anz. 34 (11/12): 359-362 - get paper here
  • STEMLE, LEYNA. 2022. First georeferenced report of a non-native West African Mud Turtle, Pelusios castaneus (Schweigger 1812), in Florida. Reptiles & Amphibians 29(1): 150–151. - get paper here
  • Stuckas, Heiko; Richard Gemel, Uwe Fritz 2013. One Extinct Turtle Species Less: Pelusios seychellensis Is Not Extinct, It Never Existed. PLoS One 8 (4): e57116. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0057116 - get paper here
  • Thieme, U. 2004. Herpetologische Beobachtungen und anderes aus Gambia. Reptilia (Münster) 9 (49): 43-48 [erratum in 9 (6): 17] - get paper here
  • Thorpe, R.S. 2022. Reptiles of the Lesser Antilles. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 608 pp. - get paper here
  • Trape, J.F.; Trape, S. & Chirio, L. 2012. Lézards, crocodiles et tortues d'Afrique occidentale et du Sahara. IRD Orstom, 503 pp. - 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
  • TTWG; Rhodin, A.G.J.; van Dijk, P.P.; Iverson, J.B. & Shaffer, H.B. [turtle taxonomy working group] 2010. Turtles of the World, 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v3.2010 - get paper here
  • Ullenbruch, K.; Grell, O.; Böhme, W. 2010. Reptiles from southern Benin, West Africa, with the description of a new Hemidactylus (Gekkonidae), and a country-wide checklist. Bonn Zool. Bull. 57 (1): 31-54 - get paper here
  • USENDE, I.L.; O.R. ATTAH, F.O. OYELOWO, I. SHOKOYE, A.A. RASSAQ, Z.S. TAGS & S.A. MADUBUIKE. 2022. Morphology and Morphometry of the Brain of African side necked turtle ‎‎(Pelusios castaneus): A Preliminary Investigation‎. Sahel Journal of Veterinary Sciences 19(3): 20–27. - get paper here
  • Wermuth, H., and R. Mertens. 1961. Schildkröten, Krokodile, Brückenechsen. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena. xxvi + 422 pp.
  • Wermuth, H., and R. Mertens. 1977. Liste der rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien. Testudines, Crocodylia, Rhynchocephalia. Das Tierreich. Berlin. 100: i-xxvii, 1-174 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Pelusios&species=castaneus

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator