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Podocnemis expansa (SCHWEIGGER, 1812)

IUCN Red List - Podocnemis expansa - Least Concern, LR

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Higher TaxaPodocnemididae, Pelomedusoidea, Pleurodira, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Arrau River Turtle, South American River Turtle
G: Arrau-Schienenschildkröte
Portuguese: Capitari, Tartaruga-da-Amazônia, Viração 
SynonymEmys expansa SCHWEIGGER 1812: 299
Emys amazonica SPIX 1824
Podocnemis expansa — WAGLER 1830: 135
Emys arrau SCHINZ 1833
Podocnemis Expansa — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 383
Emys amazonica — BAUR 1893: 213 (in part)
Podocnemis expansa — SIEBENROCK 1902: 106
Bartlettia pitipiti — WILLIAMS 1954:281 (in error)
Podocnemis expansa — FRAIR et al. 1978
Podocnemis expansa — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989: 26
Podocnemis expansa — GORZULA & SEÑARIS 1999
Podocnemis expansa — TTWG 2014
Podocnemis expansa — TTWG 2021 
DistributionBolivia (Beni, Cochabamba, La Paz, Pando, Santa Cruz), Brazil (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima, Tocantins), Colombia (Amazonas, Arauca, Caquetá, Casanare, Guainía, Meta, Putumayo, Vaupés, Vichada), Ecuador, French Guiana (?), Guyana, Peru (Loreto, Ucayali), Trinidad (?), Venezuela (Amazonas, Anzoátegui, Apure, Bolívar, Delta Amacuro, Guárico, Monagas)

Type locality: South America.  
Reproductionoviparous. Exhibits temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) fide Cornejo-Páramo et al. 2020 (and references therein). 
TypesLectotype: MNHN-RA 7997 (erroneously called 5997 by Bour 2006); paralectotypes: MNHN-RA 7893 and MNHN-RA 8359, Holotype: MNHN; lost (fide KING & BURKE 1989). For lectotype designation see Bour (2006). 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (3958 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSee also note on Podocnemis unifilis.

Synonymy: after Iverson et al. 2017. BAUR (1893) erroneously considered Emys amazonica as a synonym of Podocnemis sextuberculata.

Type species: Emys expansa SCHWEIGGER 1812: 299 is the type species of the genus Podocnemis WAGLER 1830: 135.

Key: Ernst & Barbour 1989: 24 provide a key to the species of Podocnemis and a table with characters for the 6 species.

Habitat: freshwater (Rivers and tributaries)

Karyotype: 2n = 28 (Ares et al., 1969; Huang and Clark, 1969; Rhodin et al., 1978; Bull and Legler,1980). 
EtymologyPossibly named after the elongated skull, the single, large scale between the orbits, or the large size.

The genus is named after Greek pous (genitive podos) = the foot and Greek knemis = legging, a greave, armour between knee and ankle; an allusion to the enlarged scales at the back of each leg. 
References
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  • Bonin, F., Devaux, B. & Dupré, A. 2006. Turtles of the World. English translation by P.C.H. Pritchard. Johns Hopkins University Press, 416 pp.
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