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Chelus fimbriata (SCHNEIDER, 1783)

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Higher TaxaChelidae, Chelinae, Pleurodira, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Amazon Mata Mata
G: Matamata, Fransenschildkröte
Portuguese: mata-mata amazônica
Spanish: matamata amazonica, matamata del Amazonas
Portuguese: Cágado, Matamatá, Mata-Matá 
SynonymTestudo terrestris FERMIN 1765 (nomen oblitum, non T. terrestris Forskål 1775)
Testudo fimbriata SCHNEIDER 1783
Testudo torticollis FERREIRA 1784 (manuscript, see CERÍACO & BAUER 2017)
Testudo fimbria GMELIN 1789 (nomen subst. pro T. fimbriata SCHNEIDER)
Testudo matamata BRUGUIÈRE 1792
Testudo bi-spinosa DAUDIN 1802
Testudo rapara GRAY 1831 (nomen nudum)
Testudo fimbriata — CUVIER 1831: 17
Chelys Matamata — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 455
Testudo raparara GRAY 1844 (nomen nudum)
Testudo raxarara GRAY 1855 (nomen nudum)
Chelys fimbriata — GÜNTHER 1882
Chelys fimbriata — BOULENGER 1889
Chelus fimbriatus — MERTENS 1934
Chelus fimbriatus — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989: 65
Chelus fimbriata — IVERSON 1992
Chelus fimbriatus — GORZULA & SEÑARIS 1999
Chelus fimbriatus — RIVAS et al. 2012
Chelus fimbriata — TTWG 2014
Chelus fimbriatus — CERÍACO & BAUER 2017
Chelus fimbriata — TTWG 2021 
DistributionUSA (introduced to Florida)

N Bolivia (Beni), E Peru, Ecuador, E Colombia, Venezuela,
Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, N/C Brazil (Amazonas, Pará), Trinidad

Type locality: Uprouague (Aprouague) and Remire Island, French Guiana.  
Reproductionoviparous. 
TypesHolotype: unlocated (IVERSON 1992) 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (2819 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentType species: Testudo fimbriata SCHNEIDER 1783 is the type species of the genus Chelus DUMÉRIL 1806: 76 (fide WERMUT & MERTENS 1977: 124).

Habitat: freshwater (swamps)

Distribution: the range of C. fimbriatus has been restricted to the Amazon Basin and the Mahury drainage by Vargas-Ramirez et al. 2020, who split off a new sspecies. C. orinocensis, from the remaining range. For a range map see Vargas-Ramirez et al. 2020.

Karyotype: 2n = 50, XY sex chromosome system (Viana et al. 2022). 22 macrochromosomes, 28 microchromosomes). Pairs 1-3 are biarmed and there are 3 acrocentric and 5 biarmed chromosomes among pairs 4-11 (Barros et al., 1976; Bull and
Legler, 1980). 
EtymologyNamed after Latin fimbriata, fringed. (Schneider 1783, Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., April 2024)

The genus was named after Greek chelus (χέλυς), tortoise. 
References
  • 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. 2008. Global diversity of turtles (Chelonii; Reptilia) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595:593–598 - get paper here
  • Büttner, Enrico. 2014. Abnormally shaped eggs in clutches of the Matamata, Chelus fimbriata (Schneider, 1783), in my care. Radiata 23 (2): 30-34
  • CATENAZZI, A., LEHR, E. & VON MAY, R. 2013. The amphibians and reptiles of Manu National Park and its buffer zone, Amazon basin and eastern slopes of the Andes, Peru. Biota Neotropica 13 (4): 269-283
  • Ceríaco L.M.P. and Bauer A.M. 2017. "Testudo torticollis," an unpublished name for the Matamata, Chelus fimbriatus (Schneider, 1783) (Testudines: Chelidae), with comments on early illustrations of the species. Bibliotheca Herpetologica 13 (1-2): 35-49 - get paper here
  • Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. 2006. Turtles of the Tiputini Biodiversity Station with remarks on the diversity and distribution of the Testudines from Ecuador. Biota Neotropica 6 (1): 1-16 - get paper here
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  • Cunha, Fábio A.G.; Camila K. Fagundes, Elizângela S. Brito, Richard C. Vogt, Fábio Maffei, Juarez Pezzuti, Daniely Félix-Silva, Fernando J.M. Rojas-Runjaic, Carlos A. Lasso, Monica A. Morales-Betancourt, Vinicius Tadeu De Carvalho, João Valsecchi Do 2021. Distribution of Chelus fimbriata and Chelus orinocensis (Testudines: Chelidae). Chelonian Conservation and Biology Jun 2021 Vol. 20, No. 1: 109-115 - get paper here
  • Duellman, W. E. 1978. The biology of an equatorial herpetofauna in Amazonian Ecuador. Misc. Publ. Univ. Kans. Mus. Nat. Hist. 65: 1-352 - get paper here
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  • Gorzula, Stefan & Senaris, J. Celsa 1999. In: Contribution to the herpetofauna of the Venezuelan Guayana. I: a data base. Scientia Guaianae, Caracas, No. 8 [1998], 269+ pp.; ISBN 980-6020-48-0
  • Günther, Albert 1882. Observations on some rare Reptiles and a Batrachian now or lately living in the Society's Menagerie. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 11 (7): 215-222, 5 plates (2 in color)
  • Gutsche, Alexander 2012. Die Fransenschildkröte oder Mata-Mata. Terraria-Elaphe 2012 (2): 76-77 - get paper here
  • Herz, M. 2014. Begegnungen mit Schildkröten im venezolanischen Bundesstaat Amazonas. Teil 1: Wasserschildkröten. Reptilia (Münster) 19 (110): 52-59
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  • Joyce, Walter G.; James F. Parham , Tyler R. Lyson , Rachel C. M. Warnock and Philip C. J. Donoghue 2013. A Divergence Dating Analysis of Turtles Using Fossil Calibrations: An Example of Best Practices. Journal of Paleontology, 87(4):612-634 - get paper here
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  • Lemell, Patrick; Beisser, Christian Josef; Gumpenberger, Michaela; Snelderwaard, Peter; Gemel, Richard; Weisgram, Josef 2010. The feeding apparatus of Chelus fimbriatus (Pleurodira; Chelidae) - adaptation perfected? Amphibia-Reptilia 31: 97-107 - get paper here
  • Mertens, R. 1969. Bemerkungen über einige Halswender-Schildkröten. Senckenbergiana biologica 50: 31-38
  • Morato, S.A.A.; Calixto, P.O.; Mendes, L.R.; Gomes, R.; Galatti, U.; Trein, F.L.; Oliveira, F.S.; Ferreira, G.N. 2014. Guia fotográfico de identificação da herpetofauna da Floresta Nacional de Saracá-Taquera, Estado do Pará. Curitiba: STCP Engenharia de Projetos Ltda.; Porto Trombetas: MRN – Mineração Rio do Norte S.A.; 213 p. - get paper here
  • RIVAS, GILSON A.; CÉSAR R. MOLINA, GABRIEL N. UGUETO, TITO R. BARROS, CÉSAR L. BAR- RIO-AMORÓS & PHILIPPE J. R. KOK 2012. Reptiles of Venezuela: an updated and commented checklist. Zootaxa 3211: 1–64 - get paper here
  • Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R.; Pritchard, Peter C. H.; Paolillo, Alfredo; Linares, Omar J. 1995. Geographic variation in the matamata turtle, Chelus fimbriatus, with observations on its shell morphology and morphometry. Chelonian Conserv. Biol. 1 (4): 293-300
  • Schaefer, I. 1986. Haltung und Nachzucht der Fransenschildkröte Chelus fimbriatus (SCHNEIDER 1783). Salamandra 22 (4): 229-241 - get paper here
  • Schmidt, A. A. 1966. Morphologische Unterschiede bei Chelus fimbriatus verschiedener Herkunft. Salamandra 2 (3): 74-78 - get paper here
  • Schneider, J. G. 1783. Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Schildkröten, nebst einem Systematischen Verseichnisse der einzelnen Arten. Müller, Leipzig. xlviii + 364 p. - get paper here
  • Souza, Franco L. 2004. Uma revisão sobre padrões de atividade, reprodução e alimentação de cágados brasileiros (Testudines, Chelidae) [A review on activity patterns, reproduction, and feeding habits in Brazilian chelid turtles (Testudines, Chelidae)]. Phyllomedusa 3 (1): 15-28 - get paper here
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