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Pelusios niger (DUMÉRIL & BIBRON, 1835)

IUCN Red List - Pelusios niger - Near Threatened, NT
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Higher TaxaPelomedusidae, Pelomedusoidea, Pleurodira, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: West African Black Forest Turtle
G: Schwarze Pelomedusenschildkröte 
SynonymSternotherus niger DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 397
Sternothaerus niger — GRAY 1864: 169
Sternothaerus niger — PETERS 1875: 112
Sternothaerus niger — BOULENGER 1889
Sternothaerus oxyrhinus BOULENGER 1897
Sternothaerus niger — SIEBENROCK 1905
Pelusios niger — SCHMIDT 1919
Sternothaerus heinrothi KANBERG 1924
Pelusios niger — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989: 21
Pelusios niger — MCCORD et al. 2004
Pelusios niger — TTWG 2014
Pelusios niger — TTWG 2021
Pelusios niger — TTWG 2025 
DistributionGhana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic (possibly Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), and Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire)

Type locality: see comment.  
Reproductionoviparous. 
TypesHolotype: MNHN-RA 8954 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 1957 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDistribution: Not listed by BROADLEY & POYNTON 1998 for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire). Not in Angola fide Marques et al. 2018. For a map with localities in Equatorial Guinea see SÁNCHEZ-VIALAS et al. 2022.

Terra typica: "Madagascar" (in error).

Habitat: freshwater (Lakes, quiet rivers) 
EtymologyNamed after Latin niger, nigra, nigrum = black. 
References
  • Akani, Godfrey C., Fabio Petrozzi, Gabriel H. Segniagbeto and Luca Luiselli. 2015. Notes on morphology, biology and domestic consumption of Pelusios niger (Duméril & Bibron, 1835) from Forcados River, Nigeria. Herpetozoa 28 (1/2): 94-98 - 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. 1983. Trois populations endémiques du 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
  • Chirio, L. & Lebreton, M. 2007. Atlas des reptiles du Cameroun. MNHN, IRD, Paris 688 pp.
  • 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
  • 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
  • Gray,J.E. 1864. On the species of the genus Sternothaerus, with some observations on Kinixys. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 13: 165-170 - get paper here
  • 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
  • Luiselli, L., Bour, R., Petrozzi, F., Akani, G.C., and Segniagbeto, G.H. 2018. Pelusios niger (Duméril and Bibron 1835) – West African Black Mud Turtle. In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., van Dijk, P.P., Stanford, C.B., Goode, E.V., Buhlmann, K.A., Pritchard, P.C.H., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 5(12):105.1–8. doi: 10.3854/ crm.5.105.niger.v1.2018 - 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
  • 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
  • Pauwels, O.S.G. & Vande Weghe, J.P. 2008. Les reptiles du Gabon. Smithsonian Institution, Washington: 272 pp. - get paper here
  • Peters, Wilhem Carl Hartwig 1875. [Extract from a letter regards the skull of a species of tortoise of the genus Sternotherus]. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1875: 112 - get paper here
  • SÁNCHEZ-VIALAS, A., CALVO-REVUELTA, M. & DE LA RIVA, I. 2022. Synopsis of the terrestrial Reptiles of Equatorial Guinea. Zootaxa 5202 (1): 1-197 - get paper here
  • Siebenrock, F. 1905. Chelonologische Notizen. Zool. Anz. 29: 460-468 - 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 [Peter Paul van Dijk, John B. Iverson, Anders G.J. Rhodin, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Roger Bour] 2014. Turtles of the World, 7th Edition: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution with Maps, and Conservation Status. 000.v7. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v7.2014 - get paper here
  • TTWG [TURTLE TAXONOMY WORKING GROUP: RHODIN, A.G.J., IVERSON, J.B., FRITZ, U., GALLEGO-GARCÍA, N., GEORGES, A., SHAFFER, H.B., AND VAN DuK, P.P.]. 2025. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (10th 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.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 10:1-575 - 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.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 8:1–472. doi:10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021. - get paper here
 
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