Species Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)

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CAVS: 2007

Species Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)

Green Turtle

Testudo mydas Linnaeus, C. 1758. Classis III. Amphibia. pp. 194-238 in Linnaeus, C. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundem classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii Vol. 1 10, 824 pp. [197].
Type data:
Holotype ZIUU 20, restricted to Ascension Is.
Type locality references:
Mertens, R. & Müller, L. 1928. Liste der Amphibien und Reptilien Europas. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 41: 1-62.
Testudo macropus Walbaum, J.J. 1782. Chelonographia oder Beschreibung einiger Schildkröten nach natürlichen urbildern. Lübeck : J.F. Gleditsch vi 132 pp. [122] [nom. nud.].
Secondary source:
Wermuth, H. & Mertens, R. 1977. Liste der rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien; Testudines, Crocodylia, Rhynchocephalia. Das Tierreich 100: i-xxvii, 1-174.
Testudo viridis Schneider, J.G. 1783. Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Schildkröten, nebst einem systematischen Verzeichnisse der einzelnen Arten. Leipzig : Müller xlviii 364 pp. [299, pl. 2].
Testudo marina vulgaris Lacépède, B.G.E. 1788. Histoire naturelle des Quadrupèdes ovipares et serpens. pp. 95-104 in Buffon, G.L.L. (ed.). Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière, avec la description du cabinet du roi. Paris : Royal Printer 1 (Synops. Méth). [54, pl. 1] [unnecessary replacement name for Testudo mydas Linnaeus, 1758].
Testudo viridisquamosa Lacépède, B.G.E. 1788. Histoire naturelle des Quadrupèdes ovipares et serpens. pp. 95-104 in Buffon, G.L.L. (ed.). Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière, avec la description du cabinet du roi. Paris : Royal Printer 1 (Synops. Méth). [92] [named suppressed in 1963 by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature under Opinion 660].
Type data:
Status unknown, unspecified locality; restricted to Bocas del Toro by and later to Isla Blanquilla, Caribbean Sea by Brongersma (1961).
Type locality references:
Brongersma, L.D. 1961. Notes upon some sea turtles. Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 51: 1-46.
Testudo chloronotus Bechstein, J.M. 1800. Herrn de la Cépède's Naturgeschichte der Amphibien, aus dem Französischen ubersetzt und mit Anmerkungen und Zusätzen versehen von J.M. Bechstein. Weimar : Landes-Industrie-Comptoir xxxii 524 pp. [107] [unnecessary replacement name for Testudo viridisquamosa Lacépède, 1788 see Brongersma, L.D. 1961. Notes upon some sea turtles. Zool. Verh. Leiden 51: 1–46].
Secondary source:
Brongersma, L.D. 1961. Notes upon some sea turtles. Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 51: 1-46; Brongersma, L.D. 1961. Notes upon some sea turtles. Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 51: 1-46.
Testudo cepediana Daudin, F.M. 1802. Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière des Reptiles. Paris : Dufart Vol. 2 432 pp. pls 15-28. [50, pl. 17 fig. 1].
Type data:
Status unknown, MNHP ?, locality unknown.
Testudo rugosa Daudin, F.M. 1802. Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière des Reptiles. Paris : Dufart Vol. 2 432 pp. pls 15-28. [37] [junior homonym of Testudo rugosa Shaw, 1802].
Type data:
Status unknown, MNHP ?, Maldive Islands, Indian Ocean.
Chelonia virgata Schweigger, A.F. 1812. Prodromus monographiae Cheloniorum. Königsberger Archiv für Naturwissenschaft und Mathematik 1: 271-405 [291].
Type data:
Status unknown, 'Seas of Torrid Zone'; restricted to Bermuda Ils.
Type locality references:
Smith, H.M. & Taylor, E.H. 1950. An annotated checklist and key to the reptiles of Mexico exclusive of the snakes. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 199: i-iv 1-253.
Caretta cepedii Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems Amphibien. Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum. Marburg : Krieger xv 199 pp. [18] [unnecessary replacement name for Testudo cepediana Daudin, 1802].
Caretta esculenta Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems Amphibien. Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum. Marburg : Krieger xv 199 pp. [18].
Type data:
Status unknown, Atlantic Ocean.
Caretta thunbergii Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems Amphibien. Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum. Marburg : Krieger xv 199 pp. [19] [unnecessary replacement name for Testudo japonica Thunberg, 1787].
Chelonia lachrymata Cuvier, G. 1829. Le Règne Animal, distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Paris : Déterville Vol. 2, Edn 2, i-xv + pp. 1-406. [13].
Type data:
Status unknown, locality unknown.
Chelonia maculosa Cuvier, G. 1829. Le Règne Animal, distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Paris : Déterville Vol. 2, Edn 2, i-xv + pp. 1-406. [13].
Type data:
Status unknown, unknown; restricted to Ascension Is.
Type locality references:
Smith, H.M. & Taylor, E.H. 1950. An annotated checklist and key to the reptiles of Mexico exclusive of the snakes. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 199: i-iv 1-253.
Chelonia bicarinata Lesson, R.P. 1834. Reptiles. pp. 289-336 in Bélanger, C. (ed.). Voyage aux Indes-Orientales, par le Nord de l'Europe pendant les Années 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828 et 1829. Paris : Arthus Bertrand xxxix 535 pp. [301].
Type data:
Status unknown, Atlantic Ocean.
Chelonia marmorata Duméril, A.M.C. & Bibron, G. 1835. Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Paris : Roret Vol. 2 680 pp. [546, pl. 23 fig. 1].
Type data:
Syntype(s) MNHP ? 2 specimens, Ascension Is.
Chelonia formosa Girard, C. 1858. United States Exploring Expedition during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, under the command of Charles Wilkes, U.S.N.: Herpetology. Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott Vol. 20 xvi 496 pp. [456, pl. 31 figs 1-4].
Type data:
Holotype USNM 012386, Fiji Ils.
Chelonia tenuis Girard, C. 1858. United States Exploring Expedition during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842, under the command of Charles Wilkes, U.S.N.: Herpetology. Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott Vol. 20 xvi 496 pp. [459, pl. 31 fig. 8].
Type data:
Syntype(s) USNM 012390, Honden Is., Tahiti, Eimeo and Rosa Is., Tuamotu Ils, South Pacific.
Chelonia albiventer Nardo, G.D. 1864. Nuova rarissima specie di Cheloniano pescato nelle nostre spiaggie: Chelonia mydas. Atti del Reale Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti 3 9: 1418-1427 [1420, pl. 35].
Type data:
Status unknown, Malamocco Harbour, Adriatic Sea, Italy.
Type locality references:
Brongersma, L.D. 1961. Notes upon some sea turtles. Zoologische Verhandelingen (Leiden) 51: 1-46.
Chelonia midas Bocage, J.V.B. 1866. Lista dos reptis possessoes Portuguezas d'Africa occidental que existem no Museu de Lisboa. Jornal de Sciencias Mathematicas, Physicas e Naturaes 1: 37-56 [41] [errore for Testudo mydas Linnaeus, 1758].
Chelonia agassizii Bocourt, F. 1868. Description de quelques Chélonians nouveaux appartenant à la faune Mexicaine. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Paris 5 10: 121-122 [122].
Type data:
Syntype(s) MNHP 1871–2, mouth of Rio Nagualate, Pacific coast of Guatamala.
Secondary source:
Smith, H.M. & Taylor, E.H. 1950. An annotated checklist and key to the reptiles of Mexico exclusive of the snakes. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 199: i-iv 1-253.
Chelonia depressa Garman, S. 1880. On certain species of Chelonioidae. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 6: 123-126 [124] [in part].
Type data:
Lectotype (MCZ 1413 from Penang, Malaysia, a specimen of Chelonia mydas, is here treated as a paralectotype of Chelonia depressa Garman, 1880; although it was described as a 'cotype' of Chelonia depressa Garman, 1880 by Barbour, T. 1914. On some Australian reptiles. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 27: 201–206; Loveridge, A. 1934. Australian reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 77: 243–383 cited another of the cotypes as 'type', which we have regarded as a lectotype designation for Chelonia depressa Garman, 1880 (q.v.)), locality unknown.
Paralectotype(s) MCZ 1413 (paralectotype from Penang, Malaysia), Penang, Malaysia.
Subsequent designation references:
Barbour, T. 1914. On some Australian reptiles. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 27: 201-206; Loveridge, A. 1934. Australian reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 77: 243-383.
Chelonia lata Philippi, R.A. 1887. Vorläufige Nachricht über die chilenischen Seeschildkröten und einige Fische der chilenischen Küste. Zoologische Garten, Frankfurt-am-Main 28: 84-85 [84].
Type data:
Status unknown, Valparaiso, Chile.
Chelonia mydas carrinegra Caldwell, D.K. 1962. Sea turtles in Baja Californian waters (with special reference to those of the Gulf of California), and the description of a new subspecies of north-eastern Pacific green turtle. Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Contributions in Science 61: 1-31 [4, fig. 1].
Type data:
Holotype LACM 1696, waters adjacent to Isla Angel de la Guarda, central Gulf of California, Mexico.
Testudo nigrita Tamayo, J.L. 1962. Geografía general de México. Tomo III. Geografía biológica y humana. México : Inst. Méx. Inv. Económicas 633 pp. [358] [nom. nud.].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Generic Combinations

Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758). —
Moorhouse, F.W. 1933. Notes on the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Report of the Great Barrier Reef Committee 4: 1-2
Chelone viridis (Schneider, 1883). —
Parker, W.K. 1880. Report on the development of the green turtle (Chelone viridis, Schneid.). Part 1. The cranium, face and cranial nerves. Report of the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873–1876, under the Command of Captain G.S. Nares and Captain F.T. Thomson. Zoology 15: 1–58.

Introduction

According to Fitz and Havas (2007: 167), '[t]raditionally two subspecies are distinguished, Chelonia mydas mydas (Linnaeus, 1758), occurring in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean, and Ch. m. agassizii (Boucourt, 1868), distributed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans'.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

200 mile fishing zone, also pan-tropical, extending into temperate waters, with occasional waifs in high latitudes.

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions (map not available)

IMCRA

Timor Transition (1), Norfolk Island Province (21), Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northwest Province (4), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Central Western Transition (5)