Species Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761)

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Testudo coriacea Vandelli, D. 1761. Epistola de Holothuria, et Testudine coriacea Celeberrinum Carolum Linnaeum. Padua : Conzetti 12 pp. [2, 4, 7, 12, pl. 2].

  Type data:

   Holotype MZUP unnumbered specimen labelled 'Vallisneria', Tyrrhenian coast near Rome, Italy.

  Secondary source:

   Fretey, J. & Bour, R. 1980. Redécouverte du type de Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli) (Testudinata: Dermochelyidae). Bollettino di Zoologia. Torino 47: 193-205.
• Testudo arcuata Catesby, M. 1771. The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. (Revised by G. Edwards). To which is now added a Linnaean index of the animals and plants. London : B. White 100 pp. [40, pl. 40].
• Testudo lyra 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). [111, pl. 3] [unnecessary replacement name for Testudo coriacea Vandelli, 1761].
• Testudo tuberculata Pennant T. in Schoepff, J.D. 1801. Historia Testudinum iconibus illustrata. Erlangen : J.J. Palm xii 136 pp. [123, pl. 29a].
• Chelonias lutaria Rafinesque, C.S. 1814. Prodromo di erpetologia siciliana. In: Specchio della Scienze, o Giornale enciclopedico di Sicilia. Deposito letterario delle moderne cognizioni, scoperte et osservazioni sopra le scienze ed arti. Palermo, Vol. 2, 196 pp. 65-67, 102-104 pp. [66].
• Sphargis mercurialis Merrem, B. 1820. Versuch eines Systems Amphibien. Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum. Marburg : Krieger xv 199 pp. [19] [replacement name for Testudo coriacea Linnaeus, 1766; name suppressed in 1956 by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature under Direction 56].
• Dermochelis atlantica 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. [14] [ex Lesueur ms; nom. nud., introduced in synonymy].
• Dermatochelys porcata Wagler, J.G. 1830. Natürliches System der Amphibien, mit vorangehender Classification der Säugethiere und Vögel. München : Cotta'schen vi 354 pp. [pl. 1] [unnecessary replacement name for Testudo coriacea Linnaeus, 1766 (=Testudo coricea Vandelli, 1761)].

  Secondary source:

   Wermuth, H. & Mertens, R. 1961. Schildkröten, Krokodile, Brückenechsen. Jena : Gustav Fischer 422 pp.
• Sphargis coriacea schlegelii Garman, S. 1884. The reptiles of Bermuda (and) list of sea turtles (Chelonioidae) with synonymy. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 25: 285-303 [303].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown pls. 1–3 in , see <1171>, tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans but restricted to Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

  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.
• Sphargis angusta Philippi, R.A. 1899. Las tortugas Chilenas. Anales de la Universidad de Chile 104: 725-736 [728].

  Type data:

   Holotype MNHN, Tocopilla, Chile.

  Secondary source:

   Smith, H.M. & Smith, R.B. 1979. Synopsis of the Herpetofauna of Mexico. Vol. 6. Guide to Mexican Turtles. Bibliographic Addendum 3. North Bennington, Vermont : John Johnson 1044 pp.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Smith, H.M. & Smith, R.B. 1977. Synopsis of the Herpetofauna of Mexico. Vol. 5. Guide to Mexican Amphisbaenians and Crocodilians. Bibliographic Addendum 2. North Bennington, Vermont : John Johnson 187 pp.
• Wermuth, H. & Mertens, R. 1977. Liste der rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien; Testudines, Crocodylia, Rhynchocephalia. Das Tierreich 100: i-xxvii, 1-174
• Cogger, H.G., in Cogger, H.G., Cameron, E.E. & Cogger, H.M. 1983. Amphibia and Reptilia. 313 pp. in Walton, D.W. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1 vi + 313 pp. [77]

 

Generic Combinations

• Dermochelys coriacea (Vandellius, 1761). —
  Blainville, H.M.D. de 1816. Prodrome d'une nouvelle distribution systématique du règne animal. Bulletin des Sciences, par la Société Philomathique de Paris 8: 113-124 [start page on volume "105" is a typing error]

 

Distribution

States

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

Extra Distribution Information

Coral Sea, Arafura Sea, Timor Sea, Indian Ocean; also pan-tropical, extending into temperate regions.

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Timor Transition (1), 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), 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)

Ecological Descriptors

Aquatic, continental shelf, estuary, inshore, noctidiurnal, oceanic, predator.

Extra Ecological Information

Seasonal breeder, oviparous, feeds principally on coelenterates.

 

General References

Cogger, H.G. & Lindner, D.A. 1969. Marine turtles in northern Australia. The Australian Zoologist 15: 150-159

Limpus, C.J. & McLachlan, N.C. 1979. Observations on the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea (L.), in Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 6: 105-116

Mroxovsky, N. & Pritchard, P.C.H. 1971. Body temperatures of Dermochelys coriacea and other sea turtles. Copeia 1971: 624-631

Mroxovsky, N. & Shettleworth, S.J. 1975. On the orientation circle of the leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea. Animal Behaviour 23: 568-591

 

Common Name References

CAVS 2006. Census of Australian Vertebrate Species. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Leathery Turtle)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
08-Mar-2011		01-Mar-2018	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)