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Dermatemys Gray Dermatemys Mawii Gray 237.1 REPTILIA: TESTUDINES: DERMATEMYDIDAE DERMATEMYS, D. MAWII Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Dermatemys Gray Central American river turtle IVERSON,JOHN 8., ANDRUSSELLA. MITIERMEIER. 1980. Der• matemydidae, Dermatemys. Dermatemys Gray, 1847:55. Type species, Dermatemys mawii by monotypy. Dermatemydidae Chloremys Gray, 1870a:50. Substitute name. River turtles Limnochelone Werner, 1901:298. Type species, Limnochelone micrura by monotypy. Dermatemydae Gray 1870b:711. First use of name. • CONTENT. One species, Dermatemys mawii, is recognized. Dermatemydidae: Baur 1888a:421. Correct emendation. Dermatemyidae: Alvarez del Toro 1972:15. • DEFINITION.A large (60 cm carapace length, 22 kg) aquatic turtle with a low, broad shell. The juvenile carapace has a single • CONTENT. Only the genus Dermatemys is extant. Approxi• median keel which is usually lost with age. The large, unhinged mately 19 fossil genera are recognized (see FOSSILRECORD). plastron is composed of nine bones (including entoplastron) and • DEFINITION(Based primarily on Romer, 1956, and Hay, connected to the carapace by a broad bridge. The hind lobe is 1908). Temporal region emarginate from behind, separating emarginate. Three to six (typically four or five) inframarginals squamosal from parietal and postorbital; frontals enter orbital broadly separate the marginals from the 11 or 12 plastral scutes. margin; maxilla does not meet quadratojugal; quadrate does not The gular may be single or divided. Accessory interhumeral and surround stapes; no foramen present in prootic for temporal ar• interpectoral scutes are often present along the plastral midline. tery. Dentary expanded posteriorly over much of external surface The anterior plastral buttresses are median and the posterior of jaw. Only one biconvex centrum in neck; eighth centrum dou• short, barely reaching the costals, if at all. The nuchal bone may bly concave in front; tenth dorsal rib free of pleural, caudal ver• lack lateral costiform processes. The posterior costals meet me• tebrae procoelous. Paired pubes and ischia meet ventrally, but dially. Twelve pairs of marginals are present. Only the second pubic and ischiadic symphyses are widely separated. Trochan• cervical vertebra is biconvex; the eighth cervical centrum is doubly teric fossa of femur widely open. Plastron suturally united to concave anteriorly. The frontal bone forms part of the orbit. The carapace. Entoplastron present. Neurals usually reduced in num• alveolar surface of the maxilla has denticulated longitudinal ber, the costals meeting posteriorly. ridges; the labial ridge of the maxilla is strongly serrated. The prefrontals are long and slightly upturned. The jugal is short and • DESCRIPTIONS, DISTRIBUTION, PERTINENT LITERATURE the maxilla does not contact the quadratojugal. No chin barbels ANDETYMOLOGY.See generic and specific account of Dermate• are present. The juvenile head is olive with an indistinct mustard• mys. yellow orbital stripe; that of the adult is buff to cinnamon dorsally in males and darker olive in females. The unmarked carapace is • ILLUSTRATIONS.See generic and specific accounts of Der• uniform brown to dark olive; the plastron is uniform cream to matemys. Line drawings of many of the fossil forms are in Hay light yellow. The unpatterned limbs are uniform dark gray. The (1908). Additional drawings and photographs offossil taxa accom• feet are strongly webbed. The tail is much shorter than half car• pany many of their original descriptions (see FOSSILRECORDand apace length. references in Kuhn, 1964). • DESCRIPTIONS,ILLUSTRATIONS,DISTRIBUTION,FOSSILRE• • FOSSILRECORD. Dermatemydids date from the Cretaceous CORD,ANDPERTINENTLITERATURE.See species account. of North America, Europe, and East Asia. The following genera are presently included in the family (Kuhn, 1964), but some only • ETYMOLOGY.The name is from the Greek derma (meaning provisionally: Adocus (Cope, 1868b; type species, A. beatus [Lei• skin) and emys (turtle), and refers to the skin-like appearance of dy 1865]; at least 13 species; Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene, the adult carapace due to obscurity of the seams separating the of North America, and Eocene of East Asia); Agomphus (Cope, scutes. Gender is feminine. 1871; type species, A. turgidus [Cope 1869]; 8 species; Upper Cretaceous, North America); Alamosemys (Hay, 1908; type species, A. subtriata Hay 1908; 2 species; Paleocene, North Dermatemys mawii Gray America); Baptemys (Leidy, 1870; type species, B. wyomingensis Central American river turtle Leidy 1870; 3 species; Eocene, North America); Basilemys (Hay, 1902; type species, B. variolosa [Cope 1876]; at least 5 species; Dermatemys mawii Gray, 1847:55. Type-locality, "South Ameri• Upper Cretaceous-Eocene, North America); Compsemys (Leidy, ca" (in error), restricted to "Alvarado, Veracruz," Mexico by 1856; type species, C. victas Leidy 1856; at least 7 species; Upper Smith and Taylor (1950:346). Holotype, British Mus. Natur. Cretaceous-Paleocene, North America); Heishanemys (Bohlin, Hist. 1947.3.4.12, adult shell of unknown sex, collected by 1953; type species, H. imperfectus Bohlin 1953; monotypic; Cre• Lt. Mawe, R. N. (date unknown). Holotype not seen by au• taceous, East Asia); Homorophus (Cope, 1871; type species, H. thors. See COMMENT. insuetus Cope 1871; monotypic; Upper Cretaceous, North Amer• Emys Berardii Dumeril and Bibron, in Dumeril and Dumeril ica); Hoplochelys (Hay, 1908; type species, H. crassa [Cope 1851:11. Type-locality, "environs de Vera Cruz," Mexico. 1888]; 7 species; Paleocene-Eocene; North America); Kallistira Syntypes, Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur. Paris 7835, adult female, (Hay, 1908; type species, K. costilata [Cope, 1875]; monotypic; collected by Lt. Mawe in "Amerique Meridionale" (date un• Eocene, North America); Lindholmemys (Riabinin, 1935; type known), and 9518, adult male, collected by Captain Berard species, L. elegans Riabinin 1935; monotypic; Upper Cretaceous, in the "eaux douces des environs de Vera Cruz," Mexico Asia); Notomorphus (Cope, 1872; type species, N. gravis Cope (date unknown). Syntypes not seen by authors. 1872; monotypic; Eocene, North America); Patanemys (Andrews, Clemmys Berardii: Strauch, 1862:33. 1920; type species, P. bartonensis Andrews 1920; monotypic; Dermatemys Mawii: Strauch, 1862:34. Eocene, Europe); Peltochelys (Dollo, 1884; type species, P. du• Emys mawii: Gray, 1864:126. chastelii Dollo 1884; monotypic; Lower Cretaceous, Europe); Dermatemys berrardi: Gray, 1864:126. Peishanemys (Bohlin, 1953; type species, P. latipons Bohlin Dermatemys maroii: Miiller, 1865:598. 1953; monotypic; Upper Cretaceous, East Asia); Sinochelys (Wi• Dermatemys mavei: Cope, 1865:187. man, 1930; type species, S. applanata Wiman 1930; monotypic; Emys berardi: Cope, 1868a:119. Lower Cretaceous, East Asia); Trachyaspis (Meyer, 1843; type Dermatemys berardii: Cope, 1868a:120. species, T. lardyi Meyer 1843; about 7 species; Eocene-Miocene, Dermatemys abnormis Cope, 1868a:120. Type-locality, "Belize Europe and Africa); Tretosternon (Owen, 1842; type species, T. River, Yucatan," restricted to "Belize" (city) by Smith and bakewelli [Mantell 1827]; about 3 species; Upper Jurassic-lower Taylor (1950:316). Holotype, Acad. Natur. Sci. Philadelphia Cretaceous, Europe); Tsaotanemys (Bohlin, 1953; type species, 61 (see COMMENT),a juvenile, collected by Dr. D. 8. Parsons T. rugosus Bohlin 1953; monotypic; Cretaceous, East Asia); and (date unknown). Holotype not seen by authors. Zygoramma (Cope, 1870; type species, Z. striatula Cope 1870; Dermatemys Salvinii Gray, 1870a;50. Type-locality, "Guatema• 2 species; Upper Cretaceous, North America). la." Holotype, British Mus. Natur. Rist. 1946.1.22.96, adult 237.2 °I 190 290M!. r '00 200 300 KM. ,, "0 I I ,,' (O\ , , I\ '\.~ 0 0 00V II "" /,.' 0 V ' 0 ~ .-..-l,:oC"·! 1.. \ 00 0 i ,.?o! 00 K'0 o~~;:,' 1(' ,0' f) '- , . \ '0-00 i <)! 0 : ' ;1 f, o_-_ .•~~:.., "o~~'o PI? a /:-.\_,._1186,~ !. 0~ '" -----~'" 1.. " 0JI0 "/ ..... "0 ." ,'.',. \. j --- :/' I: .J . I.. J': .. ", . .' ..\.....•... ) MAP. Solid circle marks the type locality; open circles, other localities. North American fossil localities are mapped in inset: Cretaceous-Paleocene, stars; Eocene, squares. Some symbols represent more than one locality. female, collected by O. Salvin (date unknown). Holotype not (1969); those of eggs in Holman (1963). Line drawings of adults seen by authors. are in Dumeril (1852), Wermuth and Mertens (1961), Casas An• Dermatemys Berardi: Gray, 1870a:5O. dreu (1965, 1967); of the shell, in Gray (1870b, 1872), Bienz (1895), Chloremys abnormis: Gray, 1870a:50. Hay (1908); of the skull, in McDowell (1964), Gaffney (1979), Dermatemys Mauri: Baur, 1888b:595. Guibe (1970); of the penis, in Zug (1966); and of the scleral os• Dermatemys mavii: Bienz, 1895:61. sicles, in Underwood (1970). Limnochelone micrura Werner, 1901:298. Type-locality, "Mexi• co," restricted to "Alvarado, Veracruz," Mexico, by Smith • DISTRIBUTION.Dermatemys mawii is found throughout the and Taylor (1950:346). Holotype presumably in the Konigs• lowlands of the western Caribbean from central Veracruz, Mex• berg ZooI. Museum, Kalingrad, USSR, but unverified by the ico, eastward through northern Guatemala and Belize, but ex• authors. cluding the Yucatan Peninsula. Specimens U.S. Nat. Mus. Dermatemys mawi: Gadow, 1901:341. 66666--66669 and 67732 from Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, are not be• Dermatemys mawy: Herrera, 1904:5. lieved to represent natural occurrence in that area and may have Dermatemys mawii: Beltran, 1953:130. been transported there
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