890.1 REPTILIA: TESTUDINES: PODOCNEMIDIDAE Podocnemis unifilis Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Schneider, L., J.B. Iverson, and R.C. Vogt. 2012. Podocnemis unifilis . Podocnemis unifilis Troschel 1848 Yellow-spotted River Turtle, Tracajá. Emys cayennensis Schweigger 1812:298. Type-lo- cality, “Cayenna” [= Cayenne]. Holotype not des - ignated but three syntypes are mentioned. Lec- totype, Paris Museum of Natural History (MNHN) 8359 (see Pritchard and Trebbau 1984 and Bour 2006 for justification), a juvenile dry specimen (head and shell separated), collected by L.C.M. Richard between 1781 and 1789 (not examined by authors). See Remarks . Testudo terekay : Humboldt and Bonpland 1819:482. Ch[elys]. (Hydraspis) Lata: Bell in Gray 1831a:17 ( no- men oblitum ) ( see Rhodin et al. 2008) . Ch[elys]. (Hydraspis) Cayennensis : Gray 1831a:17. Hydraspis Cayennensis : Gray 1831b:42. Emys Terekay Schinz 1833:41. Type-locality, “obern Orenoko [= upper Rio Orinoco] wie unterden Cataracten, und sogar auch im [Rio] Apure, im [Rio] Uritucu, im [Rio] Guarico und den kleinern Flüssen, welche die Llannos von Caracas durch - strömmen,” Venezuela. Holotype not located. Podocnemis dumeriliana : Duméril and Bibron 1835: 387 (part). Podocnemis unifilis Troschel 1848:647. Type-locality, “Rupununi und Takutu”, Guyana. Syntypes, Zoo- logische Museum Berlin (ZMB) 142 (2 specimens in alcohol), collected by R. Schomburgk, date unknown (not examined by authors, but existence confirmed by Fritz et al. 1994a). Podocnemis tracaya Coutinho 1868:149. Type-locali - ty, “Amazone.” Chelonemys dumeriliana : Gray 1870:83 (part). Podocnemis cayennensis : Siebenrock 1902:162 (part). Podocnemys unifilis : Shah 1961:215. Lapsus. Podocnemis unifillis : Zendzian and Barnard 1967: FIGURE 1. Podocnemis unifilis : Adult female (top), adult male (center), and hatchling (bottom). 699. Lapsus . Podcnemis cayennensis : da Costa, de Lima, Car- doso, and Henriques 1981:124. Lapsus . its black or brown, oval carapace with a distinctive Podocnemis unifilus : Gragson 1993:133. Lapsus . low medial keel on the second and third vertebral Podocnemis unifili : Fundação Vitória Amazônica scutes (V2 -V3). The carapace of juveniles is strongly Manaus (FVA/IBAMA) 1998:xx. Lapsus. convex, with the highest point of the carapace toward Podocnemis unifinis : Peres 2000:250. Lapsus. the rear of V3. The carapace of adults is moderately Podocnemus unifilis: Portal, Lima, Luz, Bataus, and convex with the highest points of the V2 and V3 Reis 2002:11. Lapsus . approximately equal. The plastron is light gray -buff in hatchlings, becoming gray with growth. Black pig - • CONTENT . No subspecies are recognized. mentation is often present on the shell in adults. The head is dominated dorsally by paired frontal scales, • DEFINITION . Podocnemis unifilis is a relatively which meet along a distinct medial groove. The inter - large member of the genus, up to 50 cm in carapace parietal scale is slightly longer than wide and distinct - length and up to 9 kg body mass (Pritchard 1980; ly convex in juveniles; in adults it is elongate and pos - Pritchard and Trebbau 1984; Amoros 2001). Larger teriorly pointed but not convex. The paired parietal sizes (carapace length 65 cm according to Coutinho scales are larger and generally meet on the midline (1868), 68 cm according to Siebenrock (1926) need behind the interparietal. The head of hatchlings and to be confirmed. This species can be recognized by juveniles is black with bright yellow spots. Typically, a 890.2 rounded spot occurs on each lateral margin of the (1981), Fundação Vitória Amazônica Manaus (1998), interparietal scale. These yellow spots on the side of Gaffney et al. (2011), Iverson and Baker (2003), Ma- its head give this species its English name. Although chado Andrade et al. (2008e), Mittermeier (1978), most of the head spots are retained in adult males, Neill (1965), Obst et al. (1984), Pritchard (1967, they are lost in adult females, which have a light 1979, 2008), Pritchard and Trebbau (1984), Smith brown ground color with light -colored maxillary and (1979a,b), and Viana et al. (2008). Color paintings mandibular surfaces. The skin of adults is otherwise are in Iverson and Baker (2003), McKay et al. (2004), gray to black. Sexual dimorphism is marked. Adult Pritchard and Trebbau (1984), and Tait et al. (2006). males possess head spots, a longer, thicker tail, with Black -and -white drawings are in Castaño Mora a more distally located vent, a deeper anal notch, and (2002), Fretey (1977), Gaffney (1979), Gallo de Fran- are smaller (carapace length to 33.5 cm; females to ça and Langer (2006), Honegger et al. (1985), King 50 cm). The iris is blackish in females, and greenish and Burke (1989), McDowell (1983), Niceforo (1952), in juveniles and males. A single chin barbel is usually Pritchard (1964), Siebenrock (1902, 1904, 1926), present (occasional incidence of paired barbels). Wermuth and Mertens (1961), Wood (1976), and Wil- liams (1954). Ojasti (1971) provided a black -and - • DESCRIPTIONS . General descriptions are in Bo- white photograph of an egg, and Albertos (2008) pro - nin et al. (1996, 2006), Castaño Mora (2002), Ernst vided a color photograph of a Caracara eating one. and Barbour (1989), Fachín -Terán (1993), Fiasson Color photographs of hatchlings and a ceremonial (1945), Fretey (1977), Hoge (1952), Honegger et al. rattle made from a shell were provided by Salera (1985), Iverson and Baker (2003), King and Burke Júnior (2005). (1989), Medem (1964), Mittermeier (1978), Mitter- meier and Wilson (1974), Murphy (1997), Neill • DISTRIBUTION . Podocnemis unifilis is known (1965), Niceforo (1952), Orenstein (2001), Ponce from the Amazon Basin of Colombia, eastern (1979), Pritchard and Trebbau (1984), Rueda -Almon- Ecuador, northeastern Peru, northern Bolivia, south - acid et al. (2007), Siebenrock (1926), Troschel ern Venezuela, and Brazil, and the Caribbean drain- (1848), Vogt (2008a –c), and Williams (1954). Cervi- ages of the Guianas, Venezuela, and Colombia (Iver- cal vertebrae are described in Williams (1950), cra - son 1986, 1992; Pritchard and Trebbau 1984; Rueda- nial arteries in Albrecht (1976), skull morphology in Almonacid et al. 2007). Distributional information is Gaffney (1979), hatchling anatomy in Malvasio et al available for Colombia in Medem (1958, 1960, 1964), (2002a –c), jaw musculature in Schumacher (1954, for Brazil in Hoogmoed and Avila-Pires (1990) and 1956a,b), lung musculature in Shah (1961), throat Vogt (2008a –c), for French Guiana in Métrailler and papillae in Vogt et al. (1998), spinal anatomy in Pe- Le Gratiet (1996), and for Venezuela in Ramo (1982) dersen (1973), and comparisons with other species in and Pritchard and Trebbau (1984). Gaffney and Zangerl (1968), Siebenrock (1902), Mül- ler (1935), Williams (1954), and Wood (1976). • FOSSIL RECORD . No fossils are known. • ILLUSTRATIONS . Color photographs are in Aria • PERTINENT LITERATURE . General accounts (1998), Artner (2008), Balensiefer et al. (2007), Bart- are in Ataídes (2009), Cantarelli and Herde (1989), lett and Bartlett (1996, 2003), Bärtschi (1993), Biavati David (1994), Duellman (2005), Duméril and Bibron and Brito (2006), Bonin et al. (1996, 2006), Bour (1835), Goeldi ([1905] 1906), Gray (1831a,b, 1855), (2006), Breen (1974), Castaño Mora (2002), Chávez Freiberg (1981), Iverson (2003), Knaack (2003a,b, (2010), da Mota Duarte et al. (2008), da Silva (2002), 2004), Luling (1963), Marlier (1969), Métrailler and Le de Souza Pinto (2006), Duellman (2005), Enríquez Gratiet (1996), Moll and Moll (2004), Opitz (1969), M. (1999), Ernst and Barbour (1989), Escalona Pritchard and Trebbau (1984), Rohl (1949), Rueda - (2007), Fantin (2008), Ferri (2002), Franklin (2007), García Mora (2005), Gorzula and Señaris (1998), Gremone et al. (n.d.), Hall (2004), Iverson (2003), Lehr (2002), Machado Andrade et al. (2008a,e), Mag- nan and Maran (1999), Mazzolli (2009), McKay et al. (2004), Meier (2008), Métrailler and Le Gratiet (1996), Mora (2005), Murphy (1997), Obst (1986), Pritchard (1967, 1979), Pritchard and Trebbau (1984), Rueda -Almonacid et al. (2007), Salera Júnior (2005), Sengoku (1996), Sinaga (2008), Tait et al. (2006), Trujillo et al. (2008), Vetter (2005), Vitt and Caldwell (2008), Vogt (2001, 2008), and Zug et al. (2001). Color drawings are in Adler and Halliday (1986), Iverson (2003), and Bonin et al. (1996). Black -and -white photographs are in Alejandra (2001), Barrio -Amorós and Narbaiza (2008), Breen (1974), Cadena et al. (2010), Carillo de Espinoza (1970), MAP . Distribution of Podocnemis unifilis ; the circle marks Castaño Mora (2002), da Mota Duarte et al. (2008), the type-locality, dots indicate verified records. de Souza Pinto (2006), Ferreira (1923), Freiberg 890.3 Almonacid et al. (2007), Santos (1981), Schmidt and Brinkmeier 2000; Brownrigg 1996; Caballero 1996; Inger (1951), Simpson (1943), Soini (1995a,e), Suar- Cabao et al. 2008; Calle and Gil 2008; Campos 2007; ez (1966), Trujillo et al. (2008), and Vogt (2004, Cantarelli and Herde 1989; Caputo et al. 2005; 2008a,b,c). Literature concerning other topics include Cardoso de Lima et al. 2008; Carrillo 1997; Castaño - anatomy and morphology (Abdala et al. 2008; Mora 1997; Castellón 2008; Castro 2006; Castro et Baird 1970; Butler and Northcutt 1973; Cadena et al. al. 1976; Ceballos and Fitzgerald 2004; Chávez 2010; Cruce and Newman 1984; de Lapparent de 2010; Conway -Gomez 2007, 2008; Correa et al. Broin et al. 2007; de Souza 2008; de Souza Pinto 2006; Cortez 2010; Cruz -Trujillo et al. 2006; da Silva 2006; Duque 2006; Fabrezi et al. 2009; Gaffney et al. 2007; da Silva and Be-gossi 2004, 2009; da Silva et 2002; Gibbons and Lovich 1990; Hirano and Santos al. 2010; H.A. Da Silva et al. 2006; R.O. da Silva 2006; Hirano et al. 2009; Kälin 1945/1946; Lima et al. 2008; Darrigo 2006; De Oliveira 2006; De Oliveira et 2011; Luz Hirano et al. 2009; Magalhães 2010; Mai- al. 2006a,b; de Oliveira Silva 2004; De Souza - orka et al. 1996; Malvasio 2002; Malvasio et al. Mazurek et al. 2000; Dias Li-mírio et al. 2008; dos 2002d; McDowell 1983; Pedersen 1974; Pereira et al. Reis et al. 2008; dos Santos et al. 2011; Dos Santos 2005; Portela et al.