THALASSOCHELYS. 



45. Chelone imbricata. 



49 



Testudo imbricata, Linn. Si/st. Nat. i, p. 350. 



Chelonia imbricata. Schweiaa. Prodr. p. 21 ; JSouleny. Cat. CM. 



p. 183. 



Eretmockelys squamata, Ayassiz, Contr. N. H. U. S. i, p. 382. 

 Caretta squamata, Giinth. Rept. B. I. p. 54 ; Theob. Cat. p. 33. 



Pig. 16. Chelone imbricata (young). 



Carapace tricarinate in the young, with the shields strongly 

 imbricate, the vertebrals rhomboidal ; dorsal shields of adult smooth, 

 of old specimens juxtaposed ; margin formed of 25 shields, more or 

 less strongly serrated posteriorly. Snout compressed in the adult ; 

 jaws hooked, not or but very feebly denticulated on the margin ; 

 symphysis of lower jaw long ; two pairs of shields anterior to the 

 azygous frontal. Limbs with two claws. Young pale brown above, 

 blackish below. Carapace of adult marbled yellow and dark brown, 

 plastron yellow ; shields of head and limbs dark brown with yellow 

 borders. 



Length of shell 3 feet. 



Hob. Tropical and subtropical seas. Plentiful on the coasts of 

 Ceylon and the Maldives. Carnivorous. 



Genus THALASSOCHELYS, 

 Fitzinger, Ann. Wien. Mus. i, 1835, p. 121. 



Carapace completely ossified in the adult. Costal shields five 

 pairs or more. A series of inframarginal plastral shields. 

 A single species. 



