CATALOGUE OF SHIELD REPTILES. 



M. Charles Bonaparte, in his Si/sfema Generale d'Erpe- 

 tologia, 80 (1832), divides the Testudinata thus : — 



Order I. Chelonii. Fam. I. Testudinid^. 1. Tes- 

 tudinina. 2. Chelina. II. Trionicid^e. III. Chelo- 

 NilD^. 1. Sphiirgidina. 2. Chelonina. 



Messrs. Dume'ril and Bibron {Brp. G6n. ii. 1835) divide 

 the Tortoises or Cheloniens thus: — 



I. Les Chersites ou Toktues terrestres. 1. 

 Tortue. a. Cherseus. b. Tortues. c. Chersine. 2. Ho- 

 tnopode. 3. Pyxide. 4. Cinixys. II. Les Elodites 

 ou Tortues paludines. A. Cryptoderes. 5. Cistude. 



a. Clausiles. b. Baillantes. C. Emi/de. a. Europeennes. 



b. Americaines. e. Africaines. d. Indiennes. 7. Tetro- 

 nyx. 8. Plutystertie. 9. Eviysaure. 10. Staurotype. 

 \\. Cinosterne. B. Pleuroderes. \2. Peltocephale. 13. 

 Podocnemide. 14. Pentonyx. 15. Steniothere. 16. Plat- 

 emyde. 17. Cheludine. 18. Chehjde. III. Les Po- 

 TAMiTES ou Tortues fluviales. 19. Gymnopode. 

 20. Cryptopode. IV. Les Thalassites ou Tortues 

 MARINES. 21. Chelonee. a. C. franches. b. C. im- 

 briquees. c. C. caouanes. 22. Sphargis. 



M.Charles L. Bonaparte, in his Tavola Analitica dei Che- 

 lonii (1836), divides the Chelonii into three famiUes :^ 



I. Testudinidi. a. Testudinini. b. Euiidini. c. Hy- 

 draspedini. d. Chelini. II. Trionicidi. a. Trioni- 

 chini. III. Chelonidi. a. Chelonini. b. Spargidini. 



The following is the Specchio dei Geiieri e Sotfogeneri : 

 I. Testudinidi. 1. Testudinina. 1. Cherseus. 2. 

 Testudo {Testudo, Psammobates, Geochelone, Chelonoidis). 

 3. Chei-sina {Cylindraspis, Chersind). 4. Homopiis. 5. 

 Pyxis. 6. Kinixys (Ciiiofhorax, Cinixys). 2. Emydina. 

 7. Cistudo. 8. Emys {Emys, Cyclemis). 9. Terrapene 

 {Clemys, Rhinoclemys) . 10. Geomys. 11. Tetraonyx. 

 12. Platysternon. 13. Chelydra. 14. Staurotyptts. 15. 

 Kiiiosternmii {Sternotherus, Cinosternon). 3. Hydraspi- 

 dina. 16. Pelfocephalus. 17. Podocnemys. 18. Etny- 

 dura {Macquaria) . \9. Pelomedusa. 20. Pelusios. 21. 

 Hydraspis {Platemys, Rhinemys, Phrynops). 22. Chelo- 

 dina (Chelodina,Hydromedusd). 4. Chehna. 23. Chelys. 



II. Trionycid^. 5. Trionicina. 24. Ainyda {Aspido- 

 nectes, Platypeltis, Pelodiscus, Amy da). 25. Trionyx. 



III. Chelonid^s. G. Chelonina. 26. Chelonia {Che- 

 Ionia, Caretta). '27. Thalassochelys. 7. Sphargidina. 

 28. Sphargis. 



Dr. J. E. Gray (Ami. Nat. Hist. 1838, i. 275) proposed a 

 new arrangement of Reptiles with short characters, thus : — 



I. Squamata. 1. Saura. 2. Ophidia. II. Cata- 

 phracta. 3. Amphisbenee. 4. Chelonia. 5. Emydo- 

 saura ; — 



and he points out the analogies between this order and 

 those of Mammalia and Birds. 



Swainson, in Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopcedia (1839), 

 p. 343, arranges these animals thus : — 



Order I. Emydosaures (Crocodiles). Ord. II. Che- 

 LONiDES (Tortoises) . Fain. I. Chelidrid^e (Crocodile 

 Tortoises). 1. Chelydra. 2. Platysternon. 3. Chelys. 

 II. TestudinidjE (Land Tortoises). 4. Testudo. 5. 

 Chersina. 6. Honopus. 7. Pyxis. 8. Kinixys. III. 

 Emyd.e (Rirer Tortoises). 9. Cistuda. 10. Emys. 

 11. Kinosfernon. * Sternotherus. 12. Chelodina. 13. 

 Hydraspis. IV. Trionycid.*. 14. Trionyx. lo. Emyda. 

 V. Chelonid.e. 16. Chelonia. 17. Sphargis. 



Dr. Fitzinger (Systema Reptilium, p. 29, 1843) divides 

 the Testudinata thus : — 



Order I. Tylopoda. Fam. I. Testudines. 1. Ci- 

 nixys. 2. Chersina. 3. Testudo. Order II. Stegano- 

 PODA. § 1. Rostrata. Fam. I. Emyd^. 1. Emys. 

 2. Clemmys. 3. Chelydra. 4. Staurotypus. 5. Cino- 

 sternon. Fam. II. Hydraspides. 1. Hydraspis. § 2. 

 Mandibulata. Fam. I. Chelyd^. 1. Chelys. §3. La- 

 biata. Fam. I. Trionyches. 1. Trionyx. 2. Aspido- 

 nectes. Order III. Oiacopoda. Fam. I. Chelonia. 

 1. Chelonia. 2. Thalassochelys. Fam. II. Dermato- 

 chelyd^. 1. Derma tochelys. 



F. I. C Mayer (System des Thierreichs, 189, 1849 ; 

 Wiegmann's Arch. 1850, 67) arranges the Tylopoda or 

 Chelonians thus : — 



1. Bsenodactyli (Testudo). 2. Eressodaetyli (Emys, 

 Trionyx). 3. Pterodactyli (Chelonia). 



The upper shield or carapace is formed by the ribs (eight 

 pairs), enlarged and united together and to the annular part 

 of the dorsal vertebra by toothed sutures, so as to be im- 

 moveable ; the lower shield or plastron is formed of the 

 pieces which represent the chest bone (usually nine), and 

 a circle of bones analogous to the sternal cartilages of qua- 

 drupeds. The vertebrae of the neck and tail alone are 

 moveable. The two long envelopes are immediately covered 

 with skin or scales, and surround the muscles of the ex- 

 tremity. — Ann. Phil. 1825. 



The bones of the sternum are in general united together 

 into a single plate, and are often affixed to the margin b}' 

 a toothed suture, but in the CistudcB they are united to 

 it by a cartilaginous band allowing of a slight motion ; 

 and sometimes, as in the Box Tortoise, the sternum is 

 divided into two or three parts by one or two cross 

 sutures, allowing the front or hinder lobe, or both, to 

 move on the middle or fixed part. In the genus Che- 

 lydra, and the families Trionyeidte and Cheloniadce, the 

 sternal bones form a ring, leaving a cartilaginous space in 

 the centre. 



B 2 



