OUTLINE OF CLASSIFICATION OF NATIVE TURTLES 



Order TESTUDINATA (or Chehnia) (of Class REPTILIA) 



No apparent openings in temporal region of skull; quadrate solidly 

 fixed to skull; jaws toothless, with horny plates; body with bony or 

 leathery carapace and plastron 

 Family KINOSTERNIDAE Mud and Musk Turtles 



Edge of carapace not flaring; plastron crossed by two hinges, 

 one before and one behind a central section which is immov' 

 ably joined to the carapace; plastron with nine to eleven plates 

 Two genera — Sternotherus (3 species) 

 Kinosternon (5 species) 

 Family CHELYDRIDAE Snapping Turtles 



Carapace and tail tuberculate; plastron small, with ten plates 

 Two genera — Macrochelys (1 species) 

 Chelydra (1 species) 

 Family TESTUDINIDAE Terrapins and Tortoises 



Carapace with flaring edge; plastron with twelve plates 

 Nine genera — Clemmys (4 species) Chrysemys (2 species) 

 Emys (1 species) Pseudemys (11 species) 



Terrapene (5 species) Deirochelys (1 species) 

 ^Aalaclemys (2 species) Gopherus (3 species) 

 Graptemys (4 species) 

 Family CHELONIIDAE (Not keyed to genus and species.) 



Marine turtles; limbs like flippers; carapace with horny plates; 



size ver>f large 



Four genera — Chelonia (2 species) 



Eretmochelys (2 species) 

 Caretta (1 species) 

 Lepidochelys (2 species) 

 Family DERMOCHELIDAE (Not keyed to genus and species.) 



Marine turtles; limbs like flippers; carapace leathery; size very 

 large 



One genus — Dermochelys (2 species) 

 Family TRIONYCHIDAE Soft-shelled Turtles 



Carapace leathery, flat, without horny plates or scales; with a 



long, flexible snout 



One genus — Amy da (5 species) 



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