514 BULLETIN 58, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Family TRIONYCHID^. 



Turtles covered with a soft, leathery skm; lips fleshy; nostrils at 

 the end of a flexible proboscis; toes webbed, with three claws. 



Distributed over the warm and temperate regions of the earth, 

 except Australia and South America, inhabiting lakes, rivers, and 

 swamps. They are exceedingly voracious and fierce, so that they are 

 often known as ''snapping turtles." Some species reach a large size 

 and several are liighly esteemed as food. There are about 30 species 



known. 



Genus AMYDA " Oken. 



1816. Amyda Oken, Lelirb. Zool., II, p. 348 (type, Trlonyx eiiphraticits). 



1830. Aspidunectcs Waoler, Nat. Syst. Amphib., p. 134 (type, T. a:gyptiacus= 



T. trill ng ids). 

 1835. (hjmnopus Dumeril and Bibron, Erpet. Gen., II, p. 472 (substitute for 



Aspidonecles ) . 

 1835. riatypeltis Fitzinger, Ann. Wien Mus., I, pp. 120, 127 (type, T.ferox). 

 1835. Pelodisciis Fitzinger, Ann. Wien Mus., I, pp. 120, 127 (type, T. sinensis). 



1843. Potamochelys Fitzinger, Syst. Rept., p. 30 (type, T. javaniciis). 



1844. Tyrse Gr.\y, Cat. Tortois. Brit. Mus., p. 47 (type, T. niIotica=T. triunguis). 

 1844. Triony.cGiiAY. Cat. Tortois. Brit. Mu.s., p. 49 (type, T.fcro.r) (not of Geoffroy- 



Oken). 

 1864. Ra/etus Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1804 (p. 81) (type, T. euphraticus). 

 1864. Aspiliis Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1864 (p. 83) (type, T. cannifenis= 



T. cartilagineus). 

 1869. Landemania Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1869, p. 215 (type, L. irroruta= 



T. sinensis). 

 1869. Fordia Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1869, p. 219 (type, F. afrirnna=T. 



trionyx). 

 1869. Callinia Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1869, p. 221 (type, T. spinifenis). 

 1873. Isola Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1873, p. 51 (type, I. pegnensis=T. 



formosus). 

 1873. Ida Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1873, p. 55 (type, I. ornata= T. cartila- 

 gineus). 

 1873. Oscaria Gr.\y, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (4), XII, (p. 157) (type, 0. swinhoei). 

 1880. Yuen Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, I, p. 18 (type, 1'. leprosus= 



T. swinhoei). 

 1880. Psilognathus Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Cliinois, I, p. 24 (type, P. 



laevis). 

 1880. Temnognathus Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, I, p. 25 (type, T. 



mordax). 

 1880. Gomphopelta Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, I, p. 27 (type, G'. 



ojficinsc). 

 1880. Coelognathus Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, I. p. 29 (type, C. 



novemcostatus) (not of Hessling, 1852). 

 1880. Tortisternum Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, I, p. 31 ( type, T. novem- 



costafirni i. 

 1880. Ccramopdtn Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, I, p. 33 (type, C. lati- 



rostris). 

 1880. Coptopelta Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, I, p. 34 (type, C. septevi- 



costata). 

 1880. Cinctisternum Heude, Mem. Hist. Nat. Emp. Chinois, I, p. 36 (type, C. 



bicinctum). 



a This name is of uncertain origin, but apparently a variant of f^'/ivg, a river turtle. 



