CHECKLIST OF REPTILES OF MEXICO 15 



LEPIDOCHELYS KEMPH (Gairoan) 



Thalassochelys {Colpochelys) kempii Garman, Bull. Mus. Comp, Zool,, vol. 6, 



1880, p. 123, 

 Lepidochelys kempii, Baur, Araer. Nat., vol. 24, 1890, p. 487. — Carr, Proc. 



New England Zool. Club, vol. 21, 1942, pp. 4, 8-13, pis. 2, 4. 



Type. — Several cotypes, Mus. Comp. Zool. 



Type locality. — Gulf of Mexico, here restricted to Key West, Fla. 



Range. — Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Alexico. In Alexico, the entire 

 Atlantic coast. The only exact record known is from Quiatana 

 Roo (Isla de Mujeres). 



LEPIDOCHELYS OLIVACEA (Eschscholtz) 



Chelonia olivacea Eschscholtz, Zoologischer Atlas, pt, 1, 1829, p. 2, pi. 3. 

 Lepidochelys olivacea, Girard, United States Exploring Expedition . . . , vol. 



20, Herpetology, 1858, p. 435. — Deraniyagala, Tetrapod reptiles of Ceylon, 



vol. 1, 1939, pp. 123-163, figs. 43-65.— Carr, Proc. New England Zool. 



Club, vol. 21, 1942, pp. 4-5, pi. 5 (skull). 

 Chelonia dussumieri Di;m:6ril and Bibron, Erp^tologie g6n4rale . . . , 1835, p. 



557 (type in Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris; type locality, Malabar). 

 Careita remivaga Hay, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 34, 1908, pp. 194-197 (type, 



U.S.N.M. No. 9973; type locality, Ventosa Bay, Oaxaca). 



Type. — Unknown, 



Type locality. — Manila Bay, Philippine Islands. 



Range. — Indian and Pacific Oceans. In Mexico, the entire Pacific 

 coast. Reported only from the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, 

 Colima, and Sonora (Tibur6n Island). 



Genus CARETTA Rafinesque 



Caretta Rafinesqtje, Specchio Sci. Palermo, vol. 2, 1814, p. 66. 



Thalassochelys Fitzinger, Ann. Wien Mus., vol. 1, 1835, p. 121 (type, Testudo 



caouana Daudin). 

 Caouana Cocteatt, in Ram6n de la Sagra, Historia ffsica, polftica y natural de 



la Isla de Cuba, vol. 4, Rept., 1838, p. 31 (type, Testudo cephalo Schneider). 

 Eremonia Gray, Hand list of shield reptiles of the British Museum, 1873, p. 91 



(type, Caouana elongata Gray). 



Genotyye. — Caretta nasuta Rafinesque=(7areffa caretta caretta (Lin- 

 naeus). 



Species.' — One, with two races, is generally recognized. 

 Range. — Tropical ocean, world-wide. 



KEY TO SPECIES OF CARETTA 



1. Neural bones usually 9 or more; if fewer, the costal bones usually interrupting 

 the neural series by contact with each other at one or more places. 



caretta gigas (p. 16) 



Neural bones 7 or 8, the series rarely interrupted by median contact of costal 



bones caretta caretta (p. 16) 



