PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIP:NCES 



Fourth Series 



Vol. VII, No. 2, pp. 33-35. July 23, 1917 



II 



CONCERNING THE ORIGIN OF THE SOFT-SHELLED 



TURTLE, ASPIDONECTES CALIFORNIANA 



RIVERS* 



BY JOHN VAN DENBURGH 

 Curator of the Department of Herpetology 



In the Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 

 Series 2, Vol. II, pp. 233-236, December 20, 1889, Mr. J. J. 

 Rivers published a ''Description of a New Turtle from the 

 Sacramento River, belonging to the Family of Trionychidae." 

 The supposed new species was named Aspidonectes californi- 

 ana. The description was largely prepared by Dr. George 

 Baur, who compared this turtle with A. spinifer and A. emoryi. 

 Mr. Rivers stated that his turtle "was captured in the Sacra- 

 mento River, near the city of Sacramento, by a party of gentle- 

 men engaged in fishing, their names being Messrs. W. J. Terry, 

 H. B. Denson and J. C. Jones." 



I have tried to learn what I could regarding the real history 

 of this turtle, but have gotten little definite information. Dr. 

 Terry has stated to me tliat he had nothing to do with the 

 turtle except that he suggested to his friend that it should be 

 sent to the University of California. He says that this friend 

 (Mr. J. Charles Jones) got the turtle from a French restaurant 



* Printed from the John W. Hendrie Publication Endowment. 



July 23. 1917 



