TELOMEDUSID^:. 



171 



The skull has the characters mentioned under the head of the 

 section. The mesoplastrals may be either complete (Slernothcerus) 

 or incomplete (Podocnemis). Cope regards Stenotliarus as the type 

 of a family, on account of the complete mesoplastrals. 



Fig. 40. 



Pelomedusa galeata. — Palatal and frontal aspects of the cranium. (From 

 Boulenger's ' Catalogue of Cbelonians.') 



Genus PODOCNEMIS, Wagler 1 . 



Including Peltocephalus, Dumeril & Bibron 2 . 



Mesoplastral bones small, lateral, and wedged in between the 

 hyo- and hypoplastrals (fig. 41); plastron large, with strong but- 

 tresses, devoid of hinge, and with notched xiphiplastrals ; humero- 

 pectoral sulcus cutting entoplastral bone. Neural bones elongated, 

 7 in number, hexagonal, with short antero-lateral surfaces. ~No 

 nuchal shield; vertebral shields hexagonal, with straight lateral 

 borders, and not narrowed posteriorly. The caudal shield may be 

 single. Skull with complete temporal roof; the quadratojugal 

 uniting suturally with the parietal; edges of jaws not serrated. 



Podocnemis bowerbanki (Owen 3 ). 

 Syn. Platemys bowerbanki, Owen 4 . Podocnemis Icevis, Cope 7 . 



Emys Icevis, Bell 5 . Peltocephalus Icevis, Riitimeyer 8 - 



Podocnemis bowerbanki, Cope 6 . 



i Syst. Amphib. p. 135 (1830). 



2 Erpetologie Grenerale, vol. ii. p. 577 (1835). 



3 Rep. Brit. Assoc, for 1841, p. 163 (1842).— Emys. 4 Loc. cit. 



5 Keptilia of the London Clay &c. (Mon. Pal. Soc), vol. i. pt. i. p. 70 (1849). 



6 Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. vol. xiv. pt. i. p. 156 (1870). 7 Loc. cit. 

 8 N. Denkschr. schw. Ges. Nat. vol. xxv. art. 2, p. 159 (1873). 



