16,2 
Taylor: Philippine Turtles 
135 
Variation. — A very young specimen, measuring 105 millimeters 
to end of carapace, is dark blackish brown to black; tips of 
marginals and outer edges of legs yellowish; plastron black; 
body skin blackish; scutes of head, carapace, and plastron iden- 
tical with those of the described specimen. A carapace in the 
Bureau of Science collection measures 395 millimeters. There 
are three specimens living in the Bureau of Science aquarium. 
Remarks. — The turtle here described appears to be of the 
species figured by Stejneger under the name Eretmochelys 
imbricata. Between Stejneger’s drawing and the described 
specimen in the Bureau of Science collection there is no ap- 
preciable difference. 
Genus CAKETTA Rafinesque 
Caretta Rafinesque, Specchio Sci. Palermo 2 (1814) 66. 
Thalassochelys Fitzinger, Ann. Wien Mus. 1 (1835) 121. 
Caouana Cocteau in Sagra’s Hist. Fis. Pol. Nat. Cuba, Kept. 4 
(1838) 31. 
Marine turtles with paddle-shaped legs; two pairs of pre- 
f rontals present ; five or more pairs of costa,l shields ; shields on 
back not imbricate. 
Caretta olivacea (Eschscholtz) . Plate 6, figs. 1 and 2. 
Chelonia olivacea Eschscholtz, Zool. Atlas 1 (1829) pi. 3 (Manila 
Bay). 
Caouana olivacea Gray, Cat. Tort. (1844) 53 (Philippines) ; Gunther, 
Kept. Brit. India (1864) 52 (seas of Philippines). 
Caretta olivacea Garman, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard Coll. 52 
(1908) 9. 
Thalassochelys olivacea Boettger, Ber. Senck. Nat. Ges. (1886) 93. 
' Thalassochelys caretta Casto de Elera, Cat. Fauna Filipinas 1 (1895) 
404 (Manila Bay). 
Description of species. — (From a specimen living in the Bu- 
reau of Science aquarium.) Anterior pair of prefrontals dis- 
tinctly smaller than second pair ; a small, rather elongate azygous 
prefrontal between the two supra-oculars ; frontal large, much 
wider than long, follov/ed by four parietals; a large temporal 
(or parietal) element follows supra-ocular shield and borders 
frontal and outer parietal ; three postocular shields, upper 
smallest, middle largest, lower elongate ; postoculars bordered by 
four temporals, second from top largest; a distinct median keel 
on carapace, more prominent posteriorly; six pairs of costals; 
nuchal divided; six vertebral shields, fifth very small; thirteen 
marginals on each side; two supracaudals ; plastron normal; 
“Report U. S. Nat. Mus. for 1902 (1904) 718, figs. 193-197. 
