Chelydra floridana (Hay, 1907:847)
Giant Florida snapping turtle
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Macrochelys floridana Hay, 1907:847 (basionym)
The taxonomic validity of Hay's (1907) Macrochelys floridana is disputed (Auffenberg, 1957; Thomas et al., 2014; but see Joyce, 2016:45). Although modern workers are in agreement that it belongs in Chelydra (Thomas et al., 2014; Joyce, 2016).
Conservation Status
Extinct (Thomas et al., 2014) or Invalid (synonym of C. serpentina) (Joyce, 2016:45)
Last record: Pleistocene (Hay, 1907; Thomas et al., 2014; Joyce, 2016)
Distribution
Florida, USA
Type locality: Hillsborough County, Florida, USA (Hay, 1907)
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Hay, O. P. (1907). Description of seven new species of turtles from the Tertiary of the United States. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 23: 847-863.
Other references:
Auffenberg, Walter. (1957). The status of the turtle Macroclemys floridana Hay. Herpetologica 13(2): 123-126.
Joyce, Walter G. (2016). A review of the fossil record of turtles of the clade Pan-Chelydridae. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 57(1): 21-56.
Thomas, T. M. et al. (2014). Taxonomic assessment of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae: Macrochelys), with the description of two new species from the southeastern United States. Zootaxa 3786(2): 141-165.
Turtle Extinctions Working Group et al. (2015). Turtles and Tortoises of the World During the Rise and Global Spread of Humanity: First Checklist and Review of Extinct Pleistocene and Holocene Chelonians. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5: 1-66.