THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Reptilia    Testudines    Cheloniidae  

Green Sea Turtle
Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758)

Current SSAR Comments:
Okamoto and Kamezaki (2014, Current Herpetology 33: 46–56) demonstrated the presence of two phenotypes and argued that one form represented Chelonia agassizii. Rhodin et al. (2021, Chelonian Research Monographs (8): 1–472) considered C. agassizii to be a synonym of C. mydas. Naro-Maciel et al. (2014, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 461: 306–316) revealed a barrier to dispersal between the northern and southern Atlantic populations but made no taxonomic recommendations.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.12.11.21.44.29)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 11.11 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Green Turtle (Testudo marina viridis: Catesby, Mark. 1754. The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands: Containing the Figures of Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects, and Plants: Particularly the Forest-trees, Shrubs, and other Plants, not Hitherto Described, or Very Incorrectly Figured by Authors. Together with Their Descriptions in English and French. To which, are Added Observations on the Air, Soil, and Waters: with Remarks upon Agriculture, Grain, Pulse, Roots, &c. To the Whole, is Prefixed a New and Correct Map of the Countries Treated of. , London. pp.); Green Tortoise (Testudo mydas: Forster, John R. 1771. A systematic catalogue of all the known plants of English North-America or, a flora Americae Septentrionalis. Pages in From Forster's translation of Bossu, Travels through that part of North America formerly called Louisiana, Vol. 1. T. Davies, London, England. pp.); Green Turtle (Testudo mydas: Pennant, Thomas. 1785. Artic Zoology. Henry Hughs, London. pp.); Green Tortoise (Testudo mydas: Pennant, Thomas. 1785. Artic Zoology. Henry Hughs, London. pp.); Green Turtle (Testudo mydas: Shaw, George. 1802. General zoology or systematic natural history. Volume 3. G. Kearsley, London, U. K.. 615pp.); Common Green Turtle (Testudo mydas: Shaw, George. 1802. General zoology or systematic natural history. Volume 3. G. Kearsley, London, U. K.. 615pp.); Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas: Gray, John E. 1830. A synopsis of the species of the class reptilia. Pages 1-110 in The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization by the Baron Cuvier, member of teh Institute of France, with Additional Descriptions of all the Species Hitherto Named, and of many not before noticed. Ninth Volume. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London, England. pp.); Green Turtle (Testudo mydas: Griffith, Edward and Edward Pidgeon. 1831. The class reptilia arranged by the Baron Cuvier, with specific descriptions. Part 2. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London. 1-481pp.); Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Carey (Chelonia virgata: Gray, John E. 1856. Catalogue of shield reptiles in the collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises). Taylor and Francis, London, England. 79pp.); Green Turtle (Chelonia viridis: Gray, John E. 1856. Catalogue of shield reptiles in the collection of the British Museum. Part I. Testudinata (Tortoises). Taylor and Francis, London, England. 79pp.); Edible Turtle (Chelonia viridis: Royal College of Surgeons of England. 1859. Descriptive catalogue of the specimens of natural history in spirit contained in the Museum of the Royal college of surgeons of England. Vertebrata: Pisces, Reptilia, Aves, Mammalia. Taylor and Francis, London, England. pp.); Green Turtle (Chelonia viridis: Royal College of Surgeons of England. 1859. Descriptive catalogue of the specimens of natural history in spirit contained in the Museum of the Royal college of surgeons of England. Vertebrata: Pisces, Reptilia, Aves, Mammalia. Taylor and Francis, London, England. pp.); Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas: Yarrow, Henry C. 1876. List of Skeletons and Crania in the Section of Comparative Anatomy of the United States Army Medical Museum for use during the International Exhibition of 1876 in Connection with the Representation of the Medical Department U.S. Army. Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C. pp.); Atlantic Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia virgata: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Green Sea Turtle (Chelone mydas: Brimley, Clement S. 1915. List of reptiles and amphibians of North Carolina. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 30(4):195-206); Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia agassizii: Van Denburgh, John. 1922. The Reptiles of Western North America: An Account of the Species Known to Inhabit California and Oregon, Washinton, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, British Columbia, Sonora, and Lower California. Volume I. Lizards. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. 556pp.); Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); East Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas agassizi: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Atlantic Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas mydas: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Pertinent LIterature:
1758 Linné, Carl von (=Linneaus). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. [System of Nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species with characters, differences, synonyms, places.] 10th Edition, Volume 1, L. Salvius, Stockholm. iv + 826pp.
2014 Okamoto, K. and N. Kamezaki. Morphological variation in Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758) from the coastal waters of Japan, with special reference to the turtles allied to Chelonia mydas agassizii Bocourt, 1868. Current Herpetology 33():46-56.
2014 Naro-Maciel, E., B. N. Reid, S. E. Alter, G. Amato, K. A. Bjorndal, A. B. Bolten, M. Martin, C. J. Nairn, B. Shamblin, and O. Pineda-Catalan. From refugia to rookeries: Phylogeography of Atlantic green turtles. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 461():306-316

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 02:27 CT