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Reptilia    Testudines    Cheloniidae  

Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766)

Current SSAR Comments:
Bowen and Karl (2007, Molecular Ecology 16: 4886–4907) reviewed population genetics and phylogeography of marine turtles and while they noted mtDNA divergence between Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Eretmochelys imbricata, they recognized not taxa below the species level. Gaos et al. (2016, Ecology and Evolution 6: 1251–1264) suggested that Eastern Pacific E. imbricata are more closely related to those from the Indo-Pacific than those in the Atlantic. However, they made no taxonomic recommendations affecting the currently recognized subspecies. Rhodin et al. (2021, Chelonian Research Monographs (8): 1–472) recognized no subspecies, treating E. i. bissa (Rüppell, 1835) as a synonym of E. imbricata.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.12.11.20.57.36)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 2.34 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Hawk's-bill Turtle (Testudo imbricata: Gmelin, Johann F. 1788. Caroli a Linné. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tom. I. Pars III. [Charles from Linnaeus. The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places. Volume 1. Part 3.] Impensis Georg Emanuel Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig], Germany. 1035pp.); Scaley Tortoise (Testudo imbricata: Gmelin, Johann F. 1788. Caroli a Linné. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tom. I. Pars III. [Charles from Linnaeus. The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species, with characters, differences, synonyms, places. Volume 1. Part 3.] Impensis Georg Emanuel Beer, Lipsiae [Leipzig], Germany. 1035pp.); Imbricated Turtle (Testudo imbricata: Shaw, George. 1802. General zoology or systematic natural history. Volume 3. G. Kearsley, London, U. K.. 615pp.); Imbricated Turtle (Chelonia imbricata: 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.); Imbricated Turtle (Testudo imbricata: 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.); Tortoise-shell Turtle (Chelonia imbricata: 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.); Caret (Caretta imbricata: 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.); Hawk's-bill Turtle (Chelonia imbricata: 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.); Atlantic Hawk's-bill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata: 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 Hawk's-bill Turtle (Eretomochelys squamata: 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); Tortoise-shell Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata: Davis, N. S. Jr. and Frank L. Rice. 1883. Descriptive catalogue of North American batrachia and reptilia, found east of Mississippi River. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 1(5):71); Pacific Tortoise-shell Turtle (Eretomochelys squamosa: 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.); Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Atlantic Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Pacific Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata squamata: 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:
1766 Linné, Carl von (=Linneaus). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species with characters, differences, synonyms, places. Volume I.] Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, Holmiae, Editio duodecima, reformata (12th Edition). 1-532pp.
1766 Linné, Carl von (=Linneaus). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. [The system of nature through the three kingdoms of nature, according to classes, orders, genera, species with characters, differences, synonyms, places. Volume I.] Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, Holmiae, Editio duodecima, reformata (12th Edition). 1-532pp.
1835 Rüppell, Eduard. Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehörig. Amphibien. [New vertebrates belonging to the fauna of Abyssinia. Amphibians.] Siegmund Schmerber, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. 1-18pp.
2007 Bowen, B. W. and S. A. Karl. Population genetics and phylogeography of sea turtles. Molecular Ecology 16(23):4886-4907
2016 Gaos, A. R., R. L. Lewiston, M. J. Lieles, V. Gadea, E. Altamirano, A. V. Heriquez, P. Torres, J. Urteaga, F. Vallejo, A. Baquero, C. LeMarie, J. P. Munoz, J. A. Chaves, C. E. Hart, A. Pena de Niz, D. Chacon, L. Fonseca, S. Otterstrom, I. L. Yanez, E. L. LaCasella, A. Frey, M. P. Jensen, and P. H. Dutton. Hawksbill turtle terra incognita: Conservation Genetics of eastern Pacific rookeries. Ecology and Evolution 6():1251-1264
2021 Rhodin, Anders G. J., John B. Iverson, Roger Bour, Uwe Fritz, Arthur Georges, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Peter Paul van Dijk. 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 (8):1-472

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 02:19 CT