Chelonological Contributions

The inclusion of osteological characters as an essential component of the diagnosability of Australasian chelid turtles on a species level has taken on a higher priority in the last three decades. Genetic and morphological investigations continue to reveal a significantly enriched level of turtle species biodiversity in Australia and New Guinea than previously suspected. One of the characters involves that of the plastral scar and

Numerous fossil Mesozoic and Cenozoic turtle taxa of the cryptodiran lineages, including Paracryptodira and Eucryptodira, are characterized by series of inframarginal scutation of the lateral plastron. In extant representatives of the subordinal turtle lineages, inframarginal scutes are again most marked in cryptodires among which some retain full series of inframarginals, including sea turtles of the family Cheloniidae, the riverine Dermatemyidae and the semi-terrestrial Platysternidae. Amongst

The Pleurodiran turtle family Pelomedusidae includes only two extant but speciose genera, Pelusios and Pelomedusa, both of which also succeed fossil record taxa with moderate representation. The Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Yale Peabody Museum, located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America, currently houses 68 specimens of recent pelomedusid turtle. Here we review and describe the specimens comprising this collection and correct several species