East African black mud turtle

Pelusios subniger

The East African black mud turtle is a species of turtles in the Pelomedusidae family, traditionally found in eastern and southeastern Africa, including Madagascar. Nonindigenous populations exist on Mauritius Island, Glorieues Îsles, and Diego Garcia. This species is commonly confused with ''Pelusios castaneus''.
Hinged_Terrapin-Punda_Maria East African black mud turtle,Geotagged,Pelusios subniger,South Africa,Spring

Appearance

The East African black mud turtle has a smooth, domed carapace with a length of 5.1-7.9 inches. The carapace is typically dark brown, gray, or black, often with yellow markings on the margins. The plastron is hinged, and can be brown, grey, black, or yellow. The upper jaw has a blunt unnotched, nonbucuspid tomium. The head of an adult is generally uniform in color, never vermiculated. Like all side-necked turtles, the neck retracts sideways.

Naming

*''P. s. subniger''　Bonnaterre, 1789 - 　type species
⤷ ''P. s. parietalis''　Bour, 1983 -　Seychelles black mud turtle

References:

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Status: Unknown
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderTestudines
FamilyPelomedusidae
GenusPelusios
SpeciesP. subniger
Photographed in
South Africa