.::::: Turtles of the World - Dermochelyidae - Dermochelys :::::.
Last update: 24 December, 2003

This is the worlds largest turtle, the leatherback. It has a wide distribution in most oceans. We follow the opinion that no subspecies should be considered valid for this species.
Dermochelys Blainville, 1816
(Type = Testudo coriacea Vandelli, 1761)
Sphargis Merrem, 1820
(Type = Sphaergis mercurialis Merrem, 1820)
Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761)
Chelonia lutaria Rafinesque, 1814
Demochelis atlantica Lesueur, 1829 Nomen nudum
Dermochelys coriacea coriacea (Vandelli, 1761)
Dermochelys coriacea schlegelii (Garman, 1884)
Dermochelys porcata Wagler, 1830
Sparghis angusta Philippi, 1899
Sphargis coriacea (Vandelli, 1761)
Sphargis coriacea var. schlegelii Garman, 1884
Sphargis mercurialis Merrem, 1820
Testudo arcuata Catesby, 1771
Testudo coriacea Vandelli, 1761
Testudo lyra Lacépède, 1788
Testudo tuberculata Pennant, 1801
Distribution (only countries with nesting): Antigua, Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadalupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, Nevis, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent, St. Thomas, South Africa, Surinam, Tobago, Trinidad, U.S. Virgin Islands, USA and Venezuela.
Literature
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