Deirochelys
Deirochelys is a genus of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae, the pond and marsh turtles. It contains one extant species, the chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia), which is native to the southeastern United States. A second extinct member, Deirochelys carri, is known from a fossil found in Alachua County, Florida. The genus was first described by Louis Agassiz in 1857, and its name is derived from the Ancient Greek words for "neck" (deirḗ) and "tortoise" (khélūs), referring to the particularly long necks of these turtles.
| Deirochelys | |
|---|---|
| Chicken turtle (D. reticularia) basking | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Emydidae |
| Subfamily: | Deirochelyinae |
| Genus: | Deirochelys Agassiz, 1857 |
| Type species | |
| Deirochelys reticularia Latreille, 1801 | |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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