Hydromedusa Temporal range: Paleocene-Recent
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Argentine snake-necked turtle, Hydromedusa tectifera | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Testudines |
Suborder: | Pleurodira |
Family: | Chelidae |
Subfamily: | Hydromedusinae |
Genus: | Hydromedusa Wagler 1830 |
Hydromedusa, commonly known as the South American snake-necked turtles, is a genus of turtles in the family Chelidae. They are quite closely related to the South American side-necked swamp turtles (Acanthochelys) and the snake-necked turtles of the Australian-Melanesian region (Chelodina), but less closely to the spine-necked river turtles of South America (Podocnemididae) which belong to a more modern lineage of Pleurodira.