NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Dahl’s Toadhead Turtle
Mesoclemmys dahli (Zangerl & Medem, 1958)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Dahl's toad-headed turtle (Mesoclemmys dahli) is a medium-sized species of side-necked turtle in the family Chelidae. This critically endangered freshwater turtle is endemic to northern Colombia, where it lives in small pools, streams, and swamps, but aestivates on land.
Wikipedia contributors, Dahl's toad-headed turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:05:56.193387+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mesoclemmys dahli (Zangerl & Medem, 1958)
- Name authority
- (Zangerl & Medem, 1958)
- Common name
- Dahl’s Toadhead Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Chelidae
- Genus
- Mesoclemmys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderPleurodira Cope, 1864
- superfamilyCheloidea Gray, 1825
- familyChelidae
- genusMesoclemmys
- speciesMesoclemmys dahli (Zangerl & Medem, 1958)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mesoclemmys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Brasilianische KrötenkopfschildkröteMesoclemmys perplexa Bour & Zaher, 2005 | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tuberculate Toadhead TurtleMesoclemmys tuberculata (Luederwaldt, 1926) | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Vanderhaege’s Toadhead TurtleMesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Bour, 1973) | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gibba (Toadhead) TurtleMesoclemmys gibba (Schweigger, 1812) | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Common Toadheaded TurtleMesoclemmys nasuta (Schweigger, 1812) | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Amazon Toadhead Turtle [heliostemma]Mesoclemmys raniceps (Gray, 1856) | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Zulia Toadhead TurtleMesoclemmys zuliae (Pritchard & Trebbau, 1984) | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Phrynops (Batrachemys) dahli Zangerl & Medem, 1958 Zangerl & Medem, 1958 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Mesoclemmys&species=dahli Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4232X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.