NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Gibba (Toadhead) Turtle
Mesoclemmys gibba (Schweigger, 1812)
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
Mesoclemmys gibba, known as the toadhead turtle or gibba turtle, is a small side necked turtle found in a wide area of South America, in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, Surinam, Paraguay, and parts of Brazil.
Wikipedia contributors, Mesoclemmys gibba; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:30:06.973241+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mesoclemmys gibba (Schweigger, 1812)
- Name authority
- (Schweigger, 1812)
- Common name
- Gibba (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 gibba (Schweigger, 1812)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dahl’s Toadhead TurtleMesoclemmys dahli (Zangerl & Medem, 1958) | ChelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| 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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Platemys miliusii Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Duméril & Bibron, 1835 | synonym |
| Emys gibba Schweigger, 1812 Schweigger, 1812 | synonym |
| Hydraspis bicolor Gray, 1873 Gray, 1873 | synonym |
| Hydraspis gordoni Gray, 1868 Gray, 1868 | 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=gibba 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:4232Y. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.