NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Arrau River Turtle
Podocnemis expansa (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
The Arrau turtle (Podocnemis expansa), also known as the South American river turtle, giant South American turtle, giant Amazon River turtle, Arrau sideneck turtle, Amazon River turtle or simply the Arrau, is the largest of the side-neck turtles (Pleurodira) and the largest freshwater turtle in Latin America. The species primarily feeds on plant material and typically nests in large groups on beaches. Due to hunting of adults, collecting of their eggs, pollution, habitat loss, and dams, the Arrau turtle is seriously threatened.
Wikipedia contributors, Arrau turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:13:35.121806+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Podocnemis expansa (Schweigger, 1812)
- Name authority
- (Schweigger, 1812)
- Common name
- Arrau River Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Podocnemididae
- Genus
- Podocnemis
- 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
- superfamilyPelomedusoidea Cope, 1868
- familyPodocnemididae
- genusPodocnemis
- speciesPodocnemis expansa (Schweigger, 1812)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Podocnemis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Red-headed Amazon Side-necked TurtlePodocnemis erythrocephala (Spix, 1824) | PodocnemididaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rio Magdalena River TurtlePodocnemis lewyana Duméril, 1852 | PodocnemididaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Amazon River TurtlePodocnemis sextuberculata Cornalia, 1849 | PodocnemididaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yellow-spotted Amazon River TurtlePodocnemis unifilis Troschel, 1848 | PodocnemididaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Savanna Side-necked TurtlePodocnemis vogli Müller, 1935 | PodocnemididaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Emys amazonica Spix, 1824 Spix, 1824 | synonym |
| Emys arrau Schinz, 1833 Schinz, 1833 | synonym |
| Emys expansa Schweigger, 1812 Schweigger, 1812 | 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=Podocnemis&species=expansa 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:4KQG8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.