NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rio Magdalena River Turtle
Podocnemis lewyana Duméril, 1852
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 Magdalena River turtle or Rio Magdalena river turtle (Podocnemis lewyana) is a species of turtle in the family Podocnemididae, which diverged from other turtles in the Cretaceous Period, 100 million years ago. It is endemic to northern Colombia, where its home range consists of the Sinú, San Jorge, Cauca, and Magdalena river basins.
The species has been classified as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN in 2015 and is considered the most threatened species of the family Podocnemididae. In less than 25 years, the species exhibited a population decline of over 80%. The decline is attributed to habitat destruction, pollution, over-harvest, commercial exploitation, hydrological changes due to electrical generation facilities, and climate change. While early conservation attempts were unsuccessful or unenforced, there has been a resurgence in studies aimed at discovering the most effective approaches.
Wikipedia contributors, Magdalena River turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:43:45.052697+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Podocnemis lewyana Duméril, 1852
- Name authority
- Duméril, 1852
- Common name
- Rio Magdalena 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 lewyana Duméril, 1852
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 |
| Amazon River TurtlePodocnemis sextuberculata Cornalia, 1849 | PodocnemididaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arrau River TurtlePodocnemis expansa (Schweigger, 1812) | 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 |
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=lewyana 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:4KQGB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.