taxonID	type	description	language	source
CB02879FF930FFC9FF74F9D4FBE7FBB9.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Medium-sized, light-coloured helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 21.6 cm (Gasperetti et al. 1993). Pectorals with narrow to broad midseam contact. Two small temporal scales (rarely only one large scale) on each side of head. Two or three large to very large barbels under chin. In adults, carapace light coloured, plastron entirely yellow. Pelomedusa barbata differs from all other Pelomedusa species by a gap instead of adenine (A), cytosine (C) or thymine (T) at position 122 and by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 330 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF930FFC9FF74F9D4FBE7FBB9.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: Museum für Tierkunde, Senckenberg Dresden (MTD D 24637, male, Zinjibar, Abyan, Yemen, N 13 ° 7.75 E 45 ° 22.81; leg. W. Wranik, 3 June 1985; Fig. 3 top).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF930FFC9FF74F9D4FBE7FBB9.taxon	description	Description of the holotype: Straight carapacial length 12.3 cm, plastral length 10.4 cm. Pectoral scutes triangular and in narrow contact at the midline. Temporal scale divided on left side, undivided on right side of head. Two large barbels below chin. Carapace horn-coloured, plastron yellow with sparse grey mottling. Dorsal side of soft parts grey to horn-coloured, ventral side cream-coloured with a yellow tinge. Tail long. Paratypes: Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle Genève (MNHG 2310.062, adult male, Al Sukhna, Yemen; MNHG 2455.073 – 075, adult male and two juveniles, Wadi Warazan, Lahij, Yemen); Museum für Tierkunde, Senckenberg Dresden (MTD D 24638, adult female, Lahij, Yemen); The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH 1985.1475, mummified adult, Al Kadan, Tihama, Al Hudaydah, Yemen; BMNH 1985.1478 – 1479, adult male and female, Amanat Al Asimah, Sana’a Area, Yemen); Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn (ZFMK 87122, juvenile, Asir Region, Saudi Arabia).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF930FFC9FF74F9D4FBE7FBB9.taxon	etymology	Derivatio nominis: The scientific name (Latin: bearded) refers to the large barbels beneath the chin of the new species.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF930FFC9FF74F9D4FBE7FBB9.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Southwestern Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Yemen; Gasperetti et al. 1993; Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010; Wong et al. 2010).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF930FFC9FF74F9D4FBE7FBB9.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Pelomedusa barbata corresponds to mtDNA lineage VII of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). According to our analyses of mtDNA, P. barbata belongs to the northern species group of Pelomedusa and is most closely related to P. somalica (Fig. 1). Gasperetti et al. (1993) mention that they have studied helmeted terrapins from southwestern Arabia that “ more or less encompass all of the plastral variations ” described for Pelomedusa and “ all of the colour descriptions, from the lightest tan colour to almost black ”. However, their figures show only terrapins with pectoral scutes in contact, matching our observations. We never encountered dark coloured Arabian terrapins. Pelomedusa barbata is the only chelonian species endemic to the Arabian Peninsula. Due to the paucity of local freshwater habitats, P. barbata should be regarded as an endangered species.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93EFFCBFF74FBE1FDC5F9CA.taxon	description	1935 Pelomedusa galeata orangensis Hewitt — Type locality: Kimberley neighbourhood (?), Northern Cape, South Africa; holotype: McGregor Museum, Kimberley, lost (Fig. 4 of Plate XXXII in Hewitt 1935)	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93EFFCBFF74FBE1FDC5F9CA.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Large-sized, often dark-coloured helmeted terrapins with an exceptional maximum straight carapacial length of 32.5 cm (Hewitt 1935, discussed in Branch et al. 1990). However, the normal shell length of adult terrapins is around 26 cm. Pectoral scutes always with broad or very broad contact at plastral midseam. In approximately 50 % of all terrapins two small temporal scales present on each side of head, the others having one large undivided temporal scale. Two small barbels below chin. Soft parts dorsally darker than ventrally. Carapace and plastron of adults often mainly or entirely dark. However, in the western and northwestern parts of the range adults may be light-coloured with mainly or entirely yellow plastra. Pelomedusa galeata differs from all other Pelomedusa species except P. subrufa sensu stricto by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of adenine (A) or guanine (G) at position 148, by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 159, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 167, and by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) or thymine (T) at position 343 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information). In addition, P. galeata differs from all other Pelomedusa species except P. subrufa sensu stricto (and possibly P. gehafie, P. kobe and candidate species B, in which the respective character states are unknown) by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at position 26 and by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 38. Pelomedusa galeata differs from P. subrufa sensu stricto by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at positions 60 and 191, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at positions 117 and 298, by the presence of adenine (A) instead of thymine (T) at position 169, by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at positions 180 and 233, by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at positions 223, 226 and 296, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of adenine (A) at position 280, and by the presence of guanine (G) instead of thymine (T) or cytosine (C) at position 289.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93EFFCBFF74FBE1FDC5F9CA.taxon	distribution	Distribution: South Africa (Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Northern Cape, Western Cape; Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010; Fritz et al. 2014; this study).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93EFFCBFF74FBE1FDC5F9CA.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Pelomedusa galeata corresponds to mtDNA lineage IX of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). It is one of the two southern species of Pelomedusa which constitute together a weakly supported clade based on phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA (Fig. 1). According to phylogenetic analyses, P. galeata is composed of three distinct clades, one being represented by many samples from most of South Africa and two represented by only one and three samples, respectively (Fig. 1). However, the clade represented by only one sample (MTD T 5484, Swellendam District, Western Cape) is questionable. For MTD T 5484 are cyt b and ND 4 sequences available, published in Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). The cyt b sequence is identical with or closely resembles those of the widely distributed South African clade. The ND 4 sequence is highly distinct and identical to the ND 4 sequence of another sample from the same province (MTD T 5897, Chelance, Western Cape), which is placed together with two other samples in the second small clade. Thus, it is evident that the distinct phylogenetic position of MTD T 5484 is an artefact caused by erroneously concatenated cyt b and ND 4 sequences of two different terrapins. Yet, if MTD T 5484 is disregarded, there still remain two deeply divergent clades within P. galeata which are unambiguous. Their average uncorrected p distances for the 12 S gene (1.79 %) and the cyt b gene (7.50 %) are pronounced and suggest taxonomic distinctness (cf. Tables 1 and 3). The remaining small clade is represented only by two samples from the Northern and Western Cape provinces and by the lectotype of Pentonyx capensis Duméril & Bibron, 1835, lacking an exact geographical provenance. The sequences from the Northern and Western Cape correspond to topotypic material of Testudo galeata Schoepff, 1792 and to the holotype of Pelomedusa galeata devilliersi Hewitt, 1935 (Fritz et al. 2014). The widely distributed second clade contains, besides fresh material, also sequences of the types of Pelomedusa nigra Gray, 1863 (Fritz et al. 2014) and of a terrapin from the Western Cape (MTD T 10511, Groenfontein near Calitzdorp; Table S 1). MTD T 10511 can also be considered topotypic for Testudo galeata Schoepff, 1792. Because topotypes of Testudo galeata Schoepff, 1792 are represented in both clades, the situation is nomenclaturally intricate. Moreover, the rarity of material of the small clade does not allow a morphological assessment of the situation. Therefore, we feel it is prudent to recognize for the moment only one species from South Africa, pending further study. Unlike P. subrufa and some northern Pelomedusa species (see below), P. galeata is not parasitized by monogenean flatworms of the genus Polystomoides (Polystomatidae). These flatworms are generally found in the urinary bladder, cloaca, eye cavity, nose, mouth and pharynx of terrapins (Morrison & Du Preez 2011). They are known to be site-specific, and more than one species can be found in a single host species (Du Preez & Lim 2000). However, more than 200 Pelomedusa galeata from localities throughout its known geographical range were screened for the presence of polystomatids but none were found (Du Preez, unpubl.), indicating that this species is not susceptible to these parasites.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93CFFCCFF74F97FFF3DFAEA.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Medium-sized, light-coloured helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 17.8 cm. Pectoral scutes triangular and in adults widely separated from plastral midseam (in hatchlings the tips of the triangular pectorals may meet at the plastral midseam). One large undivided temporal scale on each side of head. Two small barbels under chin. Carapace unpatterned light coloured. Plastron in adults completely yellow. Pelomedusa gehafie differs from all other Pelomedusa species except P. schweinfurthi and P. somalica by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 256 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information). Pelomedusa gehafie differs from P. schweinfurthi and P. somalica by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at positions 125, 267, 287 and 345, by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at position 180, by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 223, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 236, and by the presence of adenine (A) instead of cytosine (C) or thymine (T) at position 268. Furthermore, P. gehafie differs from P. schweinfurthi by the presence of cytosine (C) or guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 147, by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at positions 148 and 297, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of adenine (A) at positions 166, 191 and 303, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at positions 266 and 326, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 279, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of a gap at position 298, and by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 305. In addition to the above mentioned characters, P. gehafie differs from P. somalica by the presence of adenine (A) instead of thymine (T) at position 94, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at positions 95, 122 and 131, by the presence of adenine (A) instead of cytosine (C) at position 123, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at position 124, and by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at position 332.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93CFFCCFF74F97FFF3DFAEA.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Genetically verified specimens of P. gehafie are only known from the type locality in Eritrea and from a second questionable site (Gebel Arary, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, NMW 24448). The latter locality could to be identified with Jabal Karari, Omdurman near Khartoum, Sudan, because the specimen originates from Joseph Russegger (18 November 1802 – 20 June 1863), who is known to have collected near Khartoum. We tentatively identify therefore Gebel Arary with Jabal Karari and show this site in our map (Fig. 2) with a question mark. In the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, there is a further genetically verified and morphologically typical specimen originating in “ Abyssinia ” (ZMB 15693, coll. W. Jesse).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93CFFCCFF74F97FFF3DFAEA.taxon	discussion	Remarks: This is a morphologically distinctive species (cf. the figures in Fritz et al. 2014 and this study). Pelomedusa gehafie corresponds to mtDNA lineage X of Fritz et al. (2014). It belongs to the northern species group of Pelomedusa, which is well supported in phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA. These reveal that the East African species P. neumanni and P. kobe are closely related to P. gehafie (Fig. 1). These two species are morphologically easy to tell apart from P. gehafie. Adults of P. gehafie consistently have triangular pectoral scutes not reaching the plastral midseam, whereas the pectorals in the two other species are always in contact in the midline.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93BFFCEFF74FA22FA54FE12.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Medium-sized to, perhaps, large-sized helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 15.9 cm. Pectoral scutes rectangular with wide midseam contact or triangular with narrow midseam contact. Normally one large undivided temporal head scale present. Two, rarely three, small barbels under chin. Larger specimens with chestnut carapace and yellow plastron with darker elements along the distal seams; soft parts ventrally lighter than dorsally. Pelomedusa kobe differs from all other Pelomedusa species except P. gehafie, P. subrufa sensu stricto and candidate species B by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 223 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information). Pelomedusa kobe differs from these three species by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 188 and from the individual species as shown in Table 5.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93BFFCEFF74FA22FA54FE12.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM 334 / 1978: 1, juvenile, Naberera, Manyara, Tanzania, S 4 ° 11.66 E 36 ° 55.74; leg. J. Popp, 16 July 1960; Fig. 3 bottom).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93BFFCEFF74FA22FA54FE12.taxon	description	Description of the holotype: Straight carapacial length 7.5 cm, plastral length 6.5 cm. Pectoral scutes with wide midseam contact. One large undivided temporal scale on each side of head. Two small barbels under chin. Carapace chestnut; plastron yellow with some darker elements concentrated along the seams; gulars, intergular and anals mostly dark. Soft parts dorsally greenish brown, ventrally ochre. Paratypes: Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB 11741, female, Pumbo creek, Monda / Unguru, Morogoro, Tanzania; ZMB 11742, juvenile, Tabora, Tanzania); Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM 285 / 1937: 1 – 3, male and two juveniles, Tanganyika; ZSM 334 / 1978: 2, hatchling, same data as holotype; ZSM 96 / 1960: 1 – 5, two hatchlings and three juveniles, same data as holotype).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93BFFCEFF74FA22FA54FE12.taxon	etymology	Derivatio nominis: The species name kobe is the Swahili word for terrapin. It is used as a noun in apposition (ICZN 1999: Art. 31.1).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93BFFCEFF74FA22FA54FE12.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Only known from Tanzania, where it occurs in the Arusha region in close proximity to, or in sympatry with, P. neumanni and P. subrufa.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF93BFFCEFF74FA22FA54FE12.taxon	discussion	Remarks: The genetic lineage corresponding to P. kobe was previously unknown. Pelomedusa kobe belongs to the northern species group of Pelomedusa and is related to P. gehafie and P. neumanni (Fig. 1). Pelomedusa kobe most likely reaches a much larger size than c. 16 cm because the largest type specimens still have wide fresh growth rings. One of the paratypes (ZMB 11742) has the temporal scales on each side of the head divided into two smaller scales, whilst all other types have large undivided temporal scales. Hatchlings of P. kobe have conspicuous light horn-coloured shell margins. The paratype ZSM 96 / 1960: 1 has three barbels under the chin.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF939FFD0FF74FE47FDFDFE4A.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Medium-sized helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 19.4 cm. Pectoral scutes rectangular with wide midseam contact. One large undivided temporal head scale. Two small barbels under chin. Colouration variable; specimens with light horn-coloured carapace and completely yellow plastron and individuals with brownish plastron known to occur; soft parts ventrally lighter than dorsally. Pelomedusa neumanni differs from all other Pelomedusa species except possibly P. gehafie, P. kobe and candidate species B (in which the respective character states are unknown) by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at position 57, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) or guanine (G) at position 349, and by the presence of adenine (A) instead of cytosine (C) or guanine (G) at position 353 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information). Pelomedusa neumanni differs from P. gehafie, P. kobe and candidate species B by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at position 116, by the presence of adenine (A) or thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) or guanine (G) at position 147, and by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at position 223. In addition, P. neumanni differs from P. gehafie by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at position 256, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of adenine (A) at position 268, and by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 345. Pelomedusa neumanni differs from P. kobe by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 298. Pelomedusa neumanni differs from candidate species B by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at positions 103, 268 and 274, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at positions 109, 125, 152, 287 and 326, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of adenine (A) at positions 122, 166 and 303, by a gap instead of thymine (T) at positions 126 and 168, by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at positions 148, 154, 180 and 223, and by the presence of thymine (T) instead of adenine (A) at position 302.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF939FFD0FF74FE47FDFDFE4A.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: National Museum Prague (NMP 6 V 74974, adult male, Kakamega, Kenya, N 0 ° 17.04 E 34 ° 44.52; leg. P. Široký, 11 September 2003; Fig. 4 top).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF939FFD0FF74FE47FDFDFE4A.taxon	description	Description of the holotype: Dry shell plus head in ethanol. Straight carapacial length 16.6 cm, plastral length 14.9 cm. Carapace wide, dark brown, in dorsal view with pronounced waist. Epidermal scutes of vertebral 2 – 4 missing, anterior carapacial margin slightly mutilated. Plastron dark coloured; pectoral scutes with midseam contact. Head dorsally dark coloured; throat yellowish, two small barbels under chin. Paratypes: Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB 28356, hatchling, Mangara River, Manyara, Tanzania); Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NMW 24452, male, Lake Victoria); Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn (ZFMK 81951, hatchling, Kakamega Forest, Kenya).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF939FFD0FF74FE47FDFDFE4A.taxon	etymology	Derivatio nominis: We dedicate this new species to Oscar Neumann (3 September 1867 – 17 May 1946) who undertook in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries influential expeditions to East Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Neumann worked voluntarily for over 40 years in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, but was forced by the Nazi government to leave Germany in 1941.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF939FFD0FF74FE47FDFDFE4A.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Kenya (Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010) and Tanzania (this study). The genetically verified paratype ZMB 28356, collected by Oscar Neumann in the late 19 th century in present-day Tanzania, provides evidence for the occurrence of P. neumanni in close proximity to genetically verified records of P. kobe and P. subrufa.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF939FFD0FF74FE47FDFDFE4A.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Pelomedusa neumanni corresponds to mtDNA lineage V of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). According to our phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA sequences, P. neumanni belongs to the northern species group of Pelomedusa. Pelomedusa neumanni is phylogenetically most closely related to P. gehafie and P. kobe. However, the sister group relationships within the clade comprising these three species are not well resolved (Fig. 1). The ranges of P. neumanni, P. kobe and P. subrufa abut or overlap in the East African savannah. To avoid taxonomic misidentifications, we included only genetically verified museum specimens in our type series. However, it should be noted that all 18 specimens from Kenya we studied have pectoral scutes in wide midline contact. For the monogenean flatworm Polystomoides chabaudi possibly parasitizing Pelomedusa neumanni, see below under P. subrufa sensu stricto.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD0FF74FDFFFC5CFA4C.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Small to medium-sized helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 16.8 cm. Pectoral scutes triangular and either just meeting at their tips along the plastral midseam or more or less widely separated. One large undivided temporal scale on each side of head. Two small barbels under chin. Carapace and plastron light coloured. Soft parts dorsally darker than ventrally. Pelomedusa olivacea differs from all other Pelomedusa species by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) or cytosine (C) at position 123 and by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at position 271 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD0FF74FDFFFC5CFA4C.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Genetically verified records for P. olivacea are known from Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal (Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010; Wong et al. 2010; Fritz et al. 2014).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD0FF74FDFFFC5CFA4C.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Pelomedusa olivacea corresponds to mtDNA lineage III of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). Phylogenetically, P. olivacea belongs to the northern clade of Pelomedusa and is most closely related to P. variabilis from Ghana and the Ivory Coast (Fig. 1). In both species, the pectoral scutes may be triangular with or without midseam contact. Among 21 museum specimens of P. olivacea, 18 have completely divided pectoral scutes and three have triangular pectoral scutes just meeting at the plastral midline. This matches the description for Senegalese P. olivacea given in Rochebrune (1884). The monogenean flatworm Polystomoides nabedei Kulo, 1980 was described from helmeted terrapins from Siborototi, Togo (most likely Pelomedusa olivacea or P. variabilis). This parasite was described as a distinct species based on morphological differences from Polystomoides chabaudi, which is known from Pelomedusa subrufa and probably P. neumanni (see respective species accounts).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD1FF74F9FEFE27FCE2.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Small to medium-sized, dark-coloured helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 15.7 cm. Pectoral scutes rectangular with wide midseam contact or triangular with narrow midseam contact. Temporal head scales large, mostly undivided. Two small barbels under chin. In adults, carapace and plastron rather dark; soft parts ventrally lighter than dorsally. Pelomedusa schweinfurthi differs from all other Pelomedusa species by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at position 279, by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) or a gap at position 297, and by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at position 305 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD1FF74F9FEFE27FCE2.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt am Main (SMF 56161, female, Liria, Central Equatoria, South Sudan, N 4 ° 38.66 E 32 ° 4.83; leg. C. Scherpner, 3 March 1955; Fig. 4 bottom).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD1FF74F9FEFE27FCE2.taxon	description	Description of the holotype: Straight carapacial length 12.3 cm, plastral length 10.5 cm. Pectoral scutes rectangular with wide midseam contact. Temporal scale divided on left side, undivided on right side of head. Two small barbels under chin. Carapace and plastron dark brown. Dorsal side of soft parts and entire forelegs dark grey, ventral side of hind legs light grey. Tail short. Paratypes: Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt am Main (SMF 56160, 65162, males, same data as holotype); Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB 15697, juvenile, Djur River W Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD1FF74F9FEFE27FCE2.taxon	etymology	Derivatio nominis: We dedicate this species to Georg August Schweinfurth (29 December 1836 – 19 September 1925) who was the last of the great explorers of Africa. Schweinfurth collected the oldest of the paratypes (ZMB 15697) during his famous third Africa expedition (1868 – 1871) “ inside the heart of Africa ” (Schweinfurth 1874) in present-day South Sudan.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD1FF74F9FEFE27FCE2.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Central African Republic (Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010) and South Sudan (this study).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF927FFD1FF74F9FEFE27FCE2.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Pelomedusa schweinfurthi corresponds to mtDNA lineage IV of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010), which was previously only recorded from the Central African Republic. Our new 12 S sequences of the type specimens provide evidence for the occurrence in South Sudan. The temporal scale is divided on the left side of the head in the holotype, but undivided on the right side, as it is in all paratypes. The largest specimen (SMF 56162) has a straight carapacial length of 15.7 cm. Unlike many other Pelomedusa species, P. schweinfurthi is overall quite dark coloured, with a predominantly brown plastron. Pelomedusa schweinfurthi belongs to the northern species group and is with high support sister to candidate species B from Sudan (Fig. 1).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF926FFD1FF74FC17FB54F864.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Small to medium-sized, light-coloured helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 15.7 cm. Pectoral scutes triangular to rectangular with wide or, rarely, narrow midseam contact. One large undivided temporal scale on each side of head. Two small barbels under chin. In adults, plastron completely yellow; soft parts ventrally lighter than dorsally. Pelomedusa somalica differs from all other Pelomedusa species by the presence of thymine (T) instead of adenine (A), cytosine (C) or a gap at position 122 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF926FFD1FF74FC17FB54F864.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH 1970.1481, field number 502, adult, Borama district, Awdal, Somaliland / Somalia, N 9 ° 55 E 43 ° 10, 4500 ft; coll. R. H. R. Taylor, 17 December 1932; Fig. 5 top).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF926FFD1FF74FC17FB54F864.taxon	description	Description of the holotype: Shell. Straight carapacial length 15.7 cm, plastral length 13.7 cm. Pectoral scutes rectangular with very wide midseam contact. Carapace light chestnut; plastron entirely yellow. Paratypes: The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH 1931.7.20.412 – 414, juvenile and two shells of adults with heads in alcohol, Buran, Sanaag, Somaliland / Somalia; BMNH 1931.8. 1.177, juvenile, Ceerigaabo, Sanaag, Somaliland / Somalia); Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NMW 24449, juvenile, Abyssinia).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF926FFD1FF74FC17FB54F864.taxon	etymology	Derivatio nominis: The species name somalica refers to the geographical origin of the new species.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF926FFD1FF74FC17FB54F864.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Somaliland, Somalia (Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010; Wong et al. 2010; Fritz et al. 2014). A genetically verified paratype of P. somalica (NMW 24449) was collected in Abyssinia by Baron Carlo von Erlanger (5 September 1872 – 4 September 1904) in 1901. Abyssinia comprised present-day Eritrea and northern Ethiopia, suggesting that P. somalica also occurs in one or both of these countries.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF926FFD1FF74FC17FB54F864.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Pelomedusa somalica corresponds to mtDNA lineage VI of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). Our phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA sequences indicate that P. somalica is part of the northern species group of Pelomedusa and that P. barbata from the Arabian Peninsula is its sister species. However, the relatively deep divergences among Somali terrapins from two sites being only 40 km distant (Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010; Table S 1) raise the possibility that P. somalica consists of more than only one species. This situation warrants further research. That more than one species could be involved is also suggested by two morphologically divergent specimens from Somaliland in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (ZMB 27266, 49719). These relatively small adult males of 13.0 cm and 10.9 cm straight carapacial length differ from the type series from Awdal and Sanaag regions (Somaliland) significantly in their distinctly darker colouration. Without genetic verification, we are reluctant to identify them with P. somalica and exclude them explicitly from the type series.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF924FFD4FF74FF2FFAD1FE14.taxon	description	National d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, MNHN 7970 (Fig. 2 in Fritz et al. 2014) 1798 Testudo badia Donndorff (nomen novum) 1798 Testudo rubicunda Suckow (nomen novum) 1935 Pelomedusa galeata damarensis Hewitt — Type locality: Quickborn near Okahandja, Namibia; lectotype (Fritz et al. 2014): Port Elizabeth Museum, PEM R 14953 (Fig. 7 top in Fritz et al. 2014) 1937 Pelomedusa subrufa wettsteini Mertens — Type locality: Majunga (Mahajanga), western Madagascar; holotype: Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt am Main, SMF 7958 (Fig. 8 in Fritz et al. 2014)	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF924FFD4FF74FF2FFAD1FE14.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Small to medium-sized helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 19.7 cm. Yet, the shell length of most adults is below 14 cm. Pectoral scutes in most specimens with broad contact at plastral midseam; however, terrapins with narrow contact or, exceptionally, with triangular pectorals without midseam contact occur. One large undivided temporal scale on each side of head. Two small barbels under chin. Carapace uniform light to dark brown. Plastron in larger individuals mostly light coloured, in younger specimens often with dark markings. Pelomedusa subrufa sensu stricto differs from all other Pelomedusa species by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 117, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of adenine (A) at position 169, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of adenine (A) or cytosine (C) at position 191, by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at positions 226 and 296, by the presence of adenine (A) instead of cytosine (C) at position 280, and by the presence of cytosine (C) or thymine (T) instead of adenine (A) or guanine (G) at position 289 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information). In addition, P. subrufa sensu stricto differs from all other Pelomedusa species except P. galeata by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of adenine (A) or guanine (G) at position 148, by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 159, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 167, and by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) or thymine (T) at position 343. Moreover, P. subrufa sensu stricto differs from all other Pelomedusa species except P. galeata and possibly P. gehafie, P. kobe and candidate species B (in which the respective character states are unknown) by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at position 26 and by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at position 38.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF924FFD4FF74FF2FFAD1FE14.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Southern Angola (this study), Botswana, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi (Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010), Namibia (Wong et al. 2010; this study), South Africa (Limpopo; this study), and Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania (this study). Introduced to Madagascar (Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010; Wong et al. 2010).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF924FFD4FF74FF2FFAD1FE14.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Pelomedusa subrufa sensu stricto corresponds to mtDNA lineage VIII of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). Besides P. galeata, it is one of the two southern species of Pelomedusa. In the course of the present study, we recorded P. subrufa sensu stricto for the first time for South Africa, based on one sample from the western border region of the Kruger Park (Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa). To the west and south, the next genetically verified records are approximately 300 km distant and are P. galeata. It seems possible that the ranges of the two species abut or overlap in northeastern South Africa. In the Zoologische Staatssammlung München there are genetically verified specimens of P. subrufa sensu stricto collected on 3 May 1937 by Wolfgang Uthmöller (25 October 1904 – 25 August 1951) at the northern slope of the Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (ZSM 320 / 1937: 1 – 4), and additional genetically verified specimens with the date 5 May 1937 originating from the same collector, but bearing only “ Tanganyika ” as locality data (ZSM 285 / 1937: 1 – 3). The latter specimens represent another species (P. kobe, see above), suggesting that both taxa occur in close geographical proximity or even sympatry in Tanzania. This is also supported by further genetically verified specimens of P. kobe from the Arusha region, Tanzania, from where also the new species P. neumanni is recorded (see above). The identity of mtDNA sequences of P. subrufa sensu stricto from Tanzania and Madagascar points to Tanzania as geographical source region for the introduced Malagasy helmeted terrapins. Among 94 museum specimens of P. subrufa, two terrapins have triangular pectorals without midseam contact, and 19 terrapins have pectoral scutes with narrow plastral midseam contact, whilst the remaining specimens have pectoral scutes with broad contact at the midseam. Pelomedusa subrufa can cope with extremely arid conditions. For Namibia, there are records from the mouths of temporary streams (so-called riviers) in the Namib Desert (Branch 2008; Boycott & Bourquin 2008; vouchers in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin). It is well known that Namibian terrapins burrow underground during arid periods, and if there is no rain, they may evidently survive up to six years burrowed (A. Schleicher, pers. observ., Omaheke, Namibia). The monogenean flatworm Polystomoides chabaudi Euzet & Combes, 1965 was described from Pelomedusa subrufa sensu stricto (collected at Betioky, Madagascar). The same polystomatid species was also reported from helmeted terrapins from the Kampala area, Uganda (Tinsley 1973), that is, probably from P. neumanni.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF923FFD4FF74FE47FED1F905.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis: Medium- to large-sized helmeted terrapins with a known maximum straight carapacial length of 24.8 cm. Pectoral scutes mostly triangular without midseam contact, but terrapins with pectorals having narrow or wide midseam contact occur. One large undivided temporal head scale. Two small barbels under chin. Colouration extremely variable; very dark individuals are known, as well as specimens with light horn-coloured carapace and completely yellow plastron. Soft parts ventrally lighter than dorsally. Pelomedusa variabilis differs from all other Pelomedusa species by the presence of adenine (A) instead of cytosine (C) or thymine (T) at position 189 and by the presence of adenine (A) instead of guanine (G) at position 322 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF923FFD4FF74FE47FED1F905.taxon	materials_examined	Holotype: Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt am Main (SMF 58075, subadult male, Gold Coast, Ghana; leg. H. Lang, 18 February 1957; Fig. 5 bottom).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF923FFD4FF74FE47FED1F905.taxon	description	Description of the holotype: Straight carapacial length 10.3 cm, plastral length 8.7 cm. Pectoral scutes triangular, widely separated, without midseam contact. Temporal scales undivided; injury on the right side of head. Two small barbels under chin. Carapace covered by algae; plastron dark brown, seams distinctly lighter. Soft parts dorsally dark grey; throat cream-coloured, ventral side of legs greyish brown. Tail long. Paratypes: Museum für Tierkunde, Senckenberg Dresden (MTD T 33818 – 33819, male and female, Ghana; MTD T 35041, juvenile, Ghana); The Natural History Museum, London (BMNH 1863.3. 27.1, male, Ghana; BMHN 1927.8.27.240 – 242, juveniles, Ghana); Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn (ZFMK 47521 – 47523, juveniles, Achimota, Greater Accra Region, Ghana).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF923FFD4FF74FE47FED1F905.taxon	etymology	Derivatio nominis: The species name variabilis is an adjective in female gender, referring to the variable morphology of the new species.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF923FFD4FF74FE47FED1F905.taxon	distribution	Distribution: Genetically verified records for P. variabilis are only known for Ghana and the Ivory Coast (Vargas-Ramírez et al. 2010; Wong et al. 2010; Fritz et al. 2014).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF923FFD4FF74FE47FED1F905.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Pelomedusa variabilis corresponds to mtDNA lineage II of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). It belongs to the northern clade of Pelomedusa and is according to our mtDNA analyses sister to P. olivacea (Fig. 1). Male helmeted terrapins from the Ivory Coast were reported to have red-spotted nearly white heads (Bull & Legler 1980). However, specimens with such colouration were never seen during fieldwork by M. - O. Rödel (pers. comm.). Among the 11 specimens of the type series, there are nine terrapins with triangular pectoral scutes without midseam contact; in another specimen (MTD D 33819) the tip of the left pectoral just reaches the midseam, whereas the right pectoral does not, and in the paratype BMNH 1863.3. 27.1 the pectoral scutes are rectangular with wide midseam contact. For the monogenean flatworm Polystomoides nabedei possibly parasitizing Pelomedusa variabilis, see under P. olivacea.	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF923FFD5FF74F8B6FBDCFD4F.taxon	description	This candidate species from Cameroon corresponds to mtDNA lineage I of Vargas-Ramírez et al. (2010). It is genetically clearly distinct and differs in 12 S and cyt b sequences by uncorrected p distances resembling the divergences among other Pelomedusa species (Tables 1 and 3). Since there is just one genetically verified voucher specimen available (Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, ZFMK 15171, Mokolo, Margui- Wandala, Extreme North Province, Cameroon, coll. Wolfgang Böhme, 14 – 17 February 1974), we refrain from describing this species formally. ZFMK 15171 is a dark-coloured subadult terrapin of 9.3 cm straight carapacial length, resembling in gross morphology P. schweinfurthi or dark-coloured P. variabilis. However, unlike P. schweinfurthi, the pectoral scutes of ZFMK 15171 are triangular and do not reach the plastral midseam. Another terrapin from the same source region was only sampled, but not collected (Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Dresden, Tissue Collection, MTD T 5183, Maroua, Extreme North Province, Cameroon) and is genetically very similar. Our phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA sequences place candidate species A in the well-supported northern clade of Pelomedusa (Fig. 1). Therein, it is best understood as having a basal position. Pelomedusa candidate species A differs from all other Pelomedusa species by the presence of guanine (G) instead of cytosine (C) at position 212, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at position 222, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) or adenine (A) at position 302, by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of adenine (A) or guanine (G) at position 325, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of adenine (A) or guanine (G) at position 343, and by the presence of adenine (A) instead of cytosine (C) or thymine (T) at position 345 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information). In addition, Pelomedusa candidate species A differs from all species except possibly P. gehafie and P. kobe by the presence of thymine (T) instead of cytosine (C) at position 50 and by the presence of thymine (T) instead of adenine (A) or cytosine (C) at position 65 (character states in P. gehafie and P. kobe unknown).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
CB02879FF922FFD5FF74FCFCFD8BFAEC.taxon	description	The second candidate species is also represented by only one genetically verified voucher specimen. This terrapin from the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NMW 24451) was collected by Franz Werner in March 1914 at Al- Ubayyid (El Obeid), North Kurdufan, Sudan. It is a light-coloured subadult with an entirely yellow plastron and a straight carapacial length of 14.2 cm. Its pectoral scutes are triangular, but reach the plastral midline. As with candidate species A, the genetic distances of this Sudanese terrapin resemble the divergences among other distinct Pelomedusa species. The genetic lineage of candidate species B was hitherto unknown. According to our analyses of mtDNA sequences, candidate species B belongs into the northern clade of Pelomedusa and is, with maximum support, sister to P. schweinfurthi. Pelomedusa candidate species B differs from all other Pelomedusa species by the presence of cytosine (C) instead of thymine (T) at positions 109 and 152, by the presence of adenine (A) instead of cytosine (C) or thymine (T) at positions 122 and 302, by the presence of thymine (T) instead of a gap at positions 126 and 168, and by the presence of guanine (G) instead of adenine (A) at position 154 of the 360 - bp-long reference alignment of the 12 S rRNA gene (Supporting Information).	en	Petzold, Alice, Vargas-Ramírez, Mario, Kehlmaier, Christian, Vamberger, Melita, Branch, William R., Preez, Louis Du, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D., Meyer, Leon, Schleicher, Alfred, Široký, Pavel, Fritz, Uwe (2014): A revision of African helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelomedusa), with descriptions of six new species. Zootaxa 3795 (5): 523-548, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3795.5.2
