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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: Grooved Sideneck
Synonyms and Other Names: twistnecked turtle, chata
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: Platemys platycephala is a relatively small, dark, flattened turtle with a carapace (upper shell) length of only 145-200 mm (5.7-7.85 in) (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984). Like most chelids (Australo-American sidenecks) the neck draws the head into the shell laterally (Freiberg, 1981; Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984; Obst, 1986). The flattened carapace has a wide, median groove or trough bordered by two raised carinae (keels), and the broad plastron (lower shell) is pigmented black or dark brown (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984; Obst, 1986; Ernst and Barbour, 1989). The small, dark head is smooth, covered by a single large scale dorsally, and typically has orange or orange-brown pigment dorsally (Pritchard, 1979; Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984; Ernst and Barbour, 1989). The neck has prominently pointed tubercles or spikes (Pritchard, 1979; Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984). No other turtle indigenous to the U.S. shares this unique combination of features. The grooved sideneck is variously illustrated in Pritchard (1979), Freiberg (1981), Obst (1986, 1998), Ernst and Barbour (1989), and Zug et al. (2001).
Size: carapace length of 145-200 mm
Native Range:
Platemys platycephala is indigenous to the Amazon and Orinoco
River drainages in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana,
Guyana, Peru and Venezuela (Freiberg, 1981; Pritchard and Trebbau,
1984; Ernst and Barbour, 1989; King and Burke, 1989; Iverson, 1992).
Nonindigenous Occurrences: Sometime between 1982-1987 a single P. platycephala was collected by Paul Moler on the Wilderness Country Club Golf Course, Naples, Collier County, Florida, U.S. (P. Moler, personal communication 1998, Nonindigenous Species Database Report – phone conversation).
Means of Introduction: Unknown. Probably a pet release.
Status: Not established.
Impact of Introduction: None. Since P. platycephala seems to be exclusively carnivorous (see remarks below) an established population could potentially compete with kinosternids (mud and musk turtles) indigenous to Florida, and may negatively impact prey species such as small fish and aquatic invertebrates.
Remarks: The taxonomy of P. platycephala has been summarized by Pritchard and Trebbau (1984), and King and Burke (1989). An exhaustive list of vernacular names has been applied to this turtle in various regions of South America and includes "matamata" (Mittermeier et al., 1980; Freiberg, 1981; Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984), a name more commonly applied to the chelid, Chelus fimbriatus. By far the best overview of the natural history of the grooved sideneck is by Pritchard and Trebbau (1984).
The grooved sideneck is carnivorous in captivity, eating small fish, worms, and other animal products; but its diet in the wild is unknown (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984; Ernst and Barbour, 1989). This aquatic turtle inhabits shallow waters (not large rivers), and prefers crawling on the bottom rather than swimming (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984; Ernst and Barbour, 1989). They are known to wander overland on the forest floor (Ernst and Barbour, 1989). Female P. platycephala lay a single, brittle-shelled egg on the ground, either buried under leaves or fully exposed in an open depression (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984).
To some extent this turtle is exploited by the commercial pet trade, with grooved sidenecks from Bolivia typically being exported to Miami, Florida, and Germany (Pritchard and Trebbau, 1984).
References
Ernst, C. H., and R. W. Barbour. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. and London. 313 pp.
Freiberg, M. 1981. Turtles of South America. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune, New Jersey. 125 pp.
Iverson, J. B. 1992. A Revised Checklist with Distribution Maps of the Turtles of the World. John B. Iverson, Richmond, Indiana. 363 pp.
King, F. W., and R. L. Burke (editors). 1989. Crocodilian, Tuatara, and Turtle Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. The Association of Systematics Collections, Washington, DC. 216 pp.
Mittermeier, R. A., F. Medem, and A. G. J. Rhodin. 1980. Vernacular names of South American turtles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular (9):1-44.
Moler, P. 1998. Personal communication—Herpetologist, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, Florida.
Obst, F. J. 1986. Turtles, Tortoises and Terrapins. St Martin's Press, New York. 231 pp.
Obst, F. J. 1998. Turtles & tortoises. Pp. 108-125. In: H. G. Cogger and R. G. Zweifel (editors). Encyclopedia of Amphibians & Reptiles. Second Edition. Academic Press, San Diego. 240 pp.
Pritchard, P. C. H. 1979. Encyclopedia of Turtles. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune, New Jersey. 895 pp.
Pritchard, P. C. H., and P. Trebbau. 1984. The Turtles of Venezuela. Contributions to Herpetology 2. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca. 403 pp., 47 plates, 16 maps.
Zug, G. R., L. J. Vitt, and J. P. Caldwell. 2001. Herpetology. An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles. Second Edition. Academic Press, San Diego. 630 pp.
Other Resources: Laurie Vitt's Photographs
Author: Louis A. Somma
Revision Date: 7/18/2002 Citation for this information:
Louis A. Somma. 2009. Platemys platycephala. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1224> Revision Date: 7/18/2002
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