Pelomedusa subrufa, African helmeted turtle, subspecies

The genus Pelomedusa is comprised of a single species, Pelomedusa subrufa, with three recognized subspecies,
P.s. subrufa, P.s. olivacea, and P.s. nigra (Bonin, Devaux, and Dupré, 2006; Ernst and Barbour, 1989).

Description:
Often confused with Pelusios (right), Pelomedusa (left) are easily
identified as lacking a plastral hinge that is well developed in all
species of Pelusios. Pelomedusa commonly reach a SCL of
12 - 20 cm with some individual reaching up to 30 cm.

Coloration is variable throughout the species & subspecies. Carapace and head coloration includes beige, brown, or olive.
The plastron is yellow, cream, or dark. Neck, limbs, and tail are gray brown to olive dorsally and yellowish to white ventrally.
Sexual dimorphism does occur (see Husbandry section) with males possessing significantly larger tails; extending beyond the
outer edge of the anal scutes when withdrawn while the tail of the female does not extend beyond the anal notch. Males
exhibit a slight plastral concavity, females have flat plastrons. It should also be noted that males develop broader heads
than females. Larger individuals (both sexes) begin to develop a slight concavity of the carapace along the vertebral scutes.

Black Helmeted Turtle
P.s. nigra (Gray, 1863)
- pectoral scutes meet at the midline of the
plastron with dark triangles on the ventral
surface of the marginals. Limited range
extends from South Africa and in
KwaZulu-Natal, from the Free State to Kimberly.

Within all subspecies the degree to which the pectoral scutes are joined or separated
varies greatly. Often individuals of P.s. olivacea will exhibit pectoral scutes that are or
appear to be touching. Most often this is due to a scute abnormality and may be
linked to captive diets. One cannot rule out the overlap of the ranges of P.s. subrufa &
s. olivacea and the possible crossbreeding of subspecies.