''Chelus orinocensis'' is a freshwater

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

found in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, primarily in the

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

basin. It was split off from '' Chelus fimbriata'' in 2020.

Discovery via genomic analysis

A genomic analysis of the

mata mata Matamata () is a town in Waikato, New Zealand. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which takes ...

was reported in 2020, which showed a deep split between the populations in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. The authors proposed that the Orinoco population be assigned to a new species, ''Chelus orinocensis'', with the Amazon population retaining the ''

Chelus fimbriatus Matamata () is a town in Waikato, New Zealand. It is located near the base of the Kaimai Ranges, and is a thriving farming area known for Thoroughbred horse breeding and training pursuits. It is part of the Matamata-Piako District, which takes ...

'' species designation. Prior to its description as a separate species, observations of distinctive morphological differences had already been noted among specimens in the populations of the Amazon and Orinoco basins.

References

Chelus Turtles of South America Reptiles of French Guiana Reptiles of Guyana Reptiles of Suriname Reptiles of Venezuela Reptiles described in 2020 Extant Pliocene first appearances {{turtle-stub