Phrynops

Sometimes called the bearded toadheads but better known by their scientific name of ''Phrynops'' this genus of turtles has often been a bit of a dumping ground for the short-necked South American turtles of the family Chelidae.

The genus is widely distributed in South America found in the Orinoco to Amazon and São Francisco to Paraná and adjacent river basins of Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina (Iverson, 1992).lverson, J.B. 1992. ''Revised Checklist with Distribution Maps of the Turtles of the World''. Richmond, Indiana: Privately Printed. 363 pp.

The phrynop turtle generally achieves thermoregulation through areal basking. In order to best attain their goal, they tend to increase their basking time during mid-day during the winters to make up for the cold. Other factors such as food intake and reproduction underwater also influence the way they control the temperature of their body. Although this is the main way they are able to maintain body temperature, food intake and reproduction rates are also influential in the matter.

Species

Listed alphabetically by specific name.
* ''Phrynops geoffroanus'' ( Schweigger, 1812) – Geoffroy's toadhead turtle or Geoffroy's side-necked turtle Schweigger, Augustus F. 1812. "''Prodromus monographiae Cheloniorum'' ". ''Königsberger Archiv für Naturwissenschaft und Mathematik'' 1:271–368, 406–462.
* ''Phrynops hilarii'' ( A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1835) – Hilaire's toadhead turtle or Hilaire's side-necked turtle Duméril, André Marie Constant, and Bibron, Gabriel. 1835. ''Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Tome Second.'' Paris: Roret. 680 pp.
* '' Phrynops tuberosus'' ( W. Peters, 1870) – Cotinga River toadhead turtle Peters, Wilhem Carl Hartwig. 1870. "''Über'' Platemys tuberosa, ''eine neue Art von Schildkröte aus British-Guiana'' ". ''Monatsber. königl. Akad. Wiss. Berlin.'' 1870 (Mai): 311-313.
* ''Phrynops williamsi'' Rhodin & Mittermeier, 1983 – William's toadhead turtle, William's South American side-necked turtleRhodin, Anders G.J., and Mittermeier, Russell A. 1983. Description of ''Phrynops williamsi'', a new species of chelid turtle of the South American ''P. geoffroanus'' complex. pp. 58-73. In: Rhodin, A.G.J., and Miyata, K. (Editors). 1983. ''Advances in Herpetology and Evolutionary Biology. Essays in Honor of Ernest E. Williams''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology.
* †'' Phrynops paranaensis'' ,Wieland, George R. 1923. A new Parana pleurodiran. American Journal of Science (5) v: 1-14. from the Huayquerian Ituzaingó Formation of the Paraná Basin, Argentina''Phrynops''
at Fossilworks.org

References

{{Taxonbar , from=Q2700403

Turtle genera
Turtles of South America
Reptiles described in 1830
Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot