Pentonix [sic] americana Cornalia, 1849

Fritz, Uwe, Petzold, Alice, Kehlmaier, Christian, Kindler, Carolin, Campbell, Patrick, Hofmeyr, Margaretha D. & Branch, William R., 2014, Disentangling the Pelomedusa complex using type specimens and historical DNA (Testudines: Pelomedusidae), Zootaxa 3795 (5), pp. 501-522 : 513

Pentonix [sic] americana Cornalia, 1849

Cornalia (1849: pp. 312–313) described a specimen allegedly from “Novaeboracum” [= Novum Eboracum, New York] under this name. After its description, Pentonix americana has never been regarded as a valid taxon. It is traditionally identified with the helmeted terrapin (e.g., Boulenger 1889: p. 198; Mertens 1937: p. 139; Loveridge 1941: p. 473; Wermuth & Mertens 1961: p. 284, 1977: p. 115; Fritz & Havaš 2007: p. 345; van Dijk et al. 2012: p. 000.295), even though Strauch (1865: p. 111) doubted that it could be reliably assigned to any species. The type specimen was in the collection of the natural history museum of Milan (Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano) and was destroyed, together with most of the herpetological collection, by British air raids in 1943 (S. Scali, pers. comm.).

Pentonix americana is best treated as nomen dubium, because there is no further information available. Mertens’ (1937: p. 139) identification of “ Pentonyx americana ” with South African helmeted terrapins (“offenbar ein südafrikanisches Stück”), and thus with the nominotypical subspecies sensu Mertens (1937), is pure speculation. Mertens’ suggestion was later repeated by Loveridge (1941: p. 473 “probably a South African specimen”).