Sometimes taxonomists create new names for groups that already have a name. They may do this because they are unaware of the original name, or they may think the organism before them belongs to a different group when in fact it does not. If two or more names are found to apply to the same group, they are considered synonyms. In most cases, the first name takes priority and is considered to be the valid or accepted name. However, there can be exceptions, and it's not always easy to determine which of a series of synonyms should be considered valid or accepted. Here we list the synonyms provided to EOL by our classification partners. We also include other versions of the name that most likely refer to the same group, for example, misspellings in the literature or different variations of the authorship associated with the name.
marks the preferred name from each source.
The Reptile Database
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Caretta caretta Linnaeus 1758 | Preferred |
| Testudo caretta LINNAEUS 1758: 197 | Synonym |
| Testudo marina GARSAULT 1764 | Synonym |
| Testudo nasicornis LACÉPÈDE 1788 | Synonym |
| Testudo caouana LACÉPÈDE 1788 (nom. subst. pro T. caretta L.) | Synonym |
| Chelonia multiscutata KUHL 1820 (?) | Synonym |
| Testudo corianna GRAY 1831 (ex errore) | Synonym |
| Testudo caretta — CUVIER 1831: 16 | Synonym |
| Chelonia Caouana — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 552 | Synonym |
| Caouana elongata GRAY 1844 | Synonym |
| Chelonia caretta — DYCE 1861: 351 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys cauana — BOETTGER 1880: 210 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys caretta — BOULENGER 1886: 425 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys caretta— BOULENGER 1889 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta — STEJNEGER 1904 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta — STEBBINS 1985: 105 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta — ENGELMANN et al 1993 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 76 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta — GLAW & VENCES 1994: 229 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta — COGGER 2000: 178 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) | Synonym |
| Testudo cephalo SCHNEIDER 1783 | Synonym |
| Caretta nasuta RAFINESQUE 1814 | Synonym |
| Caretta atra MERREM 1820 | Synonym |
| Chelonia pelasgorum BORY 1833 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys corticata GIRARD 1858 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys cephalo — BARBOUR & COLE 1906: 148 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta caretta— MERTENS & MÜLLER 1928 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta gigas Deraniyagala, 1933 | Synonym |
| Cephalochelys oceanica GRAY 1873 (?) | Synonym |
| Thalassiochelys tarapacona PHILIPPI 1887 (?) | Synonym |
| Chelonia dubia BLEEKER 1889 (nomen nudum) | Synonym |
| Chelonia polyaspis BLEEKER 1889 (nomen nudum) | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys controversa PHILIPPI 1899 | Synonym |
| Caretta gigas DERANIYAGALA 1933 (?) | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta gigas — DERANIYAGALA 1939 | Synonym |
| Caretta caretta gigas — STEBBINS 1985: 106 | Synonym |
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) | Preferred |
| Caretta caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) | Subsequent name/combination |
| Testudo caretta Linnaeus, 1758 | Original name/combination |
Paleobiology Database
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) | Preferred |
| Testudo caretta Linnaeus, 1758 | Valid |
South African Vertebrates
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Caretta caretta Linnaeus 1758 | Preferred |
| Testudo caretta Linnaeus, 1758 | Synonym |
| Testudo nasicornis LACÉPÈDE 1788 | Synonym |
| Caouana elongata GRAY 1844 | Synonym |
| Caretta gigas DERANIYAGALA 1933 | Synonym |
| Caretta atra MERREM 1820 | Synonym |
| Caretta nasuta RAFINESQUE 1814 | Synonym |
| Cephalochelys oceanica GRAY 1873 | Synonym |
| Chelonia caouana Duméril & Bibron, 1835 | Synonym |
| Chelonia caretta DYCE 1861 | Synonym |
| Chelonia dubia BLEEKER 1889 | Synonym |
| Chelonia multiscutata Kuhl 1820 | Synonym |
| Chelonia pelasgorum BORY 1833 | Synonym |
| Chelonia polyaspis BLEEKER 1889 | Synonym |
| Testudo cephalo SCHNEIDER 1783 | Synonym |
| Testudo corianna GRAY 1831 | Synonym |
| Thalassiochelys tarapacona PHILIPPI 1887 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys caretta BOULENGER 1886 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys cephalo Barbour & Cole, 1906 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys controversa PHILIPPI 1899 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys corticata Girand, 1858 | Synonym |
| Testudo marina GARSAULT 1764 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys cauana Boettger, 1880 | Synonym |
NCBI Taxonomy
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Caretta caretta | Preferred |
| Caretta caretta Linnaeus 1758 | Authority |
| Testudo caretta | Synonym |
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: April 2013
| Name | Relationship |
|---|---|
| Caretta caretta Linnaeus 1758 | Preferred |
| Caouana elongata GRAY 1844 | Synonym |
| Chelonia Caouana DUMÉRIL 1835 | Synonym |
| Chelonia caretta DYCE 1861 | Synonym |
| Chelonia multiscutata Kuhl 1820 | Synonym |
| Testudo caouana LACÉPÈDE 1788 | Synonym |
| Testudo caretta Linnaeus, 1758 | Synonym |
| Testudo corianna GRAY 1831 | Synonym |
| Testudo nasicornis LACÉPÈDE 1788 | Synonym |
| Thalassochelys caretta BOULENGER 1886 | Synonym |
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