Abstract

CARR, Archie. Notes on the zoogeography of the Atlantic sea turtles of the genus Lepidochelys. Rev. biol. trop [online]. 2002, vol.50, n.2, pp.717-733. ISSN 0034-7744.

The sea turtle Lepidochelys kempi has an extensive range in coastal waters of the United States, and in parts of Florida is abundant as a seasonal resident. All known populations are sexually immature, and the breeding area of the species is not known. The present paper suggests the necessity of assuming a distant origin for the North American population, examines fragmentary evidence bearing on the coronary assumption of migratory movement, and somewhat hesitantly proposes the coast of northwestern Africa as a possible site of nesting. Spreading into American waters may occur via the Gulf Stream system. New records extend the range of the genus to northern Mauretania and into the Mediterranean