Pleuroderes

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pleuroderes \Pleu*rod"e*res\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? the side +
     ? the neck.] (Zool.)
     A group of fresh-water turtles in which the neck can not be
     retracted, but is bent to one side, for protection. The
     {matamata} is an example.
     [1913 Webster]