The Central American river turtle (Dermatemys mawii) also known locally as the "hickatee" or tortuga blanca (white turtle) is the only living species in the family Dermatemydidae. Its closest relatives are only known from fossils with some 19 genera described from a worldwide distribution from the Jurassic and Cretaceous. The species is currently found in the Atlantic drainages of the Central American countries of southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.