Apalachicola snapping turtle

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Apalachicola snapping turtle
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
(disputed)
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Chelydridae
Genus: Macrochelys
Species:
M. apalachicolae
Binomial name
Macrochelys apalachicolae
Thomas et al., 2014 [1]

The Apalachicola snapping turtle (Macrochelys apalachicolae) is a proposed species that lives in the Apalachicola River, United States. [2] [3] The proposed species can as well be found within other panhandle rivers within the states of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

Contents

Taxonomy

It has traditionally been included as part of the widespread species M. temminckii , but an analysis in 2014 recommended treating it as distinct. [1] [4] A study published the following year considered this change unwarranted, and recommended that M. apalachicolae should be considered a junior synonym of M. temminckii, [5] and this is followed by the Reptile Database, [6] IUCN's Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, [7] and the Committee On Standard English And Scientific Names (Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles). [8]

Conservation

The Apalachicola snapping turtles [9] and other species of snapping turtle have been described as endangered due to human activity, which is causing the destruction to their natural habitats. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chelydridae</span> Family of turtles

The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, Chelydra and Macrochelys. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are Acherontemys, Chelydrops, Chelydropsis, Emarginachelys, Macrocephalochelys, Planiplastron, and Protochelydra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alligator snapping turtle</span> Large freshwater turtle from the Eastern United States

The alligator snapping turtle is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is endemic to freshwater habitats in the United States. M. temminckii is one of the heaviest living freshwater turtles in the world. It is the largest freshwater species of turtle in North America. It is often associated with, but not closely related to, the common snapping turtle, which is in the genus Chelydra. The specific epithet temminckii is in honor of Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forsten's tortoise</span> Species of tortoise

Forsten's tortoise, also known commonly as the Sulawesi tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to Sulawesi Island, Indonesia.

<i>Macrochelys</i> Genus of turtles

Macrochelys is a genus of very large freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae, native to the Southeastern and Midwestern United States. Only a single extant species was recognized until 2014, when a study divided it into two, or possibly three species. These turtles are easily recognized by three distinct dorsal ridges with raised spikes.

<i>Chelydra</i> Genus of turtles

Chelydra is one of the two extant genera of the snapping turtle family, Chelydridae, the other being Macrochelys, the much larger alligator snapping turtle. The snapping turtles are native to the Americas, with Chelydra having three species, one in North America and two in Central America, one of which is also found in northwestern South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaco side-necked turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Chaco side-necked turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. It is found in Argentina, Paraguay, and possibly Bolivia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The turtle possesses long horny spurs on its upper thighs. It is 18 cm in shell length. Like other members of its genus, the turtle buries itself in the mud when the streams run dry, a behaviour possibly parallel to the winter hibernating behaviours of turtles further north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black spine-neck swamp turtle</span> Species of turtle

The black spine-neck swamp turtle, also commonly known as the spiny-neck turtle or Spix's sideneck turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to South America, specially in the Southern Cone region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Guinea snake-necked turtle</span> Species of turtle

The New Guinea snake-necked turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is found almost exclusively within Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parker's snake-necked turtle</span> Species of turtle

Parker's snake-necked turtle is a species of turtle in the family Chelidae.

Pritchard's snake-necked turtle is a species of turtles in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to a restricted area of Central Province, Papua New Guinea.

<i>Elseya</i> Genus of turtles

Elseya is a genus of large side-necked turtles, commonly known as Australian snapping turtles, in the family Chelidae. Species in the genus Elseya are found in river systems in northern and northeastern Australia and throughout the river systems of New Guinea. They are identified by the presence of alveolar ridges on the triturating surfaces of the mouth and the presence of a complex bridge strut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Guinea snapping turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Western New Guinea stream turtle or New Guinea snapping turtle is a species of freshwater turtle in the Chelidae family. It is found in the Bird's Head Peninsula and the Bomberai Peninsula west of Cenderawasih Bay, and on the island of Waigeo of West Papua, Indonesia.

<i>Mesoclemmys</i> Genus of turtles

Mesoclemmys is a genus of South American turtles in the family Chelidae.

<i>Elseya dentata</i> Species of turtle

Elseya dentata, the northern snapping turtle, is a large aquatic turtle found throughout many rivers in northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is one of three species in the nominate subgenus Elseya.

<i>Chelodina burrungandjii</i> Species of turtle

Chelodina (Chelydera) burrungandjii, the sandstone snake-necked turtle or Arnhem Land long-necked turtle, is a medium-sized turtle reaching carapace lengths of 316 mm. The species is found in the sandstone plateaus and escarpments and the plunge pools of Arnhem Land of the Northern Territory. The species had been long recognised as valid. However, it had been difficult to research due to the remoteness of its habitat. Efforts to breed this species in captivity had been largely unsuccessful, until National Aquarium Herpetologist Matthew Benedict lead a successful breeding project in 2021. The species occurs in proximity to Chelodina rugosa, to which it is closely related. For the most part the two species are parapatric in distribution. However, they do come together in limited locations such as plunge pools at the base of the escarpments. In these areas there is hybridization between the species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assam leaf turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Assam leaf turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is native to India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myanmar brown leaf turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Myanmar brown leaf turtle is a species of Asian leaf turtle found in Myanmar.

<i>Elseya schultzei</i> Species of New Guinea turtle

Elseya schultzei, commonly known as Schultze's snapping turtle, is a species of chelid turtle endemic to northern New Guinea.

<i>Chelodina kuchlingi</i> Species of turtle

Chelodina (Chelydera) kuchlingi, commonly known as Kuchling's long-necked turtle or Kuchling's turtle, is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suwannee alligator snapping turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Suwannee alligator snapping turtle is a species of very large freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. This species is endemic to the southeastern United States, where it only inhabits the Suwannee River basin.

References

  1. 1 2 Thomas, T. M.; Granatosky, M. C.; Bourque, J. R.; Krysko, K. L.; Moler, P. E.; Gamble, T.; Suarez, E.; Leone, E.; Enge, K. M.; Roman, J. (9 April 2014). "Taxonomic assessment of Alligator Snapping Turtles (Chelydridae: Macrochelys), with the description of two new species from the southeastern United States". Zootaxa. 3786 (2): 141–165. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3786.2.4. PMID   24869532.
  2. Stephenie Livingston (April 10, 2014). "Study shows 'dinosaurs of the turtle world' at risk in Southeast rivers". University of Florida News. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
  3. Joshua E. Brown (April 24, 2014). "Research splits alligator snapping turtle, 'dinosaur of the turtle world,' into three species". Phys.org.
  4. John R. Platt (April 17, 2014). "Alligator Snapping Turtles, the Dinosaurs of the Turtle World, Are Actually 3 at-Risk Species". Scientific American.
  5. Folt, B.; Guyer, C. (16 April 2015). "Evaluating recent taxonomic changes for alligator snapping turtles (Testudines: Chelydridae)". Zootaxa. 3947 (3): 447–450. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3947.3.11. PMID   25947748.
  6. Reptile Database: Macrochelys temminckii. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  7. Turtle Taxonomy Working Group [Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R. Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B., and van Dijk, P.P.]. 2017. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.). In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Pritchard, P.C.H., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 7:1–292. doi : 10.3854/crm.7.checklist.atlas.v8.2017.
  8. Ronald M. Bonett, Jeff Boundy, Frank T. Burbrink, Brian I. Crother, Kevin de Queiroz, Darrel R. Frost, Richard Highton, John B. Iverson, Elizabeth L. Jockusch, Fred Kraus, Kenneth L. Krysko, Adam D. Leaché, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, Roy W. McDiarmid, Joseph R. Mendelson III, Peter A. Meylan, Tod W. Reeder, Sara Ruane, Michael E. Seidel (2017). Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular no. 43. ISBN   978-1-946681-00-3
  9. Tortue Paradise
  10. "Alligator snapping turtle". Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved 2022-10-18.