| Escambia map turtle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Graptemys ernsti | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Emydidae |
| Genus: | Graptemys |
| Species: | G. ernsti |
| Binomial name | |
| Graptemys ernsti | |
 | |
| Range map | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
The Escambia map turtle (Graptemys ernsti), also known commonly as Ernst's map turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the United States.
G. ernsti is found in southern Alabama and western Florida, in rivers which drain into Escambia Bay. [3]
The preferred natural habitat of G. ernsti is flowing fresh water, in medium to large creeks and rivers. [1]
The specific name, ernsti, is in honor of American herpetologist Dr. Carl Henry Ernst. [4] [5]
Females of G. ernsti are larger than males. Females may attain a straight carapace length of 28.5 cm (11.2 in), but males only grow to a straight carapace length of 13 cm (5.1 in). [1]
The diet of G. ernsti varies according to age and gender. Males and juveniles prey predominately upon insects, but females prey almost entirely upon snails and clams, including the invasive species Corbicula fluminea. [1]
Males of G. ernsti reach sexual maturity at an age of 3–4 years, but females don't reach sexual maturity until an age of 14–19 years. Each sexually mature female lays an average of 4 clutches a year, with an average clutch size of 7 eggs. [1]
The painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in relatively slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. They have been shown to prefer large wetlands with long periods of inundation and emergent vegetation. This species is one of the few that is specially adapted to tolerate freezing temperatures for extended periods of time due to an antifreeze-like substance in their blood that keeps their cells from freezing. This turtle is a member of the genus Chrysemys, which is part of the pond turtle family Emydidae. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. Three regionally based subspecies evolved during the last ice age. The southern painted turtle is alternately considered the only other species in Chrysemys, or another subspecies of C. picta.
The spotted turtle, the only species of the genus Clemmys, is a small, semi-aquatic turtle that reaches a carapace length of 8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in) upon adulthood. Their broad, smooth, low dark-colored upper shell, or carapace, ranges in its exact colour from black to a bluish black with a number of tiny yellow round spots. The spotting patterning extends from the head, to the neck and out onto the limbs. Sexually mature males have a concave plastron and a long, thick tail. By contrast, sexually mature females possess a flat plastron and have a tail that is noticeably shorter and thinner than that of mature males. Mature males also have a dark iris and face; females typically have a yellow or orange iris and a similarly coloured face that is distinctly lighter than the males'. Juveniles appear female-like in this regard, and at maturity males begin to develop darker features.
The Florida red-bellied cooter or Florida redbelly turtle is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae.
The bog turtle is a critically endangered species of semiaquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the eastern United States. It was first scientifically described in 1801 after an 18th-century survey of Pennsylvania. The smallest North American turtle, its carapace measures about 10 centimeters (4 in) long when fully grown. Although the bog turtle is similar in appearance to the painted or spotted turtles, its closest relative is actually the somewhat larger wood turtle. The bog turtle can be found from Vermont in the north, south to Georgia, and west to Ohio. Diurnal and secretive, it spends most of its time buried in mud and – during the winter months – in hibernation. The bog turtle is omnivorous, feeding mainly on small invertebrates. The bog turtle is the state reptile of New Jersey.
The wattle-necked softshell turtle, also commonly known as Steindachner's soft-shelled turtle, is an endangered Asian species of softshell turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is the only member of the genus Palea.
Graptemys is a genus of freshwater turtles containing 14 species, commonly known as map turtles. Graptemys are small to medium-sized turtles that are significantly sexually dimorphic, with females in some species attaining as much as twice the length and ten times the mass as males. Depending on the species, adult males range from 7–16 cm (2.75–6.25 in), adult females 10–29.5 cm (4–11.62 in), and hatchlings 2.5–3.8 cm (1–1.5 in), although some sources indicate female Barbour's map turtles grow to 33 cm (13 in) in length. Most species have a distinctive dark pigmented keel that is often notched or serrated running down the center of the carapace and serrated scutes on the rear margin. The head, neck, and limbs exhibit bold patterns of yellow lines and spots against darker green, olive, or black base colors. The patterns on the head can be important characters in identifying the various species. The common name "map turtle" is derived from the intricate patterns on their shells that are suggestive of topographical maps, although the patterns are more apparent in some species than others, and often become obscure in older specimens. Some species are occasionally called "sawbacks", in reference to the serrated keels on their shell.
The Florida softshell turtle is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is native to the Southeastern United States.
The wood turtle is a species of turtle endemic to North America. It is in the genus Glyptemys, a genus which contains only one other species of turtle: the bog turtle. The wood turtle reaches a straight carapace length of 14 to 20 centimeters, its defining characteristic being the pyramidal shape of the scutes on its upper shell. Morphologically, it is similar to the bog turtle, spotted turtle, and Blanding's turtle. The wood turtle exists in a broad geographic range extending from Nova Scotia in the north to Minnesota in the west and Virginia in the south. In the past, it was forced south by encroaching glaciers: skeletal remains have been found as far south as Georgia.
Barbour's map turtle is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States.
Cagle's map turtle is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to Texas, where it is native to the Guadalupe, San Antonio, and San Marcos Rivers.
The yellow-blotched map turtle, or yellow-blotched sawback, is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. It is part of the narrow-headed group of map turtles, and is endemic to the southern United States.
The Pascagoula map turtle is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the southern United States.
The black-knobbed map turtle, formerly known as the black-knobbed sawback, is a small to medium-sized aquatic turtle with light gray skin. Some of the most distinguishing characteristics of the black-knobbed map turtle, and the Graptemys genus, are the protruding "spikes" on the turtle's carapace. This species inhabits mainly the fall lines of rivers in the Mobile Bay drainage, in Alabama and Mississippi.
The ringed map turtle or ringed sawback is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae endemic to the southern United States.
The northern map turtle, also known as the common map turtle, is an aquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. It is endemic to North America.
The smooth softshell turtle is a species of softshell turtle of the family Trionychidae. This freshwater turtle is endemic to the United States where it inhabits the Mississippi River system and other river basins emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.
The false map turtle is a species of turtle endemic to the United States. It is a common pet species. Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies described here.
The Ouachita map turtle is a species of turtle belonging to the family Emydidae.
The Alabama map turtle is a species of emydid turtle endemic to the southern United States. Differentiation from other turtle species includes a black stripe running down the center of its back with knobs extruding from it, but these projections wear down with age. T.H. Bean and L. Kumlen first collected the Alabama map turtle in July 1876 from a lake near Montgomery, Alabama. Type locality for this species is Montgomery County, Alabama. Baur described and named the Alabama map turtle in 1893. The genus Graptemys includes nine species of mostly aquatic turtles.
The Pearl River map turtle is a species of emydid turtle native to the southern United States. According to a study done in January 2017, the species G. pearlensis was significantly less abundant in the Pearl River region as compared to G. oculifera and exhibited a smaller number of reproductively mature females. Further, this study highlighted statistical and observational evidence that this species exhibited female-biased, sexual dimorphism.
Emydidae family | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Genera |
|  | ||
| Chrysemys | ||||
| Clemmys | ||||
| Deirochelys | ||||
| Actinemys | ||||
| Emys | ||||
| Emydoidea | ||||
| Glyptemys | ||||
| Graptemys | ||||
| Malaclemys | ||||
| Pseudemys | ||||
| Terrapene | ||||
| Trachemys | ||||
| † Wilburemys | ||||
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Key: †=extinct. | ||||
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