Nicaraguan slider

Last updated

Nicaraguan slider
Trachemys emolli.JPG
Trachemys emolli
Not evaluated (IUCN 2.3) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Emydidae
Genus: Trachemys
Species:
T. emolli
Binomial name
Trachemys emolli
(Legler, 1990) [1]
Synonyms [2] [3]
  • Pseudemys scripta emolli
    Legler, 1990
  • Trachemys scripta emolli
    Iverson, 1992
  • Trachemys ornata emolli
    — Walls, 1996
  • Trachemys emolli
    Seidel, 2002
  • Trachemys venusta emolli
    Artner, 2003
  • Trachemys grayi emolli
    — TTWG, 2021

The Nicaraguan slider (Trachemys emolli) [1] is a subspecies of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is indigenous to Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Contents

Taxonomy

Formerly the Nicaraguan slider was considered a subspecies of Trachemys scripta, but was elevated to its own species level by Seidel in 2002. [1] In 2021 it was considered a subspecies of T. grayi by the Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG). [3]

Etymology

The subspecific name, emolli, is in honor of American herpetologist Edward Moll (E. Moll). [4]

Geographic range

The Nicaraguan slider is native to Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and is found in places such as Lake Nicaragua, Lake Managua, and the lakes and streams that connect them. [5]

Characteristics

Plastron of Trachemys emolli Plastron de trachemys emolli.JPG
Plastron of Trachemys emolli

The Nicaraguan slider has a carapace with many circular markings on it, and in the middle of each marking, there is a dark spot. The main color of the carapace and the turtle's skin is olive green to dark brown. It also has yellow markings on it as well. The supratemporal markings can be orange, pink, or yellow. Males averagely grow to 8–12 in (20–30 cm) straight carapace length, and females can averagely grow to 15 in (38 cm) or larger. [5]

Biology

The Nicaraguan slider likes its water to be around mid-70s to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 27 degrees Celsius). As far as basking goes, it likes its basking area to be in the high 80s to mid-90s degrees Fahrenheit (30 to 35 degrees Celsius). [5]

Diet

In the wild, the juvenile Nicaraguan slider eats the following: tadpoles, crustaceans, fish, insects and insect larvae. [5]

Breeding

The nesting season of T. g. emolli ranges from about the month of December to May. Females can lay several clutches per season with up to thirty-five eggs per clutch. The hatchlings emerge about 69 to 123 days after the eggs have been deposited. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-eared slider</span> Subspecies of turtle

The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin is a subspecies of the pond slider, a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States, is also popular as a pet across the rest of the world, and is the most invasive turtle. It is the most commonly traded turtle in the world.

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

Emydidae is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly called terrapins, pond turtles, or marsh turtles. Several species of Asian box turtles were formerly classified in the family; however, revised taxonomy has separated them to a different family (Geoemydidae). As currently defined, the Emydidae are entirely a Western Hemisphere family, with the exception of two species of pond turtle.

<i>Trachemys</i> Genus of turtles

Trachemys is a genus of turtles belonging to the family Emydidae. Members of this genus are native to the Americas, ranging from the Midwestern United States south to northern Argentina, but one subspecies, the red-eared slider, has been introduced worldwide. Species under this genus are commonly referred to as sliders.

<i>Pseudemys</i> Genus of turtles

Pseudemys is a genus of large, herbivorous, freshwater turtles of the eastern United States and adjacent northeast Mexico. They are often referred to as cooters, which stems from kuta, the word for turtle in the Bambara and Malinké languages, brought to America by enslaved people from Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas river cooter</span> Species of turtle

The Texas river cooter is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to the U.S. state of Texas. It is found in the river basins of the Brazos, San Bernard, Colorado, Guadalupe, San Antonio, Nueces, and their tributaries. It is one of three species of cooters (Pseudemys) occurring in Texas, including the Rio Grande cooter and the river cooter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River cooter</span> Species of turtle

The river cooter is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the central and eastern United States, but has been introduced into parts of California, Washington, and British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal plain cooter</span> Species of turtle

The coastal plain cooter or Florida cooter is a species of large herbivorous freshwater turtle in the genus Pseudemys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pond slider</span> Species of turtle

The pond slider is a species of common, medium-sized, semiaquatic turtle. Three subspecies are described, the most recognizable of which is the red-eared slider, which is popular in the pet trade and has been introduced to other parts of the world by people releasing it to the wild. Hatchling and juvenile pond sliders have a green upper shell (carapace), yellow bottom shell (plastron), and green and yellow stripes and markings on their skin. These patterns and colors in the skin and shell fade with age until the carapace is a muted olive green to brown and the plastron is a dull yellow or darker. Some sliders become almost black with few visible markings. The carapace is oval with a bit of rounding and a central crest with knobs, but these features soften and fade with age, adults being smoother and flatter. For determining an adult slider's sex, males typically have much longer front claws than adult females, while females usually have shorter, more slender tails than males. Their lifespans range from 20 to 50 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bend slider</span> Species of turtle

The Big Bend slider, also called commonly the Mexican Plateau slider and la jicotea de la meseta mexicana in Mexican Spanish, is a species of aquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumberland slider</span> Subspecies of turtle

The Cumberland slider, also called commonly the Cumberland turtle and Troost's turtle, is a subspecies of pond slider, a semiaquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. The subspecies is indigenous to the Southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East African black mud turtle</span> Species of turtle

The East African black mud turtle, also known as the Pan terrapin, is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae, native to eastern and southeastern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern red-bellied cooter</span> Species of turtle

The northern red-bellied turtle or American red-bellied turtle is a species of turtle in the Pseudemys (cooter) genus of the family Emydidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Antillean slider</span> Species of reptile

The Central Antillean slider is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is found on three islands in the West Indies: Hispaniola, Great Inagua, and Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-bellied slider</span> Subspecies of turtle

The yellow-bellied slider is a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. This subspecies of pond slider is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virginia, and is the most common turtle species in its range. It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including slow-moving rivers, floodplain swamps, marshes, seasonal wetlands, and permanent ponds. Yellow-bellied sliders are popular as pets. They are a model organism for population studies due to their high population densities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">False map turtle</span> Species of turtle

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D'Orbigny's slider</span> Species of turtle

D'Orbigny's slider or the black-bellied slider, commonly known in Brazil as tartaruga-tigre or tartaruga-tigre-d'água, is a species of water turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is found in southern Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and Uruguay. Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, Trachemys dorbigni adiutrix and Trachemys dorbigni brasiliensis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsula cooter</span> Species of turtle

The peninsula cooter is a species of freshwater turtle in the genus Pseudemys. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the coastal plain cooter when that turtle is not itself considered a subspecies of the river cooter.

<i>Trachemys callirostris</i> Species of turtle

Trachemys callirostris is a turtle in the family Emydidae found in Colombia and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuatro Ciénegas slider</span> Species of turtle

The Cuatro Ciénegas slider, also known commonly as la jicotea de Cuatrociénegas in Mexican Spanish, is a species of turtle belonging to the genus Trachemys of the family Emydidae. The species is native to northeastern Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meso-American slider</span> Species of turtle

The Meso-American slider is a species of turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. The species is distributed from Mexico to Colombia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Rhodin 2010, p. 000.103
  2. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 204–205. doi: 10.3897/vz.57.e30895 . S2CID   87809001.
  3. 1 2 Species Trachemys grayi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Trachemys emolli, p. 83).
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Trachemys emolli / Nicaraguan Slider Care Sheet". B and H Turtle Site. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
Bibliography

Further reading