Barbour's Map Turtle Baby Water Turtle in Alabama
| Alabama map turtle | |
|---|---|
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| Alabama map turtle basking on a rock | |
| Conservation status | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Superfamily: | Testudinoidea |
| Family: | Emydidae |
| Genus: | Graptemys |
| Species: | G. pulchra |
| Binomial name | |
| Graptemys pulchra Baur, 1893[2] | |
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| Range map | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
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The Alabama map turtle (Graptemys pulchra) is a species of emydid turtle owned to the southern Usa. Differentiation from other turtle species includes a blackness stripe running down the heart of its back with knobs extruding from information technology, only these projections habiliment down with age. T.H. Bean and 50. Kumlen showtime collected the Alabama map turtle in July 1876 from a lake near Montgomery, Alabama. Blazon 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.[4]
Geographic distribution [edit]
The Alabama map turtle has a unique location to its habitat in the Southeast. It is endemic to the Mobile Bay drainage bowl and inhabits the lotic (flowing water) areas of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and possibly Louisiana. It ranges from the Pearl River in Mississippi and Louisiana due east to the Yellow River in Florida and Alabama.[5]
Status [edit]
The IUCN lists the Alabama map turtle as nigh threatened. Alabama lists it as protected species, Georgia lists information technology as rare species, and Mississippi lists it equally a species with special business organisation. The Alabama map turtle is at high risk of extirpation due to being secluded to specific river systems[6] and human disturbances such as habitat destruction and fragmentation.[7]
Clarification [edit]
9 species of Graptemys turtle could allow confusion in distinguishing it from other species in the aforementioned genus. A few cardinal diagnostic features set the Alabama map turtle apart. The black stripe downward the center of its dorsum with knobs extruding from information technology is a diagnostic characteristic for this species that separates it from other turtle species. Developed males range from 9.0–12.7 cm (3.v–5.0 in) and retain virtually coloration and blueprint from its juvenile stage. Females range from 18.0–29.2 cm (7.1–11.v in), accept extremely large heads for crushing snails and mollusks, and lose a majority of their markings and patterns, becoming drabber than juveniles and males. Carapace (upper half of crush) colour tin exist olive to dull green with a slightly visible black stripe in adults. Juveniles exhibit a dark stripe running down a more olive carapace. The outermost edge on the upper one-half of the shell usually contains lite reticulate markings and the scutes (scale-similar structure) contain a yellow bar or semicircle. Dark rings are unremarkably present on the lower surface of each outer scute. It contains a hingeless xanthous plastron (bottom half of beat out) notched in the dorsum. A narrow black margin borders the edge of each scute. Information technology has a brownish to olive caput with a big marking that ranges from light light-green to yellowish located betwixt and behind the optics. The lateral and dorsal head stripes can exist continuous or separated. Chin stripes are establish transversally and/or longitudinally. The feet are webbed with a striped tail and limbs. Growth rate is rapid in juveniles, only slows promptly at maturity. Females reach total size around 23 years old and can live 50 years or more in natural conditions. Females have significantly larger jaws, while males have long and thick tails with vents past the border of the carapaces.[8] [9] [x] [eleven]
Ecology and behavior [edit]
H2o temperature, sure river characteristics such as casualty items, variations of the species in different drainages, along with whatever known affliction or parasite issues, is vital information to provide ideal habitat for the Alabama map turtle. Seasonal activity is determined mainly by water temperature. In one location, temperatures beneath 19 °C resulted in severe decline in feeding and activity, consummate hibernation of the population did not occur, and no meaning interspecific competition with other turtle species occurred.[11] They are mainly in large coastal plains streams with large mollusks populations. 4 geographical variants include one in the Pearl River drainage, a 2d in the Pascagoula drainage, a tertiary in the Mobile Bay drainage, and a 4th in the Escambia and Yellow River drainages. No deleterious parasitism was constitute, but a single ectoparasite (Placobdella sp.) (leech) was on turtles during spring.[11] The nearly common intestinal parasite was an acanthocephalan (Neoechinorhynchu), merely was found in less than 25% of adult population. One adult female possessed a fluke (Telorchis sp.) in its small-scale intestine. A sporozoan (Myxidium chelonarum) was noted in the bile duct and gall float of the Alabama map turtle.[12]
Habitat [edit]
Alabama map turtles are endemic to the major drainage systems inbound the Gulf of Mexico and take some other interesting habitat qualities. They range from the Pearl River in Mississippi and Louisiana due east to the Yellowish River in Florida and Alabama. Juveniles and males similar shallow h2o with basking logs, while females prefer deeper water.[5] Females too prefer a unique coarseness to their sandbar.[xi] Tinkle[xiii] noticed the relationship of the abundance and distribution of this species to the autumn line. Managers can provide optimal habitat for juveniles, developed males, and developed females by providing the necessary structure within the river organization.
Reproduction [edit]
Males achieve sexual maturity in three to iv years. Females practice not accomplish maturity until virtually fourteen years erstwhile. Sperm may be stored in females due to sperm beingness present in males throughout the year and mating only occurring in autumn. Courting sequence is like to other species of aquatic emydines, except males apply their snouts as the "titillation tools" rather than extended fore claws. Mature adult males lack fore claws altogether. Females lay an boilerplate of 29 eggs per season depending on size of female, with an average of four clutches laid per flavor per female. Nests are located i–20 m from water's edge, primarily on exposed sandbars[11] Other Graptemys species nest up to 200 one thousand from water's edge.[14] Coarseness of sand seems to play a vital role in nest pick. Incubation averages 74 to 79 days at 29 °C with infertility of entire clutches common. Observed nest predators are fish crows during the 24-hour interval and raccoons at night. Major enemies of adult Alabama map turtles include humans and the alligator snapping turtle (Macroclemys temmincki).[11]
Nutrition [edit]
Alabama map turtles feed on an assortment of food items, only prefer one in particular; the primary food item was the imported oriental mussel (Corbicula maniliensis), which was the most abundant macroinvertebrate in the written report expanse.[11] Smaller adults and juveniles feed primarily on insects, while larger adult females feed primarily on the imported oriental mussel. Feeding is between May and October, and food consumed in September and October probable was stored for winter since growth ceases in early September.[11] They feed mainly on mollusks, insects, carrion, and vegetation.
References [edit]
- ^ van Dijk, P.P. (2011). "Graptemys pulchra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T170494A97424569. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T170494A6782009.en. {{cite iucn}}: mistake: |doi= / |page= mismatch (help)
- ^ Rhodin 2010, p. 000.101
- ^ Fritz, Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the Globe" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 189–190. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ Lovich, J.E. 1985. Graptemys pulchra Baur. Alabama map turtle. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 360.i–360.2.
- ^ a b Ernst, C.H., J.E. Lovich and R.W. Barbour. 1994. Turtles of the U.s. and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Printing, Washington D.C. 578 pages.
- ^ van Dijk, P.P. 2011. Graptemys pulchra. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.i. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Retrieved xi November 2013.
- ^ Shealy, R.M. 1976. The natural history of the Alabama map turtle, Graptemys pulchra Baur, in Alabama. Balderdash. Florida St. Mus., Bi-01. Sci. 21:47–111.
- ^ Baur, Grand. 1893. 2 New Species of Northward American Testudinata. American Naturalist 27: 675–677. ("Graptemys pulchra spec. nov.", pp. 675–676.)
- ^ Cagle, F.R. 1952. The status of the turtles Graptemys pulchra Baur and Graptemys barbouri Carr and Marchand, with notes on their natural history. Copeia 1952:223–234.
- ^ Mount, R.H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn Univ. Agriculture Experiment Station. Auburn, AL, United states of america.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Shealy, R.M. 1976. The natural history of the Alabama map turtle, Graptemys pulchra Baur, in Alabama. Balderdash. Florida St. Mus., Bi-01. Sci. 21:47–111.
- ^ Ernst, C.H. and R.W. Barbour. 1972. Turtles of the United States. The Univ. Press of Kentucky, Lexington.
- ^ Tinkle, D.W. 1959. The relation of the fall line to the distribution and abundance of turtles. Copeia 1959:167–170.
- ^ D.A. Steen, J.P. Gibbs, K.A. Buhlmann, J.L. Carr, B.W. Compton, J.D. Congdon, J.Due south. Doody, J.C. Godwin, K.L. Holcomb, D.R.
Further reading [edit]
D.Southward. Wilson. 2012. Terrestrial habitat requirements of nesting freshwater turtles. Biological Conservation 150: 121–128.org. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- Rhodin, Anders One thousand.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Iverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley (xiv December 2010). "Turtles of the World 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution and Conservation Condition" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2010. Retrieved fifteen Dec 2010.
External links [edit]
- Austin's Turtle Page [ permanent dead link ]
- Graptemys pulchra at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed xiv April 2013.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alabama_map_turtle
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