Mississippi map turtle

Mississippi map turtle
Top: Mississippi Map Turtle; Bottom: False Map Turtle
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Emydidae
Subfamily:	Deirochelyinae
Genus:	Graptemys
Species:	G. pseudogeographica
Subspecies:	G. p. kohni
Trinomial name
Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni (Baur, 1890)
Synonyms
Malacoclemmys kohnii Baur, 1890 Graptemys kohnii — Baur, 1893 Malaclemys lesueurii kohnii — Siebenrock, 1909 Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii — Stejneger & Barbour, 1917 Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni — Mertens, 1934 Graptemys kohni — Cagle, 1953 Malaclemys kohni — McDowell, 1964 Graptemys khonii Ferri, 2002 (ex errore)[1] Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni — Rhodin et al., 2010[2]

The Mississippi map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni) is a subspecies of land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. G. p. kohni is endemic to the central United States. Map turtles get their common name from the lines and markings on their carapace which resemble the contour lines of a map. They occur in the Mississippi Valley from Illinois and Nebraska, down into the Gulf States from Mississippi to Texas, usually in rivers, lakes and large streams (not typically in isolated farm ponds or small creeks). They tend to prefer habitat with abundant vegetation.

Etymology

The Mississippi map turtle derives its common name not from the state of Mississippi, but rather from the Mississippi River.

The specific name, kohni, is in honor of amateur naturalist Joseph Gustave Kohn (1837-1906) of New Orleans, Louisiana, who collected the type specimen.^[3][4]

Geographic range

It is found along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, from Illinois and Missouri southward.^[5]

Description

Females are considerably larger than males, the adult male being 3.5 to 5 inches (about 9 to 13 cm) in carapace length, and the adult female from 6 to 10 inches (about 15 to 25 cm) in carapace length. Males have a leaner look, more like juveniles, but females have a larger, bulkier build.

Captivity

A Mississippi map turtle swimming inside a tank.

It is a popular pet for aquarists and is very enjoyable to watch.

References

1. Fritz, Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 189. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
2. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
3. Baur, G. (1890). Two New Species of Tortoises from the South. Science 16 (405): 262-263.
4. Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins; Michael Grayson. (2007). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Graptemys kohni, p. 145.)
5. http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-mississippi_map.htm

Further reading

• Conant, R. (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. xviii + 429 pp. + 48 plates. ISBN 0-395-19979-4 (hardback), ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Graptemys kohni pp. 56–57 + Plates 5, 8 + Map 19.)
• Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden Press. New York. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3 (paperback). (Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni, pp. 50–51.)