Barbour's map turtle (''Graptemys barbouri'') is a
species of
turtle in the
family Emydidae
Emydidae (Latin ''emys'' (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek εἶδος (''eîdos'', “appearance, resemblance”)) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly calle ...
. The species is native to the southeastern
United States.
Geographic range
''G. barbouri'' is found in
rivers located in southeastern
Alabama, the western panhandle of
Florida, and southwestern
Georgia.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
or epithet, ''barbouri'', is in honor of American
herpetologist Thomas Barbour.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Graptemys barbouri'', p. 16).]
Ownership
Owning Barbour's map turtle is illegal in Georgia,
Michigan, and Alabama. The limit is two turtles per person in Florida. Like all map turtles, it is under the protection of the
Salmonellosis Four-inch Regulation, disallowing ''G. barbouri'' to be sold if it is under the length of 4 in (10 cm).
Description
Adult male Barbour's map turtles are on average 3.5 to 5.5 in (9–14 cm) in straight-line
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
length. Adult females are much larger and can vary from 6 to 12.5 in (15 – 32 cm) in straight-line carapace length. "Females attain really imposing dimensions, and their heads are enormously enlarged".
[ Conant, Roger (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + 48 plates. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Graptemys barbouri'', p. 55 + Plates 5, 8 + Map 18).] ''G. barbouri'' possesses black-tipped spines on the second, third, and fourth vertebral scutes. These spines are very noticeable in males, and resemble a
dorsal fin.
Diet
Barbour's map turtle mainly consumes
mollusks,
insects, and small
fish found in rivers.
References
Further reading
*
Behler JL,
King FW (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp., 657 plates. . (''Graptemys barbouri'', pp. 458–459 + Plate 283).
*
Carr A, Marchand LJ (1942). "A new turtle from the Chipola River, Florida". ''Proc. New England Zool. Club'' 20: 95-100. (''Graptemys barbouri'', new species).
*
Powell R,
Conant R,
Collins JT (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. . (''Graptemys barbouri'', pp. 202–203 + Plates 16, 21 + Figures 82, 92 + photo on page x).
*
Smith HM,
Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification.'' New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (paperback). (''Graptemys barbouri'', pp. 52–53).
External links
*Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996).
''Graptemys barbouri'' 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
*Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resource
{{Taxonbar, from=Q305947
Reptiles of the United States
barbouri
Reptiles described in 1942
Taxa named by Archie Carr
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot