Pearl River map turtle

Pearl River map turtle
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Emydidae
Genus: Graptemys
Species:
G. pearlensis
Binomial name
Graptemys pearlensis
Ennen et al., 2010[3]
Combined range map of Pearl River map turtle (western blue section) and Pascagoula map turtle (eastern blue section)

The Pearl River map turtle (Graptemys pearlensis) 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.[4]

Geographic range[edit]

It is endemic to the Pearl River in Louisiana and Mississippi.[3] The ringed map turtle (G. oculifera) is also endemic to the Pearl River.

Taxonomy[edit]

Until 2010, it was included in the Pascagoula map turtle (G. gibbonsi), which it resembles.[3] In 2010 Ennen and his colleagues described Graptemys pearlensis as a new species. They used sequence variation of the mitochondrial control region along with the ND4 gene and found out three samples of Graptemys pearlensis constituting reciprocally monophyletic sister clades.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ van Dijk, P.P. (2016) [errata version of 2011 assessment]. "Graptemys pearlensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T184437A97423604. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  3. ^ a b c Ennen, Joshua R.; Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Kreiser, Brian R.; Selman, W.; Qualls, Carl P. (2010). "Genetic and morphological variation between populations of the Pascagoula map turtle (Graptemys gibbonsi) in the Pearl and Pascagoula Rivers with description of a new species". Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 9 (1): 98–113. doi:10.2744/CCB-0835.1. S2CID 49358338.
  4. ^ Selman, Will; Jones, Robert L. (January 2017). "Population structure, status, and conservation of two Graptemys species from the Pearl River, Mississippi". Journal of Herpetology. 51 (1): 27–36. doi:10.1670/15-082. ISSN 0022-1511. S2CID 89108416.
  5. ^ Praschag, Peter; Ihlow, Flora; Flecks, Morris; Vamberger, Melita; Fritz, Uwe (2017). "Diversity of North American map and sawback turtles (Testudines: Emydidae: Graptemys)". Zoologica Scripta. 46 (6): 675–682. doi:10.1111/zsc.12249. S2CID 89635583.

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