Pearl river map turtle

Graptemys pearlensis

Graptemys pearlensis, in English also Pearl River Map Turtle is a species in the genus Map turtles, which belongs to the family of New World pond turtles.

Features

Graptemys pearlensis externally very similar to the Pascagoula bump turtle ( Graptemys gibbonsi ), with the species was considered up to its description as conspecific. Like these it belongs to the Map turtles with a wide head, the females have broader heads than the males. She has a towering, olive-brown carapace with a distinct keel, which is mostly consistently colored black or dark brown, the coloring on the thorn -like appendages is most pronounced. The marginal scales each have a single yellow stripe at the top, which is narrower than that of Graptemys gibbonsi. In the twelfth and final scale of these stripes is shorter and further from the seam between the two twelfth scales than Graptemys gibbonsi. With a carapace length of up to 29.5 inches, the females are considerably larger than the males with a maximum of about 12 centimeters carapace length. The plastron is flat. Head and legs are brown to olive with bright yellow to yellowish- green stripes. On his head is a great spot between the eyes, which is connected with two large spots behind the eyes and mostly expires on the nose to a trident -like shape.

Occurrence

The species occurs in Mississippi and Louisiana before in medium-sized rivers of the Pearl River river system, after which the species was named.