False map turtle

False map turtle
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Emydidae
Genus:	Graptemys
Species:	G. pseudogeographica
Binomial name
Graptemys pseudogeographica (Gray, 1831)
Subspecies
G. p. pseudogeographica (Gray, 1831), false map turtle G. p. kohnii (Baur, 1890), Mississippi map turtle
Range map
Synonyms
Emys pseudogeographica Gray, 1831 Emys lesueurii Gray, 1831 Graptemys lesueurii — Agassiz, 1857 Clemmys pseudogeographica — Strauch, 1862 Graptemys pseudogeographica — Gray, 1863 Malacoclemmys pseudogeographicus — Cope, 1875 Malacoclemmys lesueuri Yarrow, 1883 (ex errore) Malacoclemmys pseudographicus Davis & Rice, 1883 (ex errore) Malacoclemmys lesueurii — Boulenger, 1889 Malaclemys pseudogeographica — O.P. Hay, 1892 Malaclemys pseudogeographicus — Paulmier, 1902 Graptemys pseudogeographicus — Siebenrock, 1909 Graptemys pseudogeographica pseudogeographica — Stejneger & Barbour, 1917 Malaclemys pseudogeographica pseudogeographica — Cochran & Goin, 1970 Graptemys pseudogeoraphica Anan'eva, 1988 (ex errore) Graptemys pseudogeographica pseudogeographica — Crother, 2000

The false map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica) is a species of turtle endemic to the United States. It is a commonly-kept pet species. Two subspecies are recognized—the nominate subspecies (G. pseudogeographica), described here, and the Mississippi map turtle (G. p. kohnii).

Description

Also known as a "sawback" turtle, the false map turtle's carapace features a raised, almost arched form, with a unique vertebral row of low spines down the center of its back. The shell is serrated on the posterior rim, and is olive to brownish in color, showing some lighter, yellowish markings with dark edging. The plastron color varies from creamy beige to yellow, and, in juvenile turtles, is patterned with dark lines along the seams. The body color of the false map turtle is grayish-brown to blackish, and its head, in contrast, is streaked with horizontal brownish-yellow or white stripes. The eyes can be brown, light yellow, white, or green, and are bisected with a dark stripe. Narrow, hooked marks behind the eye also fuse with dorsal stripes on the head and neck; smaller, light-colored spots occur just below the eye and chin.

Geographic range

The false map turtle lives in large streams of the Missouri and Mississippi River systems, ranging from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, through the Dakotas southward to southwestern Alabama, southern and western Mississippi, and Louisiana. The false map turtle also lives in several other river systems of Southwest Louisiana and East Texas.

Conservation status

Overall, despite increasing encroachment by humans and potential changes to their natural habitats, the false map turtle is listed as "least concern" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, in the Midwest, it is a species of "special interest", especially in Ohio.

Behavior

Map turtles of all kinds are avid baskers, spending many hours during the day in the sun. When with other turtles, they also are very communal, sharing space and using each other for predator-watching, increasing the odds of surviving an attack.

Subspecies

• Nominotypical subspecies: G. p. pseudogeographica (Gray, 1831) – False map turtle
• G. p. kohnii (Baur, 1890) – Mississippi map turtle

Ecology

The false map turtle is a strong swimmer and prefers rivers and large creeks with moderate currents, containing aquatic vegetation, as well as snags or floating logs. They are also comfortable in deep and swift water. The turtles are present in oxbow lakes and sloughs, but are absent from lakes, ponds, or small streams. Basking is important to these turtles, and they may even be found on steep, slippery snags.

Threats and management issues

A variety of threats face this species, including the destruction of nests of eggs by animals and insects, falling victim to gill nets, and being shot. False map turtles, much like red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), have also been collected for the pet trade.

Gallery

• 
  Clutch preparation of a breeding false map turtle on a meadow
• 
  Same turtle during oviposition

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 (hardcover), ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Graptemys pseudogeographica, pp. 57–58 + Plate 8 + Map 14.)
• Ernst, C.H., J.E. Lovich and R.W. Barbour. (1994). Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, District of Columbia.
• Gray, J.E. (1831). Synopsis Reptilium; or Short Descriptions of the Species of Reptiles. Part I.—Cataphracta. Tortoises, Crocodiles, and Enaliosaurians. Treuttel, Wurz, and Co. London. viii + 85 pp. + 11 plates. (Emys pseudogeographica, p. 31.)
• 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, pp. 50–51.)

External links

• Graptemys pseudogeographica Archived 18 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Illinois Natural History Survey
• False Map Turtle, Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa
• Graptemys pseudogeographica, The Reptile Database