![]() Graptemys sabinensis Cagle, 1953 – Sabine map turtle.Graptemys pulchra Baur, 1893 – Alabama map turtle.pseudogeographica (Gray, 1831) – false map turtle kohnii (Baur, 1890) – Mississippi map turtle Graptemys pseudogeographica ( Gray, 1831) – false map turtle.Graptemys pearlensis Ennen, Lovich, Kreiser, Selman, Qualls, 2010 – Pearl River map turtle.Graptemys ouachitensis Cagle, 1953 – Ouachita map turtle.Graptemys oculifera ( Baur, 1890) – ringed map turtle.Graptemys nigrinoda Cagle, 1954 – black-knobbed map turtle.Graptemys gibbonsi Lovich & McCoy, 1992 – Pascagoula map turtle. ![]() Graptemys geographica ( Lesueur, 1817) – northern map turtle, formerly known as the common map turtle.Graptemys flavimaculata Cagle, 1954 – yellow-blotched map turtle or yellow-blotched sawback.Graptemys ernsti Lovich & McCoy, 1992 – Escambia map turtle.Graptemys caglei Haynes & McKown, 1974 – Cagle's map turtle.Graptemys barbouri Carr & Marchand, 1942 – Barbour's map turtle. ![]() Nota bene: A binomial authority or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Graptemys. The following species and subspecies are recognized as being valid (listed alphabetically by specific name and subspecific name). Species Mississippi map turtles ( Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni), adult female left, adult male right, photographed in situ, Trinity River, Liberty Co., Texas (20 April 2007) oculifera) are listed as threatened by the U.S. flavimaculata) and the ringed map turtle ( G. Seven of the 14 species are listed as either near threatened, vulnerable, or endangered by the IUCN Red List as of 2021, and two species, the yellow-blotched map turtle ( G. Females lay two to 15 eggs per clutch and depending on a number of variables such as species, size, and age among other factors, may skip a year between clutches, or lay as many four clutches a year. Like all turtles, map turtles are oviparous, typically laying eggs from late June to August. Within this spectrum of food items there is significant niche partitioning among the sexually dimorphic males and females, and microcephalic, mesocephalic, and megacephalic species occurring in the same river drainages. Fish only appear in the diets of a few species and then only in a relatively small percentage of the diet. They primarily feed on fresh water mussels, clams, snails, insects (including larva and eggs), bryozoans, sponges, algae, and various vegetation. Most Graptemys are lotic (river) turtles, having a preference for moving water and larger lakes, and with long legs, broad feet, and long fully webbed digits they are well adapted for swimming in currents. They are endemic to North America, where most species occur in the rivers of the Gulf Coast of the United States, although three species are more wide-ranging, dispersed throughout the eastern two thirds of the greater Mississippi River basin, into the Great Lakes region, and east to New York and southeast Canada. Some species are occasionally called "sawbacks", in reference to the serrated keels on their shell. The common name "map turtle" is derived from the intricate patterns on their shells that are suggestive of topographical maps, although the patterns are more apparent in some species than others, and often become obscure in older specimens. The patterns on the head can be important characters in identifying the various species. The head, neck, and limbs exhibit bold patterns of yellow (occasionally orange or red) lines and spots against darker green, olive, or black base colors. Most species have a distinctive dark pigmented keel that is often notched or serrated running down the center of the carapace and serrated scutes on the rear margin. ![]() although some sources indicate female Barbour's map turtles ( Graptemys barbouri) grow to 33 cm (13 in) in length. Graptemys are small to medium-sized turtles that are significantly sexually dimorphic, with females in some species attaining as much as twice the length and ten times the mass as males. Graptemys is a genus of freshwater turtles containing 14 species, commonly known as map turtles. ![]()
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