Graptemys.com

Welcome to Graptemys.com

The objective of this page is to provide information about the natural history, identification, conservation, legal status, and just overall interest in this group of Emydid turtles referred to as map turtles and sawbacks (Genus: Graptemys).  This is a work in progress, so the material will be posted slowly as it is finished. Thank you for your interest.  Chris Lechowicz

 

• Northern map turtle or common map turtle (G. geographica)  Le Sueur, 1817
• False map turtle (G. pseudogeographica)
•          False map turtle (G. p. pseudogeographica) Gray, 1831
•          Mississippi map turtle (G. p. kohnii) Baur, 1890
• Ringed map turtle (G. oculifera) Baur, 1890.
• Alabama map turtle (G. pulchra) Baur 1893.
• Texas map turtle (G. versa) Stejneger, 1925
• Barbour’s map turtle (G. barbouri) Carr & Marchand, 1942
• Ouachita map turtle (G. ouachitensis) Cagle, 1953
• Black-knobbed map turtle or sawback (G. nigrinoda) Cagle, 1954
• Yellow-blotched map turtle or sawback (G. flavimaculata) Cagle, 1954
• Cagle’s map turtle (G. caglei) Haynes & McKown, 1974   →
• Escambia map turtle (G. ernsti) Lovich & McCoy, 1992
• Pascagoula River map turtle (G. gibbonsi) Lovich & McCoy, 1992
• Pearl River map turtle (G. pearlensis) Ennen et al., 2010
• Sabine map turtle (G. sabinensis) Lindeman, 2013

→  =  Species description nearly complete.

→  = Species description complete. CLICK to view

There are currently fourteen recognized species and two valid subspecies of map turtles.  Graptemys (map turtles) are the most diverse Genus of turtles in the United States. They are primarily a riverine species that can exist sympatrically (with other Graptemys species) or allopatrically (as the sole Graptemys species) in a river drainage or drainages. Some species are endemic to a single river system or a few river systems, others are wide-ranging species existing in many river systems. Most sympatric populations of map turtles consist of each species (females only) having different head types (megacephaly-wide, mesocephaly-medium, microcephaly- narrow) to alleviate competition of food resources.

Map Turtle Breakdown

Megacephalics (wide-heads, molluscivorous diet), 5

Barbour’s map turtle (G. barbouri)

Escambia map turtle (G. ernsti)

Pascagoula map turtle (G. gibbonsi)

Pearl River map turtle (G. pearlensis)

Alabama map turtle (G. pulchra)

 

Mesocephalics (medium heads, but variable depending on diet and location),4

Cagle’s map turtle (G. caglei)

Northern map turtle (G. geographica)

False map turtle (G. pseudogeographica)

Texas map turtle (G. versa)

 

Microcepahalics (narrow-heads, freshwater sponge and aquatic invertebrate diet), 5

Yellow-blotched sawback (G. flavimaculata)

Black-knobbed sawback (G. nigrinoda)

Ouachita map turtle (G. ouachitensis)

Ringed sawback (G. oculifera)

Sabine map turtle (G. sabinensis)