Trachemys taylori

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Endangered

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Habitat

Biome: Terrestrial ; Freshwater [1].

Ecology: The Cuatro Cienegas basin is an hourglass-shaped intermontane basin of about 50 km long and 8 to 24 km wide (about 600 sq. km), its floor being at 720 m altitude . Much of the central part of the basin is marshy , with dry sandy slopes leading up the rocky valley slopes. A number of deep (up to several metres ) ponds occur within the marshy area, and retain crystal-clear water throughout the year. About half the bottom is covered by dense submerged aquatic vegetation (mainly Chara), the other half is bare sediment. Waterlilies grow in the shallow parts, and thick stands of cattails (Typha) and Eleocharis fringe the ponds. Water temp is about 27 to 29 degrees C. Ponds may be separated from dry nesting areas on the slopes by substantial distances (several 100 m) of flat marshy grassland. (Webb and Legler 1960).

Within this basin, T. taylori has only been encountered in the river and clear deep pools , but not in the marshy areas (Legler 1960).

T. taylori appears to be predominantly vegetarian (Legler 1960).
Apparently no information is available on reproduction .

T. taylori intertgrades or hybridizes with T. scripta elegans in the Rio Chiquito/Rio Nadadores from it flows out of the Cuatro Cienegas basin, to the degree that the entire population inhabiting the river for over 30 miles outside the basin is intermediate in characteristics (Legler 1960, 1963).[1].

List of Habitats :

•     5     Wetlands (inland)   
  
•     5.1     Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls )   
  
•     5.7     Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)   
[more info]

Taxonomy

Synonyms

pseudemys scripta

Notes

Traditionally considered a subspecies of Trachemys scripta, noted as sufficiently distinct to warrant species rank by Legler (1990), and formally elevated to full species by Seidel (2002). (Ref. 311327).

Similar Species

Members of the genus Trachemys

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 17 species and subspecies in this genus:

T. adiutrix (Carvalho's Slider) · T. decorata (Haitian Slider) · T. decussata (North Antillean Slider) · T. dorbigni (Columbian Slider) · T. gaigeae (Big Bend Slider) · T. ornata (Ornate Slider) · T. scripta (Yellow-Bellied Slider Turtle) · T. scripta elegans (Common Slider) · T. scripta scripta (Yellow-Bellied Slider) · T. scripta troostii (Cumberland Slider) · T. scritpa elegans (Red-Eared Slider) · T. stejnegeri (Hispaniolan Slider Turtle) · T. stejnegeri malonei (Central Antillean Slider) · T. stejnegeri stejnegeri (Puerto Rican Slider) · T. taylori (Cuatro Cienegas Slider) · T. terrapen (Cat Island Freshwater Turtle) · T. yaquia (Yaqui Slider)

More Info

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Further Reading

• Groombridge, B. 1982. The IUCN Amphibia-Reptilia Red Data Book, Part 1: Testudines, Crocodylia, Rhynocehapalia. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
• IUCN. 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 12th September 2007).
• Iverson, J.B. 1992. A Revised Checklist with Distribution Maps of the Turtles of the World. Richmond, Indiana. (Privately published).
• Legler, J.M. 1960. A new subspecies of Slider Turtle (Pseudemys scripta) from Coahuila, Mexico. University of Kansas Publications of the Museum of Natural History 13(3): 73-84.
• Legler, J.M. 1963. Further evidence for intergradation of two Mexican slider turtles (Pseudemys scripta). Herpetologica 19(2): 142-143.
• Legler, J.M. 1990. The genus Pseudemys in Mesoamerica: taxonomy, distribution, and origins. In: Gibbons, J.W. Life History and Ecology of the Slider Turtle, pp. 82-105. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.
• Reuters. 2007. Milk thirst threatens rare desert oasis in Mexico. News Report, see .
• Seidel, M. 2002. Taxonomic observations on extant species and subspecies of slider turtles, Genus Trachemys. Journal of Herpetology 36(2): 285-292.
• Smith, H.M. and Smith, R.B. 1979. Synopsis of the Herpetofauna of Mexico (Vol. VI - Guide to Mexican Turtles ). John Johnson, North Bennington, VT. xvii + 1044 pp.
• Webb, R.G. and Legler, J.M. 1960. A new softshell turtle (Genus Trionyx) from Coahuila, Mexico. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 40(2): 21-30.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed March 27, 2012.
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
• van Dijk, P.P. & Flores-Villela, O. 2007. Trachemys taylori. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 05February2012.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 10373298
• IUCN ID: 246761
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 3963468

Footnotes

1. van Dijk, P.P. & Flores-Villela, O. 2007. Trachemys taylori. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 05 February 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.