Question 8 (Map Turtles)
8A:Shell olive or tan with faint yellow or orange lines, blunt black spines along keel of shell. Shell is fairly flat, serrated along the back edge only. Keel may be reduced in large adults. Very narrow yellow stripes on neck and legs. Turtle has yellow spot or crescent-shaped marking on each side of head. Skin on neck appears rough or bumpy. In adults lower shell plain, cream-colored. Found in Mississippi & Sabine River drainages, from Louisiana & eastern Texas northward to Missouri & Illinois, found farther north only in major rivers. Babies resemble adults, but shell pattern more distinct, lower shell intricately patterned.
False Map Turtle, Graptemys pseudogeographica G. pseudogeographica Subspecies
8B:Shell dark olive or brown with orange lines that form a netlike pattern. Turtle has pronounced keel, but lacking spines. Shell serrated along back edge only. Relatively wide yellow stripes on head and legs. Lips whitish in color, giving a clown-like appearance. Head disproportionately large in adult females. Found from northern Alabama, Tennessee, & Missouri northward to the great lakes.
Common Map Turtle, Graptemys geographica
8C:Shell green or brown with thin yellow or orange lines that form a netlike pattern. Turtle has black spines along keel. Shell is very steep, even in adults. Shell serrated along back edge only. Lower shell whitish or light yellow-green, with black along scute seams. Large brown, greenish, or yellow blotches on head. Skin on neck smooth. Head wide, disproportionately large, especially in females. Found only in gulf coast states, from western Florida & Georgia to eastern Louisiana.
Go to Large-headed Map Turtles -- Question 18
8D:Shell tan, olive, or brown with yellow or orange rings or blotches. Turtle has black spines or knobs along keel. Keel is very pronounced, but shell is otherwise flat. Shell serrated on front and back edges. Wide stripes on head & legs give turtle a clown-like appearance. Lower shell brightly colored. Head relatively small. Found only in Alabama, Mississippi, and eastern Louisiana.
Go to Sawback turtles -- Question 19
8E:Shell dark olive with faint, thin concentric light green or yellow lines. Lines form a netlike pattern. Keel low or moderate without spines. Shell serrated along back edge only, back of shell comes to a blunt point over tail. Thin, closely spaced lines on heck and legs. Found only in the Colorado River system of central Texas.
Texas Map Turtle, Graptemys versa
8F:Shell brightly patterned with alternating black and yellow-green concentric lines and circles. Keel very steep, with blunt knobs patterned like the rest of the shell. Head and legs with wide yellow lines. Arguably one of the most attractive map turtles. Found only in the Guadalupe & San Antonio River systems of eastern Texas.
Cagle's Map Turtle, Graptemys caglei