Vertebral plates definitely alternating with the costal plates; plastron 

 usually with dark markings 32. 



31. Carapace short and wide, with the vertebral plates wider than the costal 



plates, so that the adult of this species resembles the form of the young 

 of the following species; with a broad, light, mid'dorsal stripe; Illinois 

 south 



Chrysemys picta dorsalis (Agassiz) Striped Painted Turtle 

 Carapace long'oval, with the vertebral plates about the same width as 

 the costal plates, in the adult; with a fine, light, mid'dorsal line; New 

 England to Florida 



Chrysemys picta picta (Schneider ) Eastern Painted Turtle 



32. Larger plates of carapace plain dark, with narrow yellow borders; plas' 



tron with a long dark patch in the center; N. Y. to Wis. and Tenn. 



Chrysemys heWii marginata (Agassiz) Western Painted Turtle 



Larger plates of carapace scarcely, if any, margined with yellow, but 



with a fine yellow network; plastron with two dark bands running 



lengthwise and uniting anteriorly and posteriorly; Wash, to 111. and 



Texas 



Chrysemys hellii belli! (Gray) Bell's Painted Turtle 



33. Ridge along grinding surface of jaws smooth; lower jaw with a thin, 



smooth, outer cutting edge 34. 



Ridge along grinding surface of jaws tuberculate; lower jaw with a ser' 



rate edge, like the teeth of a fine saw, or sometimes smooth 36. 



34. Head almost wholly dark, with obscure stripes and markings; Tennessee 



region (Thought to be a phase of the adult male of P. t. elegans) 

 Pseudemys troostii troostii (Holbrook) Troost's Terrapin 

 With a red or yellow patch of color on each side of the head behind 

 each eye 35. 



35. With a long, oval, red or orange spot behind each eye; plastron with 



much dark color; Ohio to Iowa and south 



Pseudemys troostii elegans (Wied) Cumberland Terrapin 

 With an irregular, yellow cross band extending down on each side of the 

 head from behind each eye; plastron entirely yellow or with only a 

 few dark markings; N. C. to Florida 



Pseudemys scnpta (Schoepif) Yellow-bellied Terrapin 

 (Chrysemys scahra (Agassiz,) ) 



36. No projection on each side of a median notch in the upper jaw; edge 



of upper jaw smooth or serrate 37. 



With a projection on each side of a notch in the middle of the front of 



the upper jaw; rest of upper jaw usually serrate 42. 



37. Usually with a notch in the middle of the front of the upper jaw; stripes 



on top of head usually broken or with cross connections; Indiana to the 

 Mississippi River 



Pseudemys concinna hieroglyphica (Holbrook) Hieroglyphic 

 Terrapin 

 No notch in middle of front of upper jaw; light lines on top of head con' 

 tinuous, although sometimes branched 38. 



436 



