﻿SPOTTED 
  TURTLE. 
  397 
  

  

  Clemmys 
  guttata 
  (Schneider). 
  

  

  Spotted 
  Turtle; 
  Mud 
  Turtle. 
  

  

  Plate 
  27. 
  

  

  Tcstudo 
  guttata 
  Schneider, 
  Schr. 
  Ges. 
  Naturf. 
  Freunde, 
  Berlin, 
  1792, 
  vol. 
  10, 
  p. 
  264. 
  

   Clemmys 
  guttata 
  Strauch, 
  Mem. 
  Acad. 
  Sci. 
  St. 
  Petersbourg, 
  18G2, 
  ser. 
  7, 
  vol. 
  5, 
  no. 
  7, 
  p. 
  107. 
  

  

  The 
  Spotted 
  Turtle, 
  mth 
  perhaps 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  the 
  Painted 
  Turtle 
  {Chnjsemys 
  pida), 
  

   is 
  the 
  commonest 
  Chelonian 
  in 
  New 
  England. 
  

  

  Size. 
  — 
  Measurements 
  (in 
  inches) 
  of 
  two 
  adult 
  specimens 
  are: 
  length 
  of 
  carapace 
  (in 
  

   straight 
  line), 
  male 
  4| 
  inches, 
  female 
  4 
  inches; 
  length 
  across 
  curve 
  of 
  carapace, 
  male, 
  5^, 
  female, 
  

   4|; 
  width 
  (in 
  straight 
  hne), 
  male, 
  3|, 
  female 
  3; 
  width 
  on 
  curve 
  of 
  carapace, 
  male, 
  4^, 
  female 
  

   4g; 
  height 
  of 
  carapace, 
  male, 
  1|, 
  female, 
  IJ; 
  sternal 
  length, 
  male, 
  3f, 
  female, 
  3|; 
  sternal 
  width, 
  

   male, 
  2f, 
  female 
  2|. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  male 
  the 
  t.ail 
  is 
  more 
  than 
  twice 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  female. 
  

  

  Color. 
  — 
  The 
  carapace 
  is 
  black, 
  covered 
  irregularly 
  with 
  circular 
  orange 
  spots 
  (specimens 
  

   taken 
  in 
  salt 
  marshes 
  have 
  a 
  decidedly 
  rusty 
  appearance). 
  The 
  plastron 
  is 
  black 
  blotched 
  

   with 
  pale 
  yellow. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  black, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  deep-orange 
  spot 
  over 
  the 
  aural 
  region. 
  

   The 
  neck 
  and 
  extremities 
  are 
  "pale 
  salmon," 
  bordered 
  with 
  black. 
  

  

  Yerkes 
  (1905), 
  from 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  color 
  patterns 
  in 
  this 
  turtle, 
  ch-aws 
  the 
  following 
  con- 
  

   clusions 
  : 
  

  

  "1. 
  The 
  young 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  of 
  tortoise 
  usually 
  have 
  a 
  single 
  j^ellow 
  spot 
  on 
  each 
  plate 
  

   of 
  the 
  carapace, 
  except 
  the 
  marginals. 
  With 
  age 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  spots 
  increases, 
  they 
  appear 
  

   on 
  the 
  marginal 
  plates 
  also, 
  and 
  their 
  arrangement 
  becomes 
  irregular. 
  

  

  "2. 
  The 
  epidermal 
  layer 
  is 
  transparent 
  immediately 
  over 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  yellow 
  pigment 
  

   in 
  the 
  outer 
  bony 
  layer, 
  hence, 
  window-like 
  regions 
  in 
  the 
  outer 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  shell. 
  

  

  "3. 
  Although 
  the 
  females 
  are 
  slightly 
  smaller 
  than 
  the 
  males 
  they 
  usually 
  have 
  about 
  

   15 
  per 
  cent, 
  more 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  carapace. 
  The 
  average 
  number 
  for 
  the 
  males 
  is 
  60, 
  for 
  the 
  

   females 
  69. 
  This 
  would 
  seem 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  brightly 
  colored 
  spots 
  serve 
  as 
  both 
  sex 
  and 
  

   species 
  marks. 
  Probably 
  they 
  serve 
  to 
  render 
  the 
  females 
  conspicuous. 
  

  

  "4. 
  Statistics 
  indicate 
  a 
  greater 
  number 
  of 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  carapace 
  than 
  on 
  

   the 
  right 
  in 
  both 
  males 
  and 
  females. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  correlated 
  with 
  right- 
  

   handedness 
  and 
  right-eyedness." 
  

  

  Agassiz 
  (1857, 
  vol. 
  1, 
  p. 
  443) 
  states 
  that 
  he 
  has 
  seen 
  old 
  specimens 
  "entirely 
  black." 
  

   Where 
  the 
  spots 
  occur 
  but 
  singly 
  on 
  each 
  shield, 
  they 
  are 
  usually 
  larger 
  than 
  when 
  appearing 
  

   in 
  groups; 
  

  

  