﻿MUHLENBERG'S 
  TURTLE. 
  401 
  

  

  Clemmys 
  muhlenbergii 
  (Schoepff). 
  

  

  Muhlenberg's 
  Turtle. 
  

  

  Plate 
  28. 
  

  

  Testudo 
  muhlenhergii 
  Schoepff, 
  Hist. 
  Testud., 
  1801, 
  pt. 
  6, 
  p. 
  132, 
  pi. 
  31. 
  

  

  Clemmys 
  muhlenbergii 
  Strauch, 
  Mem. 
  Acad. 
  Sci. 
  St. 
  Petersbourg, 
  1865, 
  ser. 
  7, 
  vol. 
  8, 
  no. 
  13, 
  p. 
  67. 
  

  

  This 
  turtle 
  was 
  named 
  in 
  honor 
  of 
  Rev. 
  Mr. 
  Muhlenberg 
  of 
  Pennsylvania, 
  an 
  early 
  Ameri- 
  

   can 
  naturaUst. 
  

  

  Size. 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  smaller 
  turtles. 
  Measurements 
  of 
  an 
  adult 
  female 
  from 
  Newport, 
  

   R. 
  I., 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  Comparative 
  Zoology 
  at 
  Cambridge, 
  Mass., 
  are: 
  

   length 
  of 
  carapace, 
  3| 
  inches; 
  width 
  of 
  carapace, 
  2^; 
  length 
  of 
  plastron, 
  3^; 
  width 
  of 
  plas- 
  

   tron, 
  2; 
  length 
  of 
  bridge, 
  I 
  of 
  an 
  inch; 
  width 
  of 
  head, 
  rs 
  of 
  an 
  inch; 
  length 
  of 
  tail, 
  In. 
  A 
  

   length 
  of 
  carapace 
  of 
  4| 
  inches 
  is 
  occasionally 
  attained. 
  

  

  Color. 
  — 
  The 
  carapace 
  is 
  dull 
  brown 
  or 
  black 
  with 
  faint 
  yellowish 
  (sometimes 
  reddish) 
  

   blotches 
  which 
  are 
  centrally 
  placed 
  on 
  each 
  shield. 
  These 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  present. 
  Occasion- 
  

   ally 
  a 
  specimen 
  is 
  found 
  showing 
  yellow 
  spots 
  as 
  in 
  C. 
  guttata. 
  The 
  plastron 
  is 
  black, 
  irregularly 
  

   marked 
  with 
  yellow. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  black, 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  bright 
  orange 
  spot 
  back 
  of 
  each 
  ear. 
  

   The 
  neck 
  is 
  brown 
  and 
  the 
  extremities 
  brownish 
  yellow 
  or 
  dark 
  browai. 
  

  

  Description. 
  — 
  The 
  carapace 
  is 
  oblong, 
  somewhat 
  contracted 
  and 
  slightly 
  keeled. 
  The 
  

   shields 
  are 
  sometimes 
  smooth 
  but 
  usually 
  concentrically 
  grooved, 
  although 
  less 
  deeply 
  than 
  in 
  

   C. 
  insculpta. 
  The 
  nuchal 
  shield 
  is 
  very 
  narrow. 
  There 
  are 
  twenty-five 
  marginals. 
  The 
  

   plastron 
  is 
  emarginate 
  posteriorly. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  short 
  and 
  broad; 
  the 
  eye 
  large, 
  with 
  brown 
  

   iris. 
  The 
  upper 
  jaw 
  is 
  deeply 
  notched 
  and 
  arched 
  downward. 
  The 
  toes 
  are 
  less 
  extensively 
  

   webbed 
  than 
  in 
  C. 
  guttata. 
  There 
  are 
  five 
  claws 
  anteriorly 
  and 
  four 
  posteriorly. 
  

  

  Geographic 
  Distribution. 
  — 
  This 
  turtle 
  has 
  a 
  restricted 
  and 
  local 
  range. 
  It 
  occurs 
  in 
  

   eastern 
  Pennsylvania, 
  New 
  Jersey, 
  southern, 
  central, 
  and 
  western 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  

   taken 
  at 
  Newport, 
  R. 
  I. 
  

  

  New 
  England 
  Records. 
  — 
  There 
  is 
  but 
  one 
  record 
  of 
  this 
  turtle 
  for 
  New 
  England. 
  In 
  1902, 
  

   Alexander 
  Agassiz 
  took 
  three 
  specimens 
  (two 
  males 
  and 
  one 
  female) 
  at 
  Newport, 
  R. 
  I., 
  and 
  

   presented 
  them 
  on 
  September 
  23d, 
  to 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  Comparative 
  Zoology 
  at 
  Cambridge, 
  

   Mass., 
  where 
  two 
  of 
  them 
  now 
  are. 
  The 
  thu-d 
  has 
  since 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  Boston 
  Society 
  of 
  

   Natural 
  History. 
  As 
  this 
  species 
  also 
  occurs 
  in 
  southern 
  New 
  York 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  probable 
  

   that 
  the 
  range 
  extends 
  through 
  southern 
  Connecticut 
  as 
  well, 
  although 
  there 
  are 
  as 
  yet 
  no 
  

   published 
  records. 
  

  

  