The Terrapins 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF CHRYSEMYS 



Division I. Carapace perfectly smooth and rounded without 

 a keel and not serrated at the rear margin. 

 Sife, front 5 to 8 inches. 



a. Bright red markings on upper and lower marginal 



shields of carapace. 



Dark olive above; shields with wide, yellowish 



borders. Plastron immaculate yellow. 



EASTERN PAINTED TERRAPIN, C. picta. 



Distribution. Eastern North America. 



Carapace dark olive, the shields with narrow, 

 yellowish margins. Plastron yellow, with a long 

 black patch in centre. 



WESTERN PAINTED TERRAPIN, C. marginata. 



Carapace dark olive or brown; shields with 

 very narrow, or no yellow margins, but trav- 

 ersed by vein-like, yellow lines. Plastron yel- 

 low, with symmetrical, black markings in the 

 centre. BELL'S PAINTED TERRAPIN, C. belli. 



Distribution. United States, west of the Miss- 

 issippi and Ohio Rivers. 



b. No red markings on upper or lower margins of 



carapace; latter yellow, with or without black 



spots. 



Olive or brown above, with a net-work of fine 



yellow lines; plastron immaculate yellow. 



CHICKEN TURTLE, C. reticulaius. 

 Distribution. Southeastern United States. 

 Division II. Shell smooth or with numerous parallel grooves; 

 serrated at rear margin. 

 Si^e, }rom 10 to 14 inches. 



c. Carapace flat, stnootb, serrated at rear. 



Carapace olive, with large, black blotches; 

 no yellow markings. Head dull olive. 



TROOST'S TERRAPIN, C. troosti. 



Distribution. States bordering the Mississippi 

 to Illinois. 



Carapace olive, divided into various sized and 

 shaped areas by yellow bands, the spaces contain- 

 ing concentric, yellow lines. 



HIEROGLYPHIC TERRAPIN, C. bieroglypbica. 



Distribution. Georgia, northern Alabama and 

 Tennessee. 



d. Carapace flat, with numerous parallel grooves: 



serrated at rear. 



Numerous parallel stripes on bead and neck, 



all of which are yellow. 



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