Morphological Variation in Pseudemys 1 19 



Multivariate analysis of variance (Wilks' criterion) for 30 character 

 ratios and 3 unadjusted characters indicated significant differences 

 (P<0.01) between species. Differences (P<0.01) were found in 15 

 characters for males and 15 characters for females. Fisher's test indicated 

 that most of these characters separate P. rubriventris from P. concinna 

 and P. floridana (Table 3). The only characters that separate P. concinna 

 and P. floridana are based on head and neck markings and shell height 

 (P<0.05). The following characters and character ratios showed no 

 significant difference (7 > >0.05) between species: PG, CW/CL, CD/CL, 

 CD/CW, CD/SW, CV/CD, MA/MD, MP/MH, MH/MA, IL/PL, 

 IE/CL, PX/XW, XW/PL, ET/PL, EP/PL, NR/CL. 



CHARACTER ANALYSIS 



Morphometric analysis of P. rubriventris, P. concinna, and P. 

 floridana revealed several measurements that distinguish those species in 

 northern and middle Atlantic slope drainages. In all Pseudemys, females 

 have considerably deeper shells than males. However, interspecific 

 comparisons of the same sex indicated a deep shell (SH and CH) in P. 

 rubriventris, an intermediate depth in P. floridana, and a shallow shell 

 in P. concinna (Table 3). These results are similar to differences in shell 

 height reported by Seidel (1981), Ward (1984), and Weaver and Rose 

 (1967). Head-striping patterns also distinguish these three forms. The 

 broadest gular (post-symphyseal) stripes (GS) and supratemporal stripes 

 (SS) are seen in P. concinna, moderate stripes are found in P. floridana, 

 and the narrowest stripes occur in P. rubriventris (Table 3, Fig. 10). 

 Several additional mensural characters distinguish P. rubriventris from 

 P. concinna and P. floridana, but do not separate those two from each 

 other. Compared with P. concinna and P. floridana, P. rubriventris has 

 a longer cervical scute (CU, CS), shallower anal notch (AN), broader 

 anal scute angle (AA), wider lateral angle (slope) of carapace (SA), 

 greater ventral extension of the posterior carapace (AV, AP), greater 

 head width (HW), and longer tomial cusps (LC) (Fig. 11 and 12). A 

 long cervical scute and prominent tomial cusps have frequently been 

 cited as diagnostic characteristics of the redbelly turtles, P. rubriventris, 

 P. nelsoni, and P. alabamensis (Carr 1952, Weaver and Rose 1967, 

 Ward 1984). Weaver and Rose (1967) noted ventral projection of the 

 carapace (pygal bone) in P. rubriventris but not in P. concinna and P. 

 floridana, and Ward (1984) reported a deeper anal notch in P. concinna 

 and P. floridana compared with redbelly turtles. Angle of the anal scute 

 (xiphiplastron) is a characteristic that shows pronounced sexual 

 dimorphism (Fig. 12). 



Ward (1984) described the following scute and shell characters that 

 reportedly distinguish P. floridana from P. concinna: wider cervical 



