122 



Michael E. Seidel and William M. Palmer 



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CS/CL 



Fig. 1 1. Graph of cervical scute length/ carapace length (CS/CL) versus ventral 

 extension of posterior carapace (AV/ AP). Symbols are defined in Fig. 10. 



evidence of a C-shaped mark on the second pleural scute, whereas only 

 6% of the P. floridana and 4% of the P. rubriventris had this marking. 

 As reported in earlier literature, the lateral yellow lines on the pleural 

 scutes of P. floridana (Fig. 14) form irregular bands or bars, whereas 

 these markings are more circular, forming ocelli, in P. concinna (Fig. 

 13). A dark figure on the plastron was detected in 61% of the P. 

 rubriventris and 35% of the P. concinna (Fig. 15), whereas 96% of the 

 P. floridana showed no evidence of plastral markings (Fig. 16). The 

 submarginal circles anterior to the bridge were solid (spots) in 42% of 

 the P. rubriventris, 28% of the P. floridana, and 6% of the P. concinna. 

 Ward (1984) reported that the anterior submarginal spots are solid 

 blotches in P. floridana, whereas in our sample, 72% of the P. floridana 

 had open circles. The apex of the lower jaw (viewed ventrally) was 

 rounded, not angled, in 51% of the P. rubriventris, 2% of the P. 

 floridana, and in none of the P. concinna. There were more than 1 1 

 prominent head stripes (at level of the posterior margin of the tympanum) 

 in 94% of the P. concinna, 10% of the P. rubriventris, and 6% of the P. 

 floridana examined. 



As in the mensural characters, several of the qualitative characters 

 that reportedly distinguish these species do not effectively separate them 

 in the central Atlantic coast drainages. Ward (1984) stated in his 



