Spotted box turtle

The spotted box turtle (Terrapene nelsoni) is a species of turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico.

Spotted box turtle
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Emydidae
Genus:	Terrapene
Species:	T. nelsoni
Binomial name
Terrapene nelsoni Stejneger, 1925
Synonyms[1]
Terrapene nelsoni nelsoni Terrapene nelsoni Stejneger, 1925 Terrapene nelsoni nelsoni — Mertens & Wermuth, 1955 Terrepene nelsoni — Pawley, 1971 Terapene nelsoni — Nietzke, 1973 Terrapene nelsoni klauberi Terrapene klauberi Bogert, 1943 Terrapene nelsoni klauberi — Mertens & Wermuth, 1955 Terapene klauberi — Nietzke, 1973

Etymology

The specific name, nelsoni, is in honor of American biologist Edward William Nelson.[2]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies (listed in alphabetical order by subspecific name).[3]

• Northern spotted box turtle (Terrapene nelsoni klauberi) Bogert, 1943
• Southern spotted box turtle (Terrapene nelsoni nelsoni) Stejneger, 1925

References

1. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 200. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Terrapene nelsoni, p. 188).
3. Species Terrapene nelsoni at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.

Sources

• Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). Terrapene nelsoni. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 July 2007.

Further reading

Stejneger L (1925). "New species and subspecies of American turtles". J. Washington Acad. Sci. 15 (20): 462-463. (Terrapene nelsoni, new species, p. 463).