Species
| common name
|
Terrapene carolina
- T. c. carolina
- T. c. triunguis
- T. c. major
- T. c. bauri
- T. c. mexicana
- T. c. yucatana
Terrapene coahuila
Terrapene nelsoni
- T. n. nelsoni
- T. n. klauberi
Terrapene ornata
- T. o. ornata
- T. o. luteola
| Box
turtle
Coahuilan box turtle
Spotted box turtle
- Southern spotted
- Northern spotted
Ornate box turtles
|
| | |
Eastern box
turtle:
The color pattern is extremely variable. The carapace is
predominately dark brown to black and keeled. It is most commonly
streaked with yellow. Though it can have red and orange blotches as
well. The plastron ranges from yellow to black...with or without
patterns. The skin is dark with yellow to red blotches. Some males have
a reddish ting resembling sun burn. They usually have 4 toes on the hind
feet, but at times have 3...... Individuals at the edge of their range
frequently mate with other subspecies making a positive identification
almost impossible.
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Three-toed box turtle:
The carapace is typically a uniform olive coloration...keeled, with
the plastron a lighter shade. However like Eastern box turtles there are
many variations, some carapaces are darker almost brown. Typically they
have very few yellow markings. The plastron can also have some black
blotches. The head neck and arms have yellow, red and orange blotches.
The males are usually more colorful....but I have seen some females with
brilliant colors. They are typically more domed than Eastern box turtles
with the highest point to the rear of the shell. They usually have 3
toes on the hind feet...sometimes 4.Pictures
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Gulf
Coast box turtle:
This is a larger species. It is elongated and the carapace is
keeled. The marginal scutes are flared. The carapace is dark brown to
black with dull scattered spots or radiating lines. The plastron is deep
brown to jet black...with or without patterns. Males cane have white
patches on the head and in some cases the head may be almost white.
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Florida box
turtle:
The shell is relatively narrow and elongated. There are usually
streaks of thin light yellow radiating lines. The plastron is usually a
brownish yellow...at times with brown streaks. The head and neck are
dark brown with yellow streaks. The male has brown eyes, unlike the
other subspecies where the male has red eyes.
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Mexican box
turtle:
This species is rarely seen in the pet trade. The carapace is domed
and elongated. There is a hump on the 3'rd vertebral scute. The carapace
is brown with dark brown at the sutures giving the appearance of an
outline. The head and neck are grey to brown with occasional light
spotting on the sides of the head.Pictures
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Coahulian
box turtle:
Another species that's rare in the pet trade. The carapace is
elongated and very narrow. It is dark brown to olive with most having a
worm-like pattern of light yellow. The plastron is yellow to dark
occasionally with dark seams and flecking. The head, neck and legs are a
uniform grey to olive and lack any patterned markingsPictures
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Ornate box
turtle:
Ornate box turtles
are a small species (4-5 inches) with a flat, domed shell and no central
keel. The carapace and plastron are dark brown or black with
distinctive yellow striations. As with all subspecies of the genus
Terrapene, ornate box turtles have a hinged plastron enabling it to
encase its head, limbs, and tail completely inside its shell. This
box turtle differs from the T. carolina group because it has a
defined pattern of radiating lines on its plastron. The central keel on
the carapace, seen in other North American box turtles, is replaced by a
yellow line.
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Desert box turtle:
Very similar in appearance to T. o. ornata . A main
difference is the number of radiating lines on the second pleural scute.
Luteola has 11 to 14 radiating lines on the 2nd pleural (Ernst
and Barbour, 1989; Legler, 1960; Smith and Brodie, 1982) that are
lighter in color than Ornata which has 5-9 radiating lines.
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