Rhinoclemmys

QUICK INDEX

R. annulata, Brown Wood Turtle

R. areolata, Furrowed Wood Turtle

R. diademata, Maracaibo Wood Turtle

R. funerea, Black Wood Turtle

R. melanosterna, Colombia Wood Turtle

R. nasuta, Large-Nosed Wood Turtle

R. pulcherrima, Painted Wood Turtle

R. punctularia, Spotted-Legged Turtle

R. rubida, Mexican Spotted Wood Turtle

Species Name

Common Name

Location

Size

Notes

Rhinoclemmys

R. annulata

Brown Wood Turtle

Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, W Colombia, Ecuador

18-20 cm.

Habit of a Testudo. Carapace: not much depressed, unicarinate. Vertebral shields constantly much broader than long, nearly as broad as the costals; nuchal small. Plastron: large ; the width of the bridge exceeds the length of the posterior lobe, which is angularly emarginate; front lobe truncate or openly emarginate anteriorly. Axillary and inguinal shields present, very small. Head: rather small; snout but feebly projecting; upper jaw slightly hooked, not notched; the width of the mandible at the symphysis is much less than the horizontal diameter of the orbit. No trace of web between the digits. Tail: not longer than the head. Coloration: carapace brown, uniform or variegated with yellowish; plastron dark brown, with a broad yellow border. Head yellowish above, variegated with blackish; neck and sides of head with pale and dark bands or variegations. [SOURCE: Boulenger][Ernst: Tip of jaw hooked and unnotched: Dorsal head pattern consists of a pair of supratemporal stripes, or no stripes present; carapace rather high, but flat on top]

R. areolata

Furrowed Wood Turtle

Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, poss. Honduras

Coloration: Head brown above; an oblique light band from the frontal region to above the ear, continued along the neck; a second pair of light bands along the neck, originating on the occiput; sides of head, fore limbs, and lower surface of hind limbs light, spotted or lineolated with black. Reproduction: 1-3 large eggs are laid. [SOURCE: Boulenger] [Ernst:Head pattern with only a pair of broad supratemporal stripes posterior of orbit; bridge usually plain yellow without extensive dark pigmentation]

R. diademata

Maracaibo Wood Turtle

Colombia, Venezuela

Up to 29 cm

Found in the Atlantic drainages. Formerly considered a subspecies of R. punctularia. Coloration: dorsal head pattern consists of a large yellow horseshoe-shaped figure located medially just behind the orbit with an anterior apex and posteriorly enclosing a central dark spot, a light blotch on the snout in front of each orbit, and a unicolored nape. The iris is greenish to bronze. [SOURCE: Ernst]

R. funerea

Black Wood Turtle

Costa Rica, Nicaragua, S Honduras, Panama

>30 cm

This is a predominantly aquatic species [Bartlett & Bartlett]. Description: hind feet heavily webbed; snout only moderately protruding; shell domed. Coloration: chin and lower jaw with numerous large black spots. [SOURCE: Ernst]

R. melanosterna

Colombian Wood Turtle

Panama, W Colombia, NW Ecuador

Up to 29 cm

Coloration: head dark brown above, with a broad light band along each side from the snout to the neck, bordering the orbit above; two other light bands on each side, passing through the eye. Upper side of neck brown; fore limbs and lower surface of hind limbs, sides, and lower surface of neck orange (red ?), with large black spots or marblings. [SOURCE: Boulenger][ERNST: The dorsal head pattern has an oblique pale green, orange or red stripe on each side running posteriorly from in front of the orbit to above the tympanum (these are never transversally united) and no light spots on the snout in front of the orbits or on the nape. The iris is bright yellow or white. Ernst also noted that in Colombia, those individuals from freshwater habitats have red head stripes, whereas those from brackish water have greenish stripes. Populations intermediate between the two possess orange stripes.]

R. nasuta

Large-Nosed Wood Turtle

W Colombia, NW Ecuador

20 cm

Carapace: rather strongly depressed, with a mere trace of a vertebral keel, scarcely emarginate anteriorly. Vertebral shields broader than long, nearly as broad as or broader than the costals; nuchal very small. Plastron: large; the width of the bridge equals or exceeds the length of the posterior lobe, which is broadly notched behind ; anterior lobe truncate in front. Axillary and inguinal shields present, small. Dorsal shields smooth or slightly rugose. Head moderate; snout strongly projecting, much more than in R. punctularia; upper jaw not hooked, with a feeble notch ; width of the mandible at the symphysis a little less than the horizontal diameter of the orbit. Digits very distinctly webbed. Tail as long as the head in the male. Coloration: carapace dark brown above, yellowish beneath; plastral shields yellow, with a large dark brown or black blotch, or black bordered with yellow; head, neck, and limbs dark brown; a yellowish streak on tlie canthus roslralis, anotlier from the eye to tlio lynntaiiuni, a tliiid on each side of flic back of the licail, from above the posterior border of the orbit to the nai)e, ])arallel with the temporal streak, and a fourtli on the mandible from below the eye. Coloration: dorsal head stripes from nape to level of orbits or less; no light spots present at the occipital region; Snout strongly pointed; chin and lower jaw with dark bars; shell distinctly depressed. Hind feet heavily webbed [SOURCE: Boulenger 1902, Ernst]

R. pulcherrima

Painted Wood Turtle

Mexico and Central America as far south as Costa Rica

8”/20 cm (max approx 20.5 cm)

A largely terrestrial species [Bartlett & Bartlett]. It is found along the Pacific coastline. Description: tip of jaw straight and notched (sometimes with cusps) Coloration: head olive above, with a narrow red streak round the upper part of the snout, terminating behind the supraciliary region; two others run from eye to eye below the preceding, and a fourth round the upper jaw; a longitudinal streak of the same colour on the frontal region, and some spots on the occiput; upper surface of neck with, four (Bocourt) or five parallel red, black-edged, longitudinal streaks. Fore limbs and lower surface of hind limbs black and red. Shields of the carapace with curved yellowish dark-edged markings. [SOURCE: Boulenger, Ernst]

R. p. pulcherrima

Guerrero Wood Turtle

Mexico (Guerrero)

Carapace: low and wide. Coloration: brown carapace with dark flecks; single dark bordered, red or yellow central spot on each pleural, and two or three light bars on the undersides of the marginals; narrow, dark central plastral blotch may be forked on the gulars and anals; bridge pattern consists of a yellow and a black transverse bar. [SOURCE: Ernst]

R. p. incisa

Honduran Wood Turtle

Mexico (Oaxaca) southwards to N Nicaragua

Carapace: medium-to-high domed. Coloration: head and neck olive above; a fine red streak round the upper part of the snout and extending to above the ear; two others from eye to eye, below the preceding and above the nostrils, and a fourth round the upper jaw; sometimes a longitudinal streak of the same colour on the frontal region and another along each side of the neck. Fore limbs and lower surface of hind limbs black and red. Shields of the carapace sometimes with curved yellowish dark-edged streaks or ocelli. [SOURCE: Boulenger]

R. p. manni

Ornate Wood Turtle

S Nicaragua, N Costa Rica

Carapace: high and domed. Coloration: brown carapace has several large red or yellow ocelli on each pleural and two light bars on the undersides of each marginal; narrow, dark, central plastral blotch may fork on the gulars and anals; bridge pattern is a yellow and a black transverse bar. [SOURCE: Ernst]

R. p. rogerbarbouri

Western Mexican Wood Turtle

Mexico (S Sonora to Colima)

Carapace: low and wide. Coloration: brown carapace has no pleural markings or occasionally only a faint reddish stripe; underside of each marginal bears a single light bar; plastron has a wide, often faded, dark central blotch; bridge is brown. [SOURCE: Ernst]

R. punctularia

Spotted-Legged Turtle

E Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, NE Brazil

20 cm, max >25 cm

Found in the Orinoco drainages and the Amazon delta. Carapace: moderately depressed, unicarinate, often openly emarginate anteriorly. Vertebral shields, in the adult, about as broad as long, and much narrower than the costals; nuchal very small, sometimes absent. Plastron: large; the width of the bridge exceeds the length of the posterior lobe, which is broadly notched; front lobe truncate or openly emarginate anteriorly. Axillary and inguinal shields present, small. Dorsal shields granular, rough, in the young. Head small, snout projecting; upper jaw not hooked, with a slight, sometimes indistinct notch; the width of the mandible at the symphysis is much less than the horizontal diameter of the orbit. Digits shortly but distinctly and heavily webbed. Tail: not longer than the head. Coloration: shell dark brown, plastron bordered with yellowish. Head dark brown above, with an oblique yellowish (red) band on each side, from above the orbit to above the ear, sometimes uniting with its fellow across the forehead; a pair of roundish red spots in front of the orbits and another on the occiput; sides of head and neck yellowish, lineolated with black. Upper surface of limbs yellowish (red ) dotted with black. [SOURCE: Boulenger, Ernst]

R. p. punctularia

Eastern Spotted-Legged Turtle

Coloration: the dorsal head pattern on each side consists of an oblique yellow or red stripe running posteriorly from above the orbit to above the tympanum (this stripe may or may not join its mate of opposite side just behind the orbits), two light blotches on the nape, and a light spot on the snout in front of each orbit. This iris is bronze. [SOURCE: Ernst]

R. p. flammigera

Upper Orinoco Spotted-Legged Turtle

S Venezuela

Max 22.5 cm

Found in the Ventuari River and the confluence region with the Orinoco River in the Territorio Federal Amazonas, Venezuela. Coloration: numerous supracephalic spots arranged in a radial patern; loreal, middle lateral, posterior lateral and parietal spots always present on each side of the head forming a semicircle-like figure; some spots may be absent, fragmented or united, but never forming continuous lateral bands (as in R. p. punctularia), or a horseshoe-shaped figure (as in R. diademata (Mertens)); intercalar band present; femoral and anal plates mostly blackish brown; remainder of the plastron from cream yellow to blackish brown; carapace from dark brown to almost black. [SOURCE: Paolillo]

R. rubida

Mexican Spotted Wood Turtle

Mexico

Up to 23 cm

Found in the lowland coastal areas of western Mexico. The ranges of the two subspecies are disjunct (separated). Carapace: moderately depressed, with a mere trace of a keel. Vertebral shields constantly much broader than long, nearly as broad as the costals ; nuchal small, sometimes absent. Plastron: large; the width of the bridge exceeds the length of the posterior lobe, which is angularly emarginate; front lobe truncate or openly emarginate anteriorly. Axillary and inguinal shields present, small; the suture between the pectoral and abdominal shield on each side forming a strong curve. Head: moderately large, with short vertically truncate snout; upper jaw feebly hooked, not notched; the width of the mandible at the symphysis equals the horizontal diameter of the orbit. No trace of web between the digits. Tail: not longer than the head. Coloration: carapace olive or brownish, with a central ocellus and concentric yellowish lines on each shield, these markings becoming more indistinct in the adult; plastron with broad yellow border, dark brown in the middle and on a band across the bridge. Head and neck above pale brown, with large, rather variable, bands and rings of red (yellow in spirit), edged with blackish; a large, horseshoe-shaped band on the crown; limbs yellowish, with black and red markings. [SOURCE: Boulenger, Ernst]

R. r. rubida

Gular scutes are approximately twice as long as the humerals; marginal scutes show faint lateral flaring. Coloration: carapace has a light brown ground colour with dark mottlings; there is an elongated light temporal spot. [SOURCE: Ernst]

R. r. perixantha

Colima Wood Turtle

Differs from the nominate subspecies as follows: marginal scutes uniform light brown and without variegated markings; costal scutes darker than vertebrals and marginals; humeral scute longer relative to the gular; marginal scutes project more outward than downward [SOURCE: Mosimann and Rabb]