Northern red-bellied cooter

Northern red-bellied cooter
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Emydidae
Genus:	Pseudemys
Species:	P. rubriventris
Binomial name
Pseudemys rubriventris (Le Conte, 1830)
Synonyms
Testudo rubriventris LeConte, 1830 Terrapene rubriventris Bonaparte, 1830 Emys irrigata Bell, 1835 Emys irrigita Duméril & Bibron, 1835 (ex errore) Emys rubriventris Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Clemmys (Clemmys) rubriventris Fitzinger, 1835 Chrysemys rubriventris Boulenger, 1889 Pseudemys rubriventris Baur, 1893 Pseudemys rubriventris bangsi Babcock, 1937 Pseudemys rubriventris rubriventris Babcock, 1937 Chrysemys rubriventris rubriventris Weaver & Rose, 1967 Chrysemys rubriventris bangsi Ernst & Barbour, 1972 Pseudemys bangsi Collins, 1991 Chrysemys rubriventris fubriventris Gosławski & Hryniewicz, 1993 (ex errore)

The northern red-bellied turtle (Pseudemys rubriventris) or American red-bellied turtle is a species of turtle in the Pseudemys (cooter) genus of the family Emydidae.

Description

This is a fairly large river turtle. Females average about 30 cm (12 in) in length and weigh on average around 3 kg (6.6 lb), although large females can measure up to 40 cm (16 in). Males' maximum size is 29.5 centimetres (11.6 in). The northern red-bellied turtle is the largest recorded basking turtle in the Chesapeake Bay region.

Distribution and habitat

It is endemic to the United States. The current range of the red-bellied turtle includes a population in Massachusetts, the Plymouth red-bellied turtle, which was previously considered a distinct subspecies (Pseudemys rubriventris bangsi) as well as the coastal areas of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.

A northern red-bellied cooter in Long Pond in Plymouth, Massachusetts in July 2021.

The red-bellied turtle has appeared on Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission lists of endangered amphibians and reptiles since 1978 (McCoy 1985). By 1985 the red-bellied turtle was known to exist in Pennsylvania only in isolated colonies in a few counties (McCoy 1985). Small (less than thirty individuals) colonies were known in Manor and Silver lakes in Bucks County, the Tinicum wetlands in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties, the West Branch of Conococheague Creek in Franklin County and possibly Springton Reservoir in Delaware County (McCoy 1985).

Conservation

The red-bellied turtle is a threatened species within Pennsylvania. However, the Plymouth red-bellied turtle distinct population segment is listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as well as the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (Massachusetts).

The potential threats to red-bellied turtle populations are numerous. Primary threats include wetland loss, habitat fragmentation, pollution, collecting of turtles for pets, food or other trophies, competition with the invasive red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) for food, habitat, basking sites or nesting sites, and the potential for hybridization with red-eared slider turtles.

The Massachusetts wildlife preserve foundation has started to repopulate the turtles by placing them in many southeastern Massachusetts ponds. One example is at Long and Little Long Pond in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the population is starting to regrow.

References

• Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group 1996. Pseudemys rubriventris. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 July 2007.
• Article title
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070824020806/http://www.dgif.state.va.us/wildlife/species/display.asp?id=030057
• McCoy, C. J. 1985. Species of Special Concern in Pennsylvania, in H. H. Genoways and F. J. Brenner, editors. Special Publication of Carnegie Museum of Natural Pennsylvania. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA.
• http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/nhesp/species-and-conservation/nhfacts/pseudemys-rubriventris.pdf

Bibliography

• Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley (2010-12-14). "Turtles of the World 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution and Conservation Status" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17.