Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Peninsula Cooter

Pseudemys peninsularis

Carr, 1938

Peninsula Cooter

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.802959
Element CodeARAAD07060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusProvisional
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassChelonia
OrderTestudines
FamilyEmydidae
GenusPseudemys
Concept Reference
Seidel, M. E., and C. H. Ernst. 1998. Pseudemys peninsularis. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 669:1-4.
Taxonomic Comments
The taxonomic status of Pseudemys peninsularis is controversial. Seidel and Ernst (1998), Crother et al. (2000), and Crother (2008, 2017) recognized peninsularis as a species. Jackson (2006) regarded peninsularis as a population or subspecies of the distinct species P. floridana. Thomas and Jansen (2006) acknowledged the taxonomic debate while recognizing P. floridana as a species and P. f. peninsularis as a subspecies. The Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (2021) lists P. peninsularis with P. f. peninsularis as an alternative arrangement. Jackson (pers. comm., 2022) continues to recognize peninsularis as a subspecies pending publication of genetic data. Further study is needed to resolve these taxonomic discrepancies.
Conservation Status
Review Date2007-06-18
Change Date2007-06-06
Edition Date2007-06-18
Range Extent5000-20,000 square km (about 2000-8000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Range Extent Comments
Peninsular Florida, north along the Atlantic coast to the St. John's River and northwest in the Suwannee River system; occurrence in the panhandle of Florida is uncertain (Seidel and Ernst 1998).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes lakes, ponds, sloughs, springs, and wet prairies.
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaSNRYes
Roadless Areas (2)
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Farles PrairieOcala National Forest1,901
References (12)
  1. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
  2. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  3. Crother, B. I., J. Boundy, J. A. Campbell, K. de Queiroz, D. R. Frost, R. Highton, J. B. Iverson, P. A. Meylan, T. W. Reeder, M. E. Seidel, J. W. Sites, Jr., T. W. Taggart, S. G. Tilley, and D. B. Wake. 2000 [2001]. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Herpetological Circular No. 29. 82 pp.
  4. Crother, B. I., J. Boundy, J. A. Campbell, K. de Quieroz, D. Frost, D. M. Green, R. Highton, J. B. Iverson, R. W. McDiarmid, P. A. Meylan, T. W. Reeder, M. E. Seidel, J. W. Sites, Jr., S. G. Tilley, and D. B. Wake. 2003. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico: update. Herpetological Review 34:198-203.
  5. Jackson, D. R. 1995. Systematics of the <i>Pseudemys concinna</i>-<i>floridana</i> complex (Testudines: Emydidae): an alternative interpretation. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 1(4):329-333.
  6. Jackson, D. R. 2006. <i>Pseudemys nelsoni</i> - Florida red-bellied turtle. In P. A. Meylan (ed.), Biology and Conservation of Florida Turtles. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 3:313-324.
  7. Meylan, P. A. (ed.). 2006. Biology and conservation of Florida turtles. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 3. 376 pp.
  8. Seidel, M. E. 1994. Morphometric analysis and taxonomy of cooter and red-bellied turtles in the North American genus <i>Pseudemys</i> (Emydidae). Chelonian Conservation and Biology 1(2):117-130.
  9. Seidel, M. E. 1995. How many species of cooter turtles and where is the scientific evicence?--a reply to Jackson. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 1(4):333-336.
  10. Seidel, M. E., and C. H. Ernst. 1998. <i>Pseudemys peninsularis</i>. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 669:1-4.
  11. Thomas, R. B., and K. P. Jansen. 2006. <i>Pseudemys floridana</i> - Florida cooter. Chelonian Research Monographs 3:338-347.
  12. Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG) [Rhodin, A. G. J., J. B. Iverson, R. Bour, U. Fritz, A. Georges, H. B. Shaffer, and P. P. van Dijk]. 2021. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.). In: Rhodin, A. G. J., J. B. Iverson , P. P. van Dijk, C. B. Stanford, E. V. Goode, K. A. Buhlmann, and R. A. Mittermeier (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 8:1–472. doi: 10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021.