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Home/Species/ Three-toed Box Turtle

Terrapene triunguis

(Agassiz, 1857)

Three-toed Box Turtle

GNRUnranked Found in 20 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
GNRUnrankedGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1226027
Element CodeARAAD08030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusProvisional
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassChelonia
OrderTestudines
FamilyEmydidae
GenusTerrapene
Concept Reference
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.
Taxonomic Comments
Martin et al. (2012) concluded that triunguis is paraphyletic with T. carolina and T. ornata and therefore should be a full species (as mexicana), with triunguis, mexicana, and yucatana as subspecies within it. However, Fritz and Havaš (2014) argued against the recognition of mexicana as a separate species because of demonstrated genetic introgression between triunguis and carolina. Martin et al. (2014) reaffirmed their support for recognizing mexicana and carolina as separate species. Some authors (e.g., Guyer et al. 2015, and Powell et al. 2016) have recognized triunguis as a separate species without discussion of all the taxa in this complex. Pending more complete genetic and geographic sampling of this complex, Crother (2017) retain triunguis as a subspecies of carolina. Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (2021), while including T. c. triunguis and T. m. triunguis as alternative arrangements, have tentatively recognized T. triunguis as a separate species, rather than as a subspecies of either carolina or mexicana.
Ecology & Habitat
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
LouisianaS4Yes
Roadless Areas (20)
Arkansas (10)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainOuachita National Forest1,910
Brush HeapOuachita National Forest4,205
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
Devils CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,877
Dismal CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest9,160
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
PenhookOzark-St. Francis National Forest6,566
Richland CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest571
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Saline Bayou W & S River CorridorKisatchie National Forest5,355
Missouri (5)
AreaForestAcres
Anderson Mountain Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest2,741
Big Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest9,277
Irish Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest1,226
Spring Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest4,899
Swan Creek Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest7,310
Texas (3)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Big WoodsNational Forests in Texas1,320
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
References (9)
  1. 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]
  2. Fritz, U. and Havaš, P. 2014. On the reclassification of Box Turtles (<i>Terrapene</i>): a response to Martin et al. Zootaxa 3835(2):295-298.
  3. Guyer, C., M. A. Bailey, and R. H. Mount. 2015. Turtles of Alabama. Vol. 5. Gosse Nature Guides, First Edition. University of Alabama Press. 288 pp.
  4. Martin, B.T. 2012. Molecular phylogenetics and phylogeography of the American Box Turtles (<i>Terrapene </i>spp.). M.Sc. Thesis, University of Texas, Tyler, TX.
  5. Martin, B. T., M. R. Douglas, T. K. Chafin, J. S. Placyk Jr, R. D. Birkhead, C. A. Phillips, and M. E. Douglas. 2020. Contrasting signatures of introgression in North American box turtle (<i>Terrapene </i>spp.) contact zones. Molecular Ecology 29(21):4186-4202.
  6. Martin, B. T., N. P. Bernstein, R. D. Birkhead, J. F. Koukl, S. M. Mussmann, and J. S. Placyk Jr. 2014. On the reclassification of the <i>Terrapene </i>(Testudines: Emydidae): a response to Fritz &amp; Havaš. Zootaxa 3835(2):292-294.
  7. Martin, B. T., T. K. Chafin, M. R. Douglas, J. S. Placyk Jr, R. D. Birkhead, C. A. Phillips, and M. E. Douglas. 2021. The choices we make and the impacts they have: Machine learning and species delimitation in North American box turtles (<i>Terrapene </i>spp.). Molecular Ecology Resources. 17 pp.
  8. Powell, R., R. Conant, and J. T. Collins. 2016. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, fourth edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston and New York. 512 pp.
  9. 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.