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Reptilia    Testudines    Emydidae  
Alabama Red-bellied Cooter
Pseudemys alabamensis Baur, 1893
SOO-deh-meez — al-uh-bam-EN-sis
Taxon Links
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Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
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SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

(,   Museum Voucher) (,   Observation) (,   Literature Record), (,   Citizen Science), (  Fossil)
Open icons indicate questionable records, including those with coordinate uncertainty greater than 10,000 m (approximately 6 miles). Click a marker to view metadata.
Occurrences:; 148 Total; 104 Museum; 44 Other

The locality database contains 8,094,832 records, and geographic and taxonomic errors exist. Logged-in, registered users may report a potential issue directly from the marker popup.
Shaded range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH. (Version: 2023.04.10.09.45.15)
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Province/State Distribution:
United States: Alabama Mississippi

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for the state where it was first recognized.
Pseudemys — From Greek pseudes (ψευδής, “false”) and emydos (from Emys, the Old-World pond turtle). The coiners meant “false Emys,” signaling that, though these turtles resemble Emys, they are not members of that genus.
alabamensis — Latinized geographical adjective “of Alabama,” referring to the species’ core range in the Mobile–Tensaw Delta and adjacent Gulf-coast drainages.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Alabama Terrapin (Pseudemys alabamiensis: Beyer, George. 1900. Louisana herpetology. Proceedings of the Louisiana Society of Naturalists 1897-1899():24-46); Mobilian (Pseudemys mobiliensis: Beyer, George. 1900. Louisana herpetology. Proceedings of the Louisiana Society of Naturalists 1897-1899():24-46); Moblie Terrapin (Pseudemys mobilensis: Brimley, Clement S. 1915. List of reptiles and amphibians of North Carolina. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 30(4):195-206);


Selected References:
1893 Baur, George. Notes on the classification and taxonomy of the Testudinidae. IV. The species of the genus Pseudemys. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 31:221-225
1957 Carr, Archie F. and John W. Crenshaw, Jr. A taxonomic reappraisal of the turtle Pseudemys alabamensis Baur. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 2(3):25-42
1980 Vogt, Richard C. and Clarence J. McCoy, Jr. Status of the emydine turtle genera Chrysemys and Pseudemys. Annals of the Carnegie Museum 49(5):93-102
1985 McCoy, C. J. and Richard C. Vogt. Pseudemys alabamensis.. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (371):1-2
1996 Seidel, Michael E. and Carl H. Ernst. Pseudemys. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (625):1-7
1997 Siedel, Michael E. and Uwe fritz. Courtship behavior provides additional evidence for a monophyletic Pseudemys, and comments on Mesoamerican Trachemys (Testudines: Emydidae). Herpetological Review 28(2):70-72

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