Mississippi map turtle

The Mississippi map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii), also known commonly as Kohn's map turtle,^[3] is a subspecies of land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. G. p. kohnii is native to the central United States.

Mississippi map turtle
Top: Mississippi Map Turtle; Bottom: False Map Turtle
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Emydidae
Genus:	Graptemys
Species:	G. pseudogeographica
Subspecies:	G. p. kohnii
Trinomial name
Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii (Baur, 1890)
Synonyms
Malacoclemmys kohnii Baur, 1890 Graptemys kohnii — Baur, 1893 Malaclemys lesueurii kohnii — Siebenrock, 1909 Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii — Stejneger & Barbour, 1917 Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni — Mertens, 1934 Graptemys kohni — Cagle, 1953 Malaclemys kohni — McDowell, 1964 Graptemys khonii Ferri, 2002 (ex errore)[1] Graptemys pseudogeographica kohnii — Rhodin et al., 2010[2]

Etymology

The common name, Mississippi map turtle, derives not from the state of Mississippi, but rather from the Mississippi River.^{[citation needed]}

The specific name, kohnii, is in honor of amateur naturalist Joseph Gustave Kohn (1837–1906) of New Orleans, Louisiana, who collected the type specimen.^[4][3]

Geographic range

G. p. kohnii is found along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, from Illinois and Missouri southward.^{[citation needed]}

Description

The gray carapace of G. p. kohnii is covered in yellow lines which resemble contour lines of a map.^{[citation needed]}

Captivity

A Mississippi map turtle swimming inside a tank.

The Mississippi map turtle is a popular pet for aquarists and is very enjoyable to watch.^{[citation needed]}