North American Recent Soft-shelled Turtles (Family Trionychidae) Part 9

Gray (1844:48) proposed the name _Tyrse argus_ for a specimen reported to have come from Sierra Leone, West Africa; later (1855:68), he referred the species to the genus _Trionyx_. After comparison with a specimen of _T. spiniferus_ Lesueur, Gray (1864:89) was "doubtful whether there must not have been some confusion about the habitat of the specimen [which formed the basis of the description of _Tyrse argus_], and whether it is not more probably a North American species." The same author (1869:222; 1870:109) listed _Tyrse argus_ as a synonym of _Callinia spinifera_ (= _Trionyx spiniferus_ Lesueur).

Aga.s.siz (_op. cit._:406-07) described _Aspidonectes nuchalis_ on the basis of three adults from the c.u.mberland River and a number of young from the headwaters of the Tennessee River. Boulenger (1889:245, footnote 2) suggested that the status of _A. nuchalis_ required further investigation. The species was not generally recognized after the turn of the century. Barbour and Loveridge (1929:226) listed MCZ 1908 (one of the juveniles) and 1623-25 as cotypes. Stejneger (1944:52) showed that _nuchalis_ was not distinguishable from _T. s.

spinifer_, and (_op. cit._:49) listed MCZ 1623-25 as cotypes. Schmidt (1953:110) restricted the type locality to the c.u.mberland River, near Nashville, Tennessee.

Aga.s.siz (_loc. cit._) mentioned that _nuchalis_ "differs strikingly from Asp. spinifer in the much more elongated form of the male, and in the great development of the marginal spines and of the tubercles upon the carapace, ... But the most prominent specific character consists in the marked depressions on either side of the blunt median keel, and also in the triangular dilation of that keel behind the front margin of the carapace." These characters seem to be of no taxonomic worth. I have seen three syntypes (MCZ 1623-25) that undoubtedly correspond to the three adult specimens mentioned by Aga.s.siz. All are females, measuring 19.5, 22.0, and 19.0 centimeters, respectively, in plastral length, and lack a contrasting mottled pattern on the carapace; the juvenal pattern is obscured, except for blackish spots at the edge of the carapace on MCZ 1625, and parts of an ocellus on MCZ 1624. The dorsal surfaces of the limbs are boldly marked. MCZ 1623, showing the diagnostic feature mentioned by Aga.s.siz, is photographed by Stejneger (_op. cit._:Pls. 14, 15), and may be regarded as the lectotype of _Aspidonectes nuchalis_ Aga.s.siz. MCZ 1908 is one of the young syntypes mentioned by Aga.s.siz, and is referable to _spinifer_. The juvenal pattern consists of spots and ocelli; the plastron measures 3.1 centimeters in length, and the carapace 4.2 centimeters.

Wied-Neuwied (1865:55-57, Pl. 5) described the species _?G_[_ymnopus_]

_olivaceus_, but was uncertain whether his interpretation was based on a species, a variety or a secondary s.e.xual difference. Wied-Neuwied mentioned that Lesueur had already named this soft-sh.e.l.led turtle as _Trionyx ocellatus_, and agreed with Lesueur that those turtles having occulated spots on the carapace were distinguishable from _T.

spiniferus_ and _T. muticus_. But because Dumeril and Bibron in their _Erpetologie General_ failed to recognize _T. ocellatus_, Wied-Neuwied felt obliged to bring it to the attention of his American colleagues and he renamed it. Wied-Neuwied also stated, in the context of a synonym, "Beschreibung einer Reise in Nord-America Bd. I., pag. 140."

This comment presumably refers to his earlier description of _T.

annulifer_ (1838:140); seemingly Wied-Neuwied considered _T.

annulifer_ and _G. olivacea_ as conspecific, although there is no mention of _annulifer_ in the text proper. Stejneger (_op. cit._:49) designated the type locality of _T. annulifer_ as the Ohio River at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and of _Gymnopus olivacea_ as New Harmony, Wabash River, Illinois (_lapsus_ for Indiana).

_Trionyx spiniferus_ was questionably considered distinct from _T.

ferox_ by Lesueur who listed "Testudo ferox Gm. Tortue de Pennant?"

and "Trionyx georgicus Geoffr.?" as synonyms. Subsequently, most authors considered _T. spiniferus_ synonymous with _T. ferox_ until Aga.s.siz (1857) pointed out differences between the two species.

The average size of the ocelli on the carapace of the subspecies _spinifer_ decreases westward toward the Mississippi River; ocelli of different sizes occur on different individuals from the same state and presumably from the same population. For example, INHS 2281, plastron 9.9 centimeters in length, from Effingham County, Illinois, has some ocelli eight millimeters in diameter, whereas a larger male from the same locality, UI 1322, plastron 11.6 centimeters in length, has the largest ocelli only five millimeters in diameter. For convenience, all softsh.e.l.ls having locality data from states east of the Mississippi River are referred to _spinifer_, recognizing that intergradation occurs with _hartwegi_ over a broad area paralleling the Mississippi River. The type locality of _spinifer_ is in an area where most turtles do not have the larger ocelli (diameter of seven to ten mm. on adult males); however, some individuals from the Wabash River (UMMZ 63523, adult male, plastron 11.5 cm. in length, ocelli diameter seven mm.) agree with more "typical" _spinifer_ to the east. Intergradation with _asper_ possibly occurs in that part of the Tennessee River in eastern Tennessee as exemplified by UMMZ 59198.

Published reports indicate that _T. s. spinifer_ is not abundant in some of the northeasterly parts of its geographic range. Adams and Clark (1958:10) wrote that few softsh.e.l.ls at Long Point on the Canadian side of Lake Erie are "ever collected and the area's game keepers report ... (none) ... seen in recent years. They also tell of recurrent severe stormy winters in which the muddy bottom of the marshland was repeatedly churned up and frozen. Such climatic conditions could easily destroy a large part of the _Trionyx_ population overwintering in the mud bottom." Wright (1919:8) reported that softsh.e.l.ls are "rarely seen" in bays on the New York side of Lake Ontario, and Babc.o.c.k (1938:53) wrote that _spinifer_ "is not common in Lake Champlain."

_T. s. spinifer_ probably extended its geographic range into the Hudson River drainage of New York _via_ the Erie Ca.n.a.l (connected Buffalo and Albany) after its completion in the early 1800's (DeKay, 1842:7). Now, the New York Barge Ca.n.a.l (essentially the Erie Ca.n.a.l, but with minor changes in course and the addition of several spurs) provides an avenue for dispersal of _spinifer_ to the Hudson River drainage, Lake Ontario and intervening waterways in New York (Mertens, 1928:199). Netting (1944:86-87), however, suggested that _spinifer_ occupied Lake Champlain, the Finger Lakes, Mohawk River and upper Hudson in the late stages of the formation of the Great Lakes.

A publication not seen by me is that of Mansueti and Wallace (1960).

Its t.i.tle suggests that _Trionyx_ occurs in Maryland.

The unsuccessful introduction of _T. s. spinifer_ in the Delaware drainage in New Jersey has been discussed by Fowler (1907:213), who wrote that they were found as early as the late 1860's and were introduced when young presumably to stock aquaria. Records of occurrence include Cooper's Creek, Camden County (Stone, 1906:168); Woodbury, Gloucester County (Cope, 1894:889); and Paulins Kill at Hainesburg, Warren County (Johnson, 1894:889).

Surface (1908:122) believed that soft-sh.e.l.led turtles "have doubtless been introduced into the eastern part of Pennsylvania through the ca.n.a.l from the Western and Central part of New York," and Roddy (_in_ Neill, 1951:21) suggested that the species may be found in the Susquehanna River. Babc.o.c.k (1919:420) mentioned a young specimen of _spinifer_ in the collection of the Boston Society of Natural History that was obtained "in White River, Vermont," a tributary of the Connecticut River of the Atlantic Coast drainage; seemingly this record has not been accepted and the species is not established. To my knowledge, populations of _T. s. spinifer_ do not occur in rivers of the Atlantic Coast drainage, except probably the Hudson-Mohawk drainage.

Stockwell (1878:401) wrote that _spinifer_ was found "as high as Athabasca." Presumably Stockwell referred to Lake Athabaska in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada, a region where soft-sh.e.l.led turtles are unknown; see also the comments by Stejneger (1944:52).

_Specimens examined._--Total 250 as follows: ALABAMA: _Morgan_: UMMZ 99578, "near" Decatur.

ILLINOIS: _Adams_: INHS 2150, Quincy. _Bond_: INHS 8345, Greenville.

_Carroll_: CNHM 42116, Ordnance School Proving Ground. _Ca.s.s_: INHS 2151, Beardstown. _Champaign_: INHS 2273, 2311, 2413, 3142, "near"

Seymour; INHS 4229, Champaign; INHS 6163, Sidney. _Christian_: INHS 1560, Pana. _Coles_: INHS 1968-69, 2 mi. W Charleston. _c.u.mberland_: INHS 2282, Greenup. _De Witt_: INHS 7674, Farmer City. _Effingham_: UI 1322, 2281, 19365, "near" Effingham. _Fulton_: INHS 5531, 2 mi. NE Bluff City, Schyler County; UI 23449, Liverpool; UI 24611, Spoon River, 18 mi. NW Canton. _Hanc.o.c.k_: USNM 53522, 59277, "near"

Hamilton. _Iroquois_: INHS 6869-70, 2.5 mi. N Crescent City.

_Jackson_: TU 1369 (12), Elkville. _Kane_: CNHM 42400, Aurora.

_Kankakee_: CNHM 324, Momence. _Kendall_: UI 2411, Plano. _Logan_: INHS 7171-72, 6 mi. N Lincoln. _Madison_: USNM 60571. _Macoupin_: UI 2401-02, Beaver Dam Lake. _Mason_: CNHM 346, 470, INHS 1122, 1559, 5756-58, UI 42, 2404, Havana, Lake Chautauqua. _Mercer_: CNHM 3220, New Boston. _Morgan_: CNHM 2067 (2), 3290, 3303-04, 3306, INHS 2152, 2154, 5132-37, USNM 54747, Meredosia. _Moultrie_: INHS 8989, 2 mi. NW Lovington. _Peoria_: UI 2406-10, Peoria. _Pope_: INHS 5505, Lake Glendale. _Putnam_: UMMZ 81604-14, 5 mi. N Henry, Marshall County.

_Schuyler_: UI 2405, "near" Ripley, Brown County. _Scott_: INHS 2149, 2153, Naples. _Union_: CNHM 18623, 6 mi. SW Jonesboro. _Vermilion_: INHS 3142, Muncie; INHS (1 untagged); UI 1970, 3209, Danville; UI 2403, 1.5 mi. E Oakwood; UI 16265, Kickapoo State Park. _Wabash_: USNM 12061, Mt. Carmel. _Winnebago_: INHS 7185, Kishwaukee Forest Preserve; INHS 7294, 1/2 mi. S s.h.i.+rland. _County unknown_: USNM 7661.

INDIANA: _Bartholomew_: UMMZ 61060, 10 mi. W Columbus. _Carroll_: USNM 42905-06, Burlington. _Clark_: UMMZ 110599, 14-mile Creek, 3 mi. NW Charleston. _Decatur_: UMMZ 55416, 3 mi. S Westport. _Elkhart_: UMMZ 105598, Elkhart River, south of Goshen. _Gibson_: UMMZ 89744, Foot's Pond. _Johnson_: UMMZ 108062, 2 mi. S Trafalgar. _Knox_: USNM 22711, Vincennes. _Kosciusko_: AMNH 8379, UMMZ 84287 (5), Winona Lake; UMMZ 110235, Wawasee Lake. _Lake_: CNHM 11019, 11021-24, Crown Point.

_Marion_: UMMZ 103393, Ravenswood; UMMZ 110236, 1 mi. N Lawrence.

_Marshall_: CNHM 39299; USNM 33495, Yellow River north of Burr Oak; USNM 33496-501, 35404, 42583-84, Lake Maxinkuckee. _Wells_: UMMZ 63523, Wabash River, Bluffton. _County unknown_ (Lagrange or Marshall): USNM 50670, Twin Lakes.

KENTUCKY: _Casey_: UMMZ 112252, trib. of Green River, south of Yosemite. _Green_: UMMZ 116718, Little Barren River, 1.5 mi. E Monroe, Hart County. _Rockcastle_: UMMZ 98767, Rockcastle River, 5 mi. above Livingston.

MICHIGAN: _Allegan_: UMMZ 42112, Kalamazoo River. _Barry_: UMMZ 53874, Thornapple River, 3 mi. NW Hastings. _Bay_: UMMZ 74670. _Branch_: UMMZ 95615, 1 mi. S Kinderhook; UMMZ 70748, Hog Creek. _Calhoun_: UMMZ 89950 (3); UMMZ 79133, near Battle Creek. _Ca.s.s_: UMMZ 40866-67, 53005, Diamond Lake; UMMZ 40868, 52948, Long Lake. _Jackson_: UMMZ 72494. _Kalamazoo_: UMMZ 42130, 80534, Kalamazoo; UMMZ 90506, Gull Lake; UMMZ 92599, Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. _Lenawee_: UMMZ 72457, Devil's Lake; UMMZ 74662, Wolf Lake Park. _Livingston_: UMMZ 54401, 76190, Portage Lake. _Monroe_: UMMZ 44604-06, USNM 51213, "near"

Monroe. _Newaygo_: UMMZ 63469. _Oakland_: UMMZ 64363, Hay's Creek; UMMZ 96539, Clinton River. _Ottawa_: UMMZ 81699. _St. Joseph_: UMMZ 38876, 38889, "near" White Pigeon; UMMZ 96537, Corey Lake. _Van Buren_: UMMZ 90003, Wolf River, west of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County.

_Washtenaw_: SM 2035, 2038, 2105, UMMZ 39847, 96538, "near" Ann Arbor; UMMZ 35765, 35769, 74518 (2), Portage Lake; UMMZ 54402-03, Little Lake; UMMZ 89659, Huron River, Dexter; UMMZ 110583-85. _County unknown_ (Washtenaw or Livingston): UMMZ 54400, Huron River near Portage Lake.

MISSISSIPPI: _Adams_: MCZ 46615, UMMZ 76446, "near" Natchez; MCZ 46621, 46633, USNM 01084, 01086, Was.h.i.+ngton. _Coahoma_: AMNH 5289, 5285-86, Moon Lake. _Lafayette_: MCZ 37173, Oxford; USNM 7650, Abbeville? (reported from Abbeville, South Carolina by Pickens, 1927:113; see discussion by Stejneger, 1944:50, and my comments on page 509 beyond). _LeFlore_: USNM 73668-69, Greenwood. _Madison_: USNM 95192, Big Black River. _Was.h.i.+ngton_: USNM 115980, Deer Creek.

_Yazoo_: UMMZ 86669, Panther Creek west of Yazoo City; UMMZ 83304, Yazoo City.

NEW YORK: _Monroe_: CNHM 92001-02, Genesee River, Rochester. _Wayne_: AMNH 69931, CNHM 92004, Sodus Bay.

OHIO: _Athens_: UMMZ 111793, east branch Shade Creek. _Franklin_: USNM 26290. _Lucas_: USNM 51214, Toledo. _Pike_: UMMZ 99309, Morgan's Fork, Sunfish Creek. _Warren_: AMNH 4763, Little Miami River, 3 mi. below Morrow. _County unknown_: USNM 21128-29, Cuyahoga River.

TENNESSEE: _Benton_: UMMZ 113036, Eagle Creek, 1/2 mi. E Holliday.

_Bradley_: UMMZ 59197, west branch of Chestnee Creek, 7 mi. E Cleveland. _Claiborne_: USNM 86677, 5 mi. SE c.u.mberland Gap, Powell River. _Davidson_: MCZ 1623-25, c.u.mberland River near Nashville (restricted locality); USNM 7165-67, Nashville. _Decatur_: KU 3000, Perryville. _Hamilton_: USNM 131861, Chattanooga. _Monroe_: TU 16058, Little Tennessee River, 10 mi. N Madisonville. _Obion_: UMMZ 53199, USNM 102911, Reelfoot Lake. _Overton_: UMMZ 69561 (2), Wirmingham.

_Sevier_: TU 16132, UMMZ 86735, USNM 86681-82, near Sevierville; UMMZ 86734, Walden Creek "near" Gatlinburg. _County unknown_: MCZ 1908, headwaters of Tennessee River.

VIRGINIA: _Smythe_: USNM 101386, Holston River, Seven Mile Ford.

WEST VIRGINIA: _McDowell_: USNM 33767, Dry Fork, Perryville (county questionable, perhaps Randolph County).

WISCONSIN: _Chippewa_: CNHM 8223, Lake Wissota, mouth of Yellow River, Anson Twp. _Polk_: UMMZ 72511-12, St. Croix River "near" Never's Dam.

_County unknown_: CNHM 15971, Eau Claire River.

_Records in the literature._--ONTARIO: _Carleton_: Ottawa (questionable record). _Ess.e.x_: Point Pelee. _Haldimand_: Dunville.

_Kent_: Lake St. Clair. _Norfolk_: Long Point. _Oxford_: Beachville.

_Wentworth_: Hamilton Bay (Logier and Toner, 1955:51).

QUEBEC: _Iberville_: Richelieu River at Iberville (Logier and Toner, 1955:51).

ALABAMA: _Lawrence_: Courtland (Stejneger, 1944:53).

ILLINOIS: _Boone_: Belvidere. _Bureau_: Bureau. _Ca.s.s_: Chandlerville.

_Clay_: Louisville (Cahn, 1937:189). _Cook_: Lake Michigan (Kennicott _in_ Stejneger, 1944:44); Evanston (Necker, 1939:10); Chicago (Schmidt and Necker, 1935:76). _Crawford_: Robinson. _Douglas_: northern part of county (P. W. Smith, 1947:39). _Fayette_: Vandalia. _Fulton_: Ellisville (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Grundy_: Morris (Stille and Edgren, 1948:201). _Jackson_: Jacob (Cagle, 1942:158). _Jersey_: Grafton (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Kane_: Batavia; Dundee Game Farm (Stille and Edgren, _loc. cit._). _Kankakee_: Kankakee River near Altort (Necker, _loc. cit._). _Lake_: Fox Lake. _LaSalle_: Streator (Cahn, _loc.

cit._). _Lawrence_: (Hahn _in_ Stejneger, 1944:44). _Lee_: symbol on map (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _McHenry_: McHenry (Stille and Edgren, _loc.

cit._). _Macon_: Decatur. _Macoupin_: Carlinville (Cahn, _loc. cit._).

_Ogle_: Oregon (Garman _in_ Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Randolph_: Chester, Reily Lake. _Rock Island_: Barstow, Hillsdale, Rock Island (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Saline_: Horseshoe Lake (Stein, 1954:312).

_Stephenson_: Freeport (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Union_: Bluff Lake (Garman _in_ Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Whiteside_: Sterling, symbol on map (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Williamson_: Marion (Cagle, 1942:158).

_Winnebago_: Rockton; symbol in western part of county (Cahn, _loc.

cit._). _County unknown_: Fox River (Yarrow, 1882:29).

INDIANA: _Brown_: 1 mi. below Helmsburg (Myers, 1927:339). _Clay_: Eel River (Kirsch _in_ Stejneger, 1944:45). _Franklin_: (Hughes _in_ Stejneger, _loc. cit._). _Jasper_: Jasper-Pulaski Game Preserve (Swanson, 1939:690). _Jefferson_: Madison (Myers, _loc. cit._).

_Marion_: Irvington (Stejneger, _op. cit._:55). _Marshall_: 2 mi. NW Culver (KKA). _Monroe_: Bloomington (McLain _in_ Stejneger, _op.

cit._:45). _Newton_: Lake Village (Stille and Edgren, _loc. cit._).

_Posey_: Wabash River at New Harmony (Lesueur, 1827:257). _Starke_: Grant (Stille and Edgren, _loc. cit._). _Steuben_: Fish Creek "near"

Hamilton (Stejneger, _op. cit._:53). _County unknown_ (Knox or Starke): USNM 72387, Knox (Stejneger, _op. cit._:55); "White Water valley," east-central part of state (Butler, 1894:224). USNM 8359 (= _Trionyx spinifer asper_) has been erroneously recorded from Madison, Indiana, by Yarrow (1882:29) and Hay (1892:145); see discussion by Cahn (1937:200) and Stejneger, (_op. cit._:73, 75).

KENTUCKY: _Edmonson_: Green River, Mammoth Cave National Park (Hibbard, 1936:281). _Fleming_: Fox Creek (Welter and Carr, 1939:130).

_Jefferson_: (Funkhouser, 1925:71). _Morgan_: (Stejneger, 1944:54).

_County unknown_: Ohio and Pond rivers (Funkhouser, _loc. cit._).

MICHIGAN: _Berrien_: mouth of St. Joseph River at St. Joseph (Lagler, 1943:303). _Eaton_: Brookfield; Olivet (Clark _in_ Ruthven, Thompson and Thompson, 1912:133). _Genesee_: (Miles _in_ Ruthven, Thompson and Thompson, _loc. cit._). _Iosco_: (Lagler, 1943:283, symbol on map).

_Kent_: (Lagler, _loc. cit._). _Montcalm_: (Clark _in_ Ruthven, Thompson and Thompson, _loc. cit._). _Muskegon_: Muskegon River "near"