The northern spotted box turtle (''Terrapene nelsoni klauberi)'', also
commonly known as Klauber's box turtle
[ and Klauber's spotted box turtle,][ is a ]subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
in the family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Emydidae
Emydidae (Latin (freshwater tortoise) + Ancient Greek (, "appearance, resemblance")) is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly called terrapins, pond turtles, or mar ...
.
Geographic range
''T. n. klauberi'' is endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...
in Mexico.
Etymology
The subspecific name, ''klauberi'', is in honor of American herpetologist
Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...
Laurence Monroe Klauber
Laurence Monroe Klauber (December 21, 1883, in San Diego, California – May 8, 1968, in San Diego), was an American herpetologist and the foremost authority on rattlesnakes. He was the first curator of reptiles and amphibians at the San Diego Nat ...
.[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Terrapene nelsoni klauberi'', p. 143).]
References
Further reading
* Bogert CM (1943). "A New Box Turtle from Southeastern Sonora, Mexico". ''American Museum Novitates'' (1226): 1–7. (''Terrapene klauberi'', new species).
External links
''Terrapene nelsoni klauberi'' at the Catalogue of Life
Reptiles of Mexico
Terrapene
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