Diamond terrapin turtle reptile malaclemys terrapin

Terrapins are a group of several species of small

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 ...

(order Testudines) living in

fresh Fresh may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films and television * ''Fresh'' (1994 film), a crime film * ''Fresh'' (2009 film), a documentary film on sustainable agriculture * ''Fresh'' (2022 film), a thriller film *''Fresh with the Aust ...

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

water. Terrapins do not form a

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

omic unit and may not be closely related. Many belong to the families

Geoemydidae The Geoemydidae (formerly known as Bataguridae) are one of the largest and most diverse families in the order Testudines (turtles), with about 70 species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two in ...

and

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 ...

. The name "terrapin" is derived from ', a word in an Algonquian language"Terrapin"
''www.merriam-webster.com'', accessed 9 November 2021 that referred to the species ''

Malaclemys terrapin The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') is a species of terrapin native to the Brackish water, brackish coastal tidal marshes of the East Coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico coast, as well as in Bermuda ...

'' (the diamondback terrapin). It appears that the term became part of common usage during the colonial era of North America and was carried back to Great Britain. Since then, it has been used in common names for freshwater species of Testudines in the English language.Farlex Trivia Dictionary 2012. Cited in https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Testudine

Species

Testudine species with "terrapin" in their common English-language names include: * Bengal eyed terrapin, Burmese eyed turtle or Burmese peacock turtle, ''Morenia ocellata'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae found in Burma and possibly Yunnan, China. *

Diamondback terrapin The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin (''Malaclemys terrapin'') is a species of terrapin native to the Brackish water, brackish coastal tidal marshes of the East Coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico coast, as well as in Bermuda ...

or just "terrapin", ''Malaclemys terrapin'', a testudine of the family Emydidae, native to North America and Bermuda. *

European pond terrapin The European pond turtle (''Emys orbicularis''), also called commonly the European pond terrapin and the European pond tortoise, is a species of long-living freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the Western Palearc ...

or European pond turtle, ''Emys orbicularis'', a testudine in the family Emydidae found in Central Europe, West Asia and parts of North Africa. *

Indian pond terrapin The Indian black turtle (''Melanochelys trijuga'') or Indian pond terrapin is a species of medium-sized freshwater turtle found in South Asia. Description Their shell is a typically made up of shades of dark brown, green, or grey, not just blac ...

, or Indian black turtle, ''Melanochelys trijuga'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae found in South Asia. * Mexican spotted terrapin or Mexican spotted wood turtle, ''Rhinoclemmys rubida'', a species of testudine in the family Geoemydidae, endemic to Mexico. *

Northern river terrapin The northern river terrapin (''Batagur baska'') is a species of riverine turtle native to Southeast Asia. It has been classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and considered extinct in much of its former range; as of 2018, the pop ...

, ''Batagur baska'', a critically endangered testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Cambodia. *

Painted terrapin The painted terrapin, painted batagur, or saw-jawed turtle (''Batagur borneoensis'') is a species of turtles in the family Geoemydidae. It was formerly in its own genus, ''Callagur'', but has been reclassified to the genus, ''Batagur''. Distribu ...

, ''Batagur borneoensis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. *

Red-eared slider The red-eared slider or red-eared terrapin (''Trachemys scripta elegans'') is a subspecies of the pond slider (''Trachemys scripta''), a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the Family (biology), family Emydidae. Native to the southern United States ...

, or red-eared terrapin, ''Trachemys scripta elegans'', a subspecies of

pond slider The pond slider (''Trachemys scripta'') is a species of common, medium-sized, semiaquatic turtle. Three subspecies are described, the most recognizable of which is the red-eared slider (''T. s. elegans''), which is popular in the pet trade and ha ...

in the family Emydidae native to southern North America. It is a popular pet and an invasive species in many places. *

Serrated hinged terrapin The serrated hinged terrapin (''Pelusios sinuatus'') is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae. The species is native to East Africa and Southern Africa. There are two recognised subspecies. Geographic range ''P. sinuatus'' is found in ...

, ''Pelusios sinuatus'', is a species of testudine in the family Pelomedusidae found in southern Africa. * Swamp terrapin or West African mud turtle, ''Pelusios castaneus'', a species of testudine in the family Pelomedusidae that is endemic to West and Central Africa. *

Smiling terrapin ''Siebenrockiella crassicollis'' (commonly known as black marsh turtle, smiling terrapin, and Siamese temple turtle, among others) is a freshwater turtle endemic to Southeast Asia. It is one of two species classified under the genus '' Siebenroc ...

black marsh turtle ''Siebenrockiella crassicollis'' (commonly known as black marsh turtle, smiling terrapin, and Siamese temple turtle, among others) is a freshwater turtle endemic to Southeast Asia. It is one of two species classified under the genus '' Siebenroc ...

, ''Siebenrockiella crassicollis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Southeast Asia. *

Southern river terrapin The southern river terrapin (''Batagur affinis'') is a riverine turtle of the family Geoemydidae found in Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. Etymology The Southern River Terrapin derives its common name from its native range of Peninsular Malay ...

, ''Batagur affinis'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae native to Cambodia. * Striped-neck terrapin or Caspian turtle, ''Mauremys caspica'', a testudine in the family Geoemydidae (Bataguridae), native to the eastern Mediterranean region. * Yellow-bellied slider or Yellow-bellied terrapin, ''Trachemys scripta scripta,'' another subspecies of pond slider in the family Emydidae native to southern North America. Like the red-eared slider, it is a popular pet and an invasive species in many places.

References

{{Animal common name Reptile common names Batagur Emys Malaclemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Pelusios Rhinoclemmys Siebenrockiella Trachemys