. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. November, 1961 Smith: Amphibians axd Reptiles of Illinois 121. Fig. 109.—A subaJult Miuioilemys tcmmincki from Jackson County, Illinois. Young speci- mens are predominantly black; older individuals are dirty olive or brownish black. Diagnosis.—^A large aquatic turtle (larg- est Illinois specimen with a carapace length of 610 mm.),* fig. 109, similar to Chelydra but differing as follows: larger maximum size, carapace of adults as well as juveniles with 3 continuous longitudinal keels; 3 to 5 supramarginal plates separating costals from lateral margi
. Bulletin. Natural history; Natural history. November, 1961 Smith: Amphibians axd Reptiles of Illinois 121. Fig. 109.—A subaJult Miuioilemys tcmmincki from Jackson County, Illinois. Young speci- mens are predominantly black; older individuals are dirty olive or brownish black. Diagnosis.—^A large aquatic turtle (larg- est Illinois specimen with a carapace length of 610 mm.),* fig. 109, similar to Chelydra but differing as follows: larger maximum size, carapace of adults as well as juveniles with 3 continuous longitudinal keels; 3 to 5 supramarginal plates separating costals from lateral marginals; eyes lateral in position and not visible from above; top of head cov- ered with large plates; snout, anterior to eyes, long, relatively narrow, and strongly Deaked; underside of tail \vith numerous >mall scales. Variation.—The sexes in this turtle pre- mmably differ slightly in the relative posi- :ion of the anus on the underside of the tail, ">ut the reliability of this character for sex- ng individuals has not been tested. I The young resemble adults except that hey are darker in color and have more •ounded and more highly sculptured shells md more conspicuous skin ornamentation:^. Almost no data are available for geo- graphic or even individual variation in this urtle within Illinois. Carapace widrh for our Illinois specimens in the UliMXH col- ections ranges from to , averaging , per cent of the carapace length; tail ength ranges from to , averaging , per cent of the carapace length. Habits.—On land this huge turtle is low moving and awkward. In water it ap- *Since this account was written, two more specimens ave been taken : a record-sized turtle (Jess Grammer, per- Mial communication) and a female ready for ovipc^ition F. C. Galbreath. personal communication), table 51. parently lies in wait for prey that is at- tracted to the pink "lure" within the gaping jaws. The dull coloration and algal growth on the carapa
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