Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima, the painted wood turtle, is a member of Geoemydidae within Cryptodira. There are eight species of Rhinoclemmys, and the genus is the only member of Geoemydidae to occur in the New World (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006). The phylogenetic position of Geoemydidae has been debated (e.g., McDowell, 1964; Hirayama, 1984; Gaffney and Meylan, 1988; Spinks et al., 2004), and the clade is currently considered to be the sister-group to Emydidae within Testudinoidea (Joyce, 2007). Geoemydidae originated in the Tertiary, and is therefore a relatively young turtle clade (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006).

Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima is of medium size, reaching a carapace length of up to 21.5 cm (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006). The skull is relatively small, short, and flattened. The carapace exhibits distinct growth annuli, a medial keel, and posterior serrations (Ernst and Barbour, 1989). Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima has a complex head coloration, with orange to red stripes running along the midline, extending from the orbits, running along the upper and lower jaws, and on the chin. Dorsally, Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima is brown, and different subspecies may exhibit yellow or red lines, or ocelli. Ventrally, it is yellow with a dark central blotch. Forelimbs exhibit large red or yellow scales (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006).

Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima is a terrestrial turtle, inhabiting scrub and moist woodlands on the west coast of North and Central America, extending from Mexico to Costa Rica (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006). It is very active after heavy rains. Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima is omnivorous but prefers plant material. Females lay up to four clutches of three to five eggs per year (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006).

This specimen was made available to the University of Texas High Resolution X-Ray CT Facility for scanning by Dr. Heather Jamnizcky of the University of Calgary. Funding was provided by Dr. Jamniczky and a National Science Foundation Digital Libraries Initiative grant to Dr. Timothy Rowe of The University of Texas at Austin.

This was scanned by Matthew Colbert on 3 August 2004 along the coronal axis for a total of 645 slices. Each 1024 x 1024 pixel slice is 0.055 mm thick, with an interslice spacing of 0.055 mm and a field of reconstruction of 26 mm.

Literature

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