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Trachemys scripta elegans

Red-eared Slider

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Image:	Adult	45KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Red-eared Slider

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE se.USA - C.America

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent (1992, 2003), Not naturalised; Land-freshwater, wetland ponds

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Potential invasive (freshwater)

KEY FEATURES: Small turtle, shell to 20cm. Red flash on the sides of the head. Initial fast growth to 7cm in second year and then 1cm a year.

Enlarged Image of 'Trachemys scripta elegans'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: -
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Trachemys scripta elegans
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; REPTILIA; TESTUDINATA; Chelonia; EMYDIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Potential invasive (freshwater). Comments: One of world's 100 invasive alien species [ISSG,2001].

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: fieldspecimen+photo, on Ara Metua in Avarua, 3/1992, Patrick Arioka, several imported by John Abbot, ID GM; reported by Nick Mitchell, 6/2003, two imported in June from Tahiti, ID GM.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM03b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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