NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Alabama Map Turtle
Graptemys pulchra Baur, 1893
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Alabama map turtle (Graptemys pulchra) is a species of emydid turtle native to the southern United States. Differentiation from other turtle species includes a black stripe running down the center of its back with knobs extruding from it, but these projections wear down with age. T.H. Bean and L. Kumlen first collected the Alabama map turtle in July 1876 from a lake near Montgomery, Alabama. Type locality for this species is Montgomery County, Alabama. German zoologist Georg Baur described and named the Alabama map turtle in 1893. The genus Graptemys includes nine species of mostly aquatic turtles.
Wikipedia contributors, Alabama map turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:13:27.149832+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Graptemys pulchra Baur, 1893
- Name authority
- Baur, 1893
- Common name
- Alabama Map Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Emydidae
- Genus
- Graptemys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyTestudinoidea
- familyEmydidae
- genusGraptemys
- speciesGraptemys pulchra Baur, 1893
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Graptemys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Graptemys pearlensis Ennen, Lovich, Kreiser, Selman & Qualls, 2010 | EmydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ringed Map TurtleGraptemys oculifera (Baur, 1890) | EmydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Escambia Map TurtleGraptemys ernsti Lovich & Mccoy, 1992 | EmydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Graptemys ouachitensis Cagle, 1953 | EmydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Graptemys&species=pulchra Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6L4VC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.