PAINTED TURTLES (CHRYSEMYS PICTA) OF VERMONT: AN EXAMINATION OF PHENOTYPIC VARIATION AND INTERGRADATION

The painted turtle, Chrysemys picta Schneider (family Emydidae), has been divided into four subspecies (with differing morphological characteristics), two of which intergrade in the northeastern United States. The intergradation of C. p. marginata (midland painted turtle) and C. p. picta (eastern painted turtle) has been well studied in some areas, but has been poorly studied in Vermont, an area that could contribute important information on this species and the process of intergradation. Turtles were trapped and released from three different watersheds in Vermont, and others were examined from collections at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History from within the center of the ranges of the two parent subspecies to investigate the hypotheses that Vermont's turtles are intergrades, and that the amount of influence from each subspecies differs with drainage in Vermont. For the external characteristics of scute disalignment, scute border width, and plastral figure, many of Vermont's turtles were determined to be significantly different from typical marginata and picta, and were intermediate to them, strongly suggesting that they are intergrades. Samples from the southeast corner of the state were determined to be picta.