Clemmys guttata (Spotted turtle) - MNFI Rare Species Explorer

Clemmys guttata

Spotted turtle

Photo by Jim H. Harding

Key Characteristics

The Spotted Turtle is a small turtle with adult carapace (i.e., top shell) lengths ranging from 3.5 to 5.4 inches. This turtle can be easily identified by the small, round yellow spots on its broad, smooth, black or brownish black carapace, although spots may fade in older individuals and some individuals are spotless. The plastron (i.e., bottom shell) is hingeless and is usually yellow or orange with a black blotch along the outer margin of each scute or scale. Hatchlings average about 1.14 inches in carapace length and usually have a single spot on each plate of their carapace. Their plastrons are yellowish orange with a central dark blotch.

Status and Rank

State Status: T - Threatened (legally protected)
State Rank: S2 - Imperiled
Global Rank: G5 - Secure

Occurrences

County Name	Number of Occurrences	Year Last Observed
Allegan	9	2002
Barry	9	2003
Berrien	13	2002
Branch	1	1948
Calhoun	3	1997
Cass	10	2006
Clinton	1	1980
Eaton	1	1923
Genesee	1	1957
Gladwin	1	1998
Gratiot	1	1991
Ingham	1	1977
Jackson	6	2007
Kalamazoo	18	2005
Kalkaska	1	1947
Kent	2	2004
Lake	1	1955
Lapeer	3	1995
Lenawee	8	1998
Livingston	7	2000
Macomb	4	1991
Mason	3	2004
Muskegon	3	1997
Newaygo	1	1996
Oakland	4	2001
Ottawa	3	1998
Roscommon	2	1995
Saginaw	2	1991
St. Clair	3	1991
St. Joseph	3	1997
Tuscola	4	1997
Van Buren	13	2002
Washtenaw	5	1989
Wayne	2	1997

Information is summarized from MNFI's database of rare species and community occurrences. Data may not reflect true distribution since much of the state has not been thoroughly surveyed.

Habitat

Spotted Turtles require clean, shallow bodies of standing or slow-flowing water with muddy or mucky bottoms and aquatic or emergent vegetation. Although Spotted Turtles are considered fairly aquatic, they are frequently found on land in open habitats, especially during mating and nesting seasons. In early spring, Spotted Turtles spend a great deal of time basking on logs, muskrat houses and grass or sedge hummocks. At night and during hot weather, they burrow under vegetation or into the soil or muddy bottoms of the wetland or crawl into mammal burrows. They overwinter in shallow water in the mud or in mammal burrows or lodges.

Natural Community Types

Management

Spotted Turtles are characterized by late sexual maturity and low reproductive potential, suggesting that high annual survivorship of adults and juveniles is critical for maintaining a stable population. Extant populations and suitable wetland and nesting habitats should be protected and maintained. Increased protection of small, non-contiguous wetlands is important for maintaining sufficient habitat. Implementing minimum development setback distances, leaving buffer zones during agricultural and land management operations, maintaining good water quality and hydrologic integrity, minimizing the construction of roads in or near suitable wetlands, and minimizing the use of road salt near wetlands would be beneficial to this species. Maintaining suitable open upland nesting areas (e.g., through woody vegetation management) also would benefit this species. Altering the timing of land use activities (e.g., working in upland habitats during the winter between November and March when Spotted Turtles are hibernating in the water or wetland) could help minimize the potential for adverse impacts to this species. Predator control and on-site protection of nest sites may be warranted to increase reproductive success. Minimizing road mortality and removal/collection of turtles from the wild also would benefit Spotted Turtle populations. Providing connectivity among populations to allow for genetic exchange also is vital for preserving the long-term viability of this species.

Active Period

Breeding from fourth week of March to fourth week of May

Nesting from first week of June to fourth week of June

Active from fourth week of March to third week of October

Survey Methods

The best time to survey for this species is in early spring during the mating season, from March through May, before the vegetation gets too tall and/or dense. The best way to survey for this species is to conduct visual encounter surveys which would consist of first searching suitable wetland habitats from a distance with binoculars or a spotting scope and scanning for individuals swimming in the water or basking in or along the wetland. This would be followed by slowly walking around the habitat, looking for turtles in the water or basking in or on vegetation or woody debris.

Visual encounter surveys
- Survey Period: From fourth week of March to fourth week of May
  - Time: Daytime Cloud Cover: Clear
    Air Temperature: Above 60 degrees

More Information

See MNFI Species Abstract

References

Survey References

Karns, D.R. 1986. Field Herpetology: Methods for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles in Minnesota. Occ. Pap. No. 18. J.F. Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Technical References

Belmore, B. 1980. The basic ecology of the spotted turtle Clemmys guttata (Schneider) in Massachusetts. Journal of Northern Ohio Association of Herpetologists 6:5-13.

Conant, R. 1951. The Reptiles of Ohio. Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame. 284pp.

Ernst, C.H. 1976. Ecology of the spotted turtle, Clemmys guttata (Reptilia, Testudines, Testudinidae), in southeastern Pennsylvania. Journal of Herpetology 10(1):25-33.

Ernst, C.H., J.E. Lovich, and R.W. Barbour. 1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 578pp.

Harding, J.H. 1997.Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region. The University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. 378pp.

Hunter, M.L., J. Albright and J. Arbuckle, eds. 1992. The amphibians and reptiles of Maine. Maine Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 838:188pp.

Kingsbury, B. and J. Gibson, eds. 2002. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. 57pp.

Lee, Y. 2000. Special Animal Abstract for Clemmys guttata (Spotted turtle). Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Lansing, MI. 4pp.

Minton, S.A. 1972. Amphibians and Reptiles of Indiana. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis. 3: 346pp.

Smith, P.W. 1961. The amphibians and reptiles of Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey, Carbondale. Bulletin No. 28. 298 pp.

Ward, F.P., C.J. Hohmann, J.F. Ulrich, and S.E. Hill. 1976. Seasonal microhabitat selections of spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) in Maryland elucidated by radioisotope tracking. Herpetologica 32:60-64.

Page Citation

Michigan Natural Features Inventory. 2007. Rare Species Explorer (Web Application). Available online at http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/explorer [Accessed Nov 23, 2009]