on plastral area (UMMZ 110502), dark spots or flecks on undersurface
of carapace (BCB 6043, UMMZ 92666), or markings on throat (UMMZ
95032).
Surface of carapace smooth in adult males; large females lacking
prominences posteriorly in center of carapace or in nuchal region;
anterior edge of carapace smooth in both sexes, but occasionally
having regularly spaced furrows or wrinkles (Fig. 8g).
_Variation._--Short dusky lines and streaks seem to be lacking from
the juvenal pattern on the carapace more often in southern populations
(Gulf Coast drainage of Texas) than in northern populations
(Mississippi River drainage). I have seen one female, KU 48229 (Pl.
46, bottom, left), plastral length 14.5 centimeters that retained a
well-defined juvenal pattern, and lacked a mottled and blotched
pattern.
Color notes from life of 11 turtles, KU 55296-306, (eight adult males,
three immature females) from the Kansas River at Lawrence, Douglas
County, Kansas, are: Buff-yellow rim of carapace, sometimes having
pale orange tinge; dusky, dark brown markings on pale brown or tannish
carapace of males; dark and pale brown mottled and blotched pattern on
carapace of females (smallest specimens having plastral length, 11.0
cm.), many having orangish or buffy hue; soft parts of body brownish
to olive-green dorsally, many having small, blackish marks on hind
limbs; webbing of limbs yellowish; pale orange, some yellow, laterally
at juncture of dark dorsum and pale ventrum (to a lesser extent on
hind limbs); pale orange in some suffusing onto dorsal surface of soft
parts of body; black-bordered postocular stripes in males having
orangish tinge (pattern somewhat obscured in females); whitish ventral
surface in some having pale orangish tinge here and there; many having
dusky, grayish flecking on plastral area and anterior ventral surface
(most intense on 55306 giving appearance of grayish suffusion).
I have seen only three specimens from the Colorado River drainage in
Texas. Two of these (UMMZ 92751, TU 14436) are characterized by much
black pigmentation. A contrasting pattern of relatively large black
marks occurs on the dorsal surface of the soft parts of the body,
especially on the hind limbs, and the pale postocular stripes have
thick black borders. UMMZ 92751, having a plastral length of 5.5
centimeters, has a juvenal pattern of widely-spaced dark dots that
lacks short lines. The other _muticus_ from the Colorado River (CM
3055), a large female 19.0 centimeters in plastral length, has
ill-defined postocular stripes lacking dark borders, although a small
dusky blotch occurs on the right side of the head.
_Comparisons._--_T. m. muticus_ differs from _T. m. calvatus_ in
having pale stripes on the snout, a juvenal pattern of small dusky
spots (usually lacking ocellate spots) and short lines, and a pale
postocular stripe lacking thick, blackish borders (except in some
turtles from the Colorado River system of Texas). One unique
characteristic of _muticus_ is the short, dusky lines in the juvenal
pattern; these marks, however, are occasionally absent.
_Remarks._--_Trionyx muticus_ generally has been considered a distinct
species since its description by Lesueur (1827:263-66, Pl. 7);
Wied-Neuwied (1865:53), at least, questioned the identity of
_muticus_, believing it to be based on a secondary sexual difference
of _T. spiniferus_. Lesueur did not designate a type in the
description, and mentioned that he had seen only three specimens (_op.
cit._:264). Stejneger (1944:17-18) discussed two mounted specimens
(Nos. 787 and 788) in the Natural History Museum at Paris, and
mentioned that No. 787 was designated "... as the type on the printed
label (although presumably not done by Lesueur)." Dr. Jean Guibé (_in
litt._ September 24, 1959) informed me that Nos. 787 and 788 are
numbers without value and correspond, respectively, to catalog numbers
8813 and 8814. In addition, the Museum possesses an alcoholic
specimen, No. 564, obtained by Lesueur from the Wabash River, that
seems to have been acquired by the museum after the publication of the
original description. No. 8813 is regarded as a lectotype.
Gray (1864:87) described the species _microcephalus_ and questionably
included it in the genus _Potamochelys_ Fitzinger, 1843; the locality
was stated as "Sarawak (Wallace)." Gray especially noted the small
elongate head and believed that the acquisition of adult specimens
would prove that it belonged to a new genus. Later, Gray (1869:221)
proposed the generic name _Callinia_ as a new name for _Aspidonectes_
as understood by Agassiz (1857:403). Gray referred _microcephala_ to
_Callinia_ (_op. cit._:214, 222) and recognized also _Amyda mutica_
(_op. cit._:212). Baur (1888:1121) remarked that "_Callinia
microcephala_ Gray, of the British Museum, with the locality Sarawak,
is _Amyda mutica_ Les." The species _microcephalus_ has since been
considered a synonym of _Trionyx muticus_. Schmidt (1953:110)
designated the type locality as New Harmony, Indiana.
Müller (1878:641) listed the species _Trionyx muticus_ from México as
follows: "*b. in Alcohol. Mexico. 1872. [2]." Smith and Taylor
(1950:18, footnote) wrote that the record required confirmation. Webb
and Legler (1960:24) questionably referred this record to the synonomy
of _T. ater_, which resembles _muticus_. _T. muticus_ is not known to
occur in México. According to Dr. Lothar Forcart (_in litt._) of the
Naturhistorische Museum in Basel, Switzerland, only one specimen on
which Müller based his record is extant. My examination of this
specimen reveals that it is a hatchling _T. s. emoryi_, plastral
length 3.5 centimeters, bearing catalog number 1032; there are no
additional data of collection.
Strecker and Williams (1927:16) mentioned one specimen of _muticus_
that was obtained at Christoval, Tom Green County, Texas, and I
presume this is the basis for Pope's mention of this species from Tom
Green County, Texas (1949:319). Although I do not doubt that _T.
muticus_ occurs in Tom Green County, this record possibly is based on
_T. spinifer_ because, 1) there are no specimens of _muticus_ in the
Strecker Museum from Tom Green County, but there is one specimen of
_spinifer_ (SM 3282), and in none of Strecker's publications is there
any mention of _spinifer_ from Tom Green County, and 2) Strecker had,
at least once, misidentified the two species; his record of _muticus_
from Wallace Bayou, Louisiana (Strecker and Frierson, 1926:last page,
no numbers), represents _T. spinifer pallidus_ (SM 2374-75).
_Specimens examined._--Total 261, as follows: ALABAMA: _County
unknown_: USNM 118167, Wheeler Reservoir, Tennessee River.
ARKANSAS: _Franklin_: KU 19459-60, Ozark. _Lafayette_: KU 2938, 3057,
Lewisville. _Lawrence_: CNHM 92003, Imboden; CNHM 92005, Powhatan;
USNM 59214, Black River, Black Rock. _Marion_: TU 14606 (2), White
River at Cotter. _Prairie_: KU 1831, 1868, 1870, 1874-76, 1930-31,
1957-63, 2294-302, 2305-06, 2308-09, 2838-41, 3002, White River,
DeVall's Bluff.
KANSAS: _Barber_: USNM 95185-86, 1 mi. S Lake City. _Doniphan_: KU
1872, 1878, 1964, Doniphan Lake. _Douglas_: KU 2220, 16148, 23230,
40179, 50825-26, 55296-306, Kansas River, Lawrence; KU 45065-66, 1 mi.
N, 1.5 mi. W Lakeview. _Ford_: KU 51516, Ford. _Kearny_: KU 48216, 4
mi. S, 1.5 mi. W Deerfield. _Marshall_: KU 48228, Blue Rapids.
_Pottawatomie_: KU 48229-33, 48238, 2 mi. E Manhattan, Riley County.
_Reno_: USNM 95260, 6 mi. E Turon. _Riley_: KU 46861, 48234-35, 4 mi.
N Manhattan; KU 48236, 2 mi. NE Randolph. _Sedgwick_: UMMZ 95362,
Wichita. _Shawnee_: UMMZ 95366-67, Topeka. _Sumner_: USNM 95415, 3 mi.
SE Oxford. _Washington_: KU 48237, 8 mi. S Hanover. _Woodson_: KU
45064, 1 mi. E, 2 mi. S Neosho Falls. _County unknown_: USNM 51528.
ILLINOIS: _Cass_: INHS 2146, Beardstown. _Coles_: INHS 1965-67, 3 mi.
S Charleston. _Jackson_: INHS 5894, 6.5 mi. N Aldridge, Union County;
UMMZ 81570, Mississippi River. _Jasper_: INHS 2412, Rose Hill.
_Jersey_: INHS 2156-58, Grafton. _Mason_: INHS 2147, Cedar Creek.
_Mercer_: INHS 3458, Keithsburg. _Monroe_: INHS 4088, 3 mi. NE
Columbia. _Morgan_: CNHM 6028, INHS 2148, Meredosia. _Pope_: CNHM 2463
(30), Golconda. _Schuyler_: UI 40-41, Crooked Creek. _Shelby_: INHS
2283, Holliday. _Wabash_: INHS 5228, Mt. Carmel.
INDIANA: _Daviess_: UMMZ 110234, White River, 1.5 mi. W Elnora.
_Jefferson_: USNM 8337, Madison. _Knox_: UMMZ 111880-81, "near" Decker
Chapel. _Posey_: INHS 7278-80, 7447, TTC 798, Wabash River, 2-2.5 mi.
S New Harmony; UMMZ 110598, 8 mi. NW Mt. Vernon.
IOWA: _Allamakee_: UMMZ 92657, 1/4 mi. W Victory, Vernon County,
Wisconsin; UMMZ 92658-64, Mississippi River, "near" Lansing. _Boon_:
UMMZ 92665, Des Moines River at Ledge State Park. _Greene_: UMMZ
92666, 3.5 mi. N Scranton. _Muscatine_: USNM 53521, 54733-34, 54742,
60054-56, Fairport.
LOUISIANA: _Beauregard_: TU 1242, Sabine River, Merryville. _Caddo_:
CNHM 7845, Gayles. _Catahoula_: USNM 113228, Jonesville. _Concordia_:
USNM 99870, Red River, "near" Shaw. _Ouachita_: TU 5989, Monroe.
_Richland_: USNM 100422, Rayville. _Sabine_: TU 13163, 13294, Sabine
River, 8 miles SW Negreet. _St. James_: TU 7543, Vacherie. _St. Mar_:
USNM 100406, Berwick Bay, "near" Morgan City. _Vernon_: KU 41380,
46777, Sabine River NW Burr Ferry.
MINNESOTA: _Hennepin_: AMNH 4761-62, Fort Snelling.
MISSISSIPPI: _Washington:_ USNM 92605, Greenville. _County unknown_:
USNM 115939.
MISSOURI: _Clark_: USNM 59267, 59278, Alexandria. _Daviess_: UMMZ
95505, Grand River, 1 mi. S Jameson. _St. Louis_: SM 2052, St. Louis.
_Wayne_: UMMZ 82823, St. Francis River.
NEBRASKA: _Webster_: UMMZ 89526, Republican River, 2 mi. E Inavale.
OKLAHOMA: _Cleveland_: OU 5480-81, 6473, South Canadian River, 4 mi.
SE Norman. _Hughes_: KU 50845, 4 mi. N Atwood. _Kay_: OU 9741, 8 mi. E
Ponca City. _Le Flore_: OU 2148; OU 27390, Poteau River below Wister
Dam. _Love_: OU 27472, Hickory Creek, 9 mi. E Marietta. _Major_: OU
8597, 7 mi. E Orienta. _Marshall_: KU 50827-29, 50848, 50853, OU
27593-94, TU 16077 (4), Lake Texoma, 2 mi. E Willis. _McIntosh_: OU
8993, 4 mi. W Onapa. _Oklahoma_: OU 10137, Lake Oberholser. _Payne_:
UMMZ 89629, Cimarron River, 3 mi. E Ripley; UMMZ 90002, 19 mi. SE
Stillwater. _Pottawatomie_: OU 25176-83, South Canadian River, 5 mi.
SW Shawnee. _Roger Mills_: OU 12472. _Sequoyah_: OU 9006, Illinois
River, 2 mi. NE Gore. _Tulsa_: UMMZ 95032 (4), Arkansas River at
Tulsa. _Woodward_: CNHM 15472-73; OU 8599-600, 5 mi. E, 1 mi. N
Woodward.
SOUTH DAKOTA: _Yankton_: UMMZ 110499-500, Missouri River at Fort
Randall; UMMZ 110501-02, Missouri River at Yankton.
TENNESSEE: _Benton_: UMMZ 53198, Trotter's Landing. _Lake_: USNM
102677, Reelfoot Lake. _Obion_: USNM 102910, Reelfoot Lake.
TEXAS: _Archer_: TU 16173, Lake Diversion. _Baylor_: TU 16172 (2),
Lake Kemp. _Brazos_: TCWC 7250, Bryan. _Clay_: TCWC 7248-49, 7259-61,
8 mi. NW Ringgold, Montague County; TU 16667, 3 mi. W Byers.
_Grayson_: UI 2419, Lake Texoma. _Gregg_: SM 6685, near Gladewater;
USNM 22629, Sabine River, 5 mi. S Longview. _Liberty_: TU 14416,
14375, Trinity River, "near" jct. with Big Creek. _McLennan_: BCB
6030, 6043, SM 2557, 2561, Lake Waco. _Matagorda_: CM 3055, Colorado
River, Bay City. _San Saba_: TU 14436, San Saba River, 11 mi. NNW San
Saba. _Tarrant_: UMMZ 92750, Worth Lake, Fort Worth. _Wharton_: UMMZ
92751, Colorado River, Wharton.
NO DATA: MCZ 1594 (erroneously recorded from Mobile, Alabama); USNM
029261, 59982.
_Records in the literature._--ARKANSAS: _Garland_: Hot Springs (Combs
and Hurter _in_ Strecker, 1924:47). _Jefferson_: Pine Bluff.
_Pulaski_: Little Rock. _Sebastian_: Fort Smith (Hurter and Strecker,
1909:21).
ILLINOIS: _Adams_: Quincy (Garman _in_ Cahn, 1937:179). _Alexander_:
Horseshoe Lake (Cahn, _loc. cit._); Cairo (Garman _in_ Cahn, _loc.
cit._). _Carroll_: 5 mi. S Savanna (Stejneger, 1944:24). _Clay_:
Louisville. _Clinton_: Carlyle. _Crawford_: Robinson (Cahn, _loc.
cit._). _Cumberland_: Embarrass River (Peters, 1942:183). _Fayette_:
Vandalia. _Gallatin_: Shawneetown (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Hancock_:
between Warsaw and Hamilton (Stejneger, _op. cit._:23). _Jackson_:
Murphysboro. _Jasper_: Newton. _Marion_: Centralia. _Mason_: Havana.
_Massac_: symbol on map. _Menard_: Petersburg. _Peoria_: Peoria.
_Randolph_: Chester (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Richland_: Olney (Stejneger,
_loc. cit._). _Rock Island_: Rock Island. _St. Clair_: East St. Louis
(Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Union_: (Cagle, 1942a:199). _White_: Carmi.
_Whiteside_: Sterling (Cahn, _loc. cit._). _Woodford_: Mackinaw Creek
(Garman _in_ Cahn, _loc. cit._).
INDIANA: _Carroll_: "near" Delphi (Agassiz, 1857:400). _Vigo_: Terre
Haute (Blatchley, 1891:22).
IOWA: _Des Moines_: "near" Burlington (Agassiz, 1857:400). _Dubuque_:
Mississippi River, 8 mi. S Dubuque (Goldsmith, 1945:447). _Lee_:
Keokuk (Stejneger, 1944:23).
KANSAS: _Barber_: 5 mi. SE Lake City; Salt River, S of Aetna (Burt,
1935:321). _Cowley_: symbols on map (Smith, 1956:157). _Gray_:
Arkansas River, 1 mi. W Cimarron (Clarke, 1956:215). _Leavenworth_:
Missouri River, Fort Leavenworth (Brumwell, 1951:207-08). _McPherson_:
Lindsborg (Breukelman and Smith, 1946:112). _Pratt_: State Fish
Hatchery, "near" Pratt (Taylor, 1933:269). _Trego_: Wakeeney
(Stejneger, 1944:24).
KENTUCKY: _Fleming_: Fox. _Rowan_: Triplett (Welter and Carr,
1939:130). _County unknown_: Ohio River (Funkhouser, 1925:71).
LOUISIANA: _De Soto_: Bayou Pierre (Strecker and Frierson, 1926:last
page, no numbers).
MINNESOTA: _Houston_: Brownsville (Breckenridge, 1944:183). _Winona_:
Homer (Stejneger, 1944:23).
MISSISSIPPI: _Warren_: Vicksburg (Cook, 1946:185).
MISSOURI: _Jackson_: Fry's Lake (Anderson, 1942:219). _Jefferson_:
Meramec River (Boyer and Heinze, 1934:199). _County unknown_: Osage
River (Agassiz, 1857:400).
NEBRASKA: _Franklin_: 1/2 mi. S Franklin; 1 mi. SE Naponee. _Furnas_:
4 mi. E Cambridge. _Lancaster_: Lincoln. _Nemaha_: Peru. _Thayer_:
(Hudson, 1942:102). _Thomas_: (Smith, 1958:36).
NEW MEXICO: _San Miguel_: Conchos River above Conchos Dam (Shields and
Lindeborg, 1956:120).
OHIO: _Brown_: mouth White Oak Creek, Higginsport. _Muskingum_: "near"
Gaysport. _Pike_: Scioto River in Camp Creek, Newton and Scioto Twps.;
Pike Lake. _Scioto_: Scioto River in Clay and Rush Twps.; Scioto
River, Portsmouth; Scioto River, 3 mi. N Rushtown. _Tuscarawas_:
Tuscarawas River, 2 mi. below Gnadenhutten; "near" Winfield.
_Washington_: Dam No. 2, Muskingum River, northern edge of Marietta;
Ohio River, 4 mi. SE Marietta (Conant, 1951:156, 264).
OKLAHOMA: _Alfalfa_: 6.5 mi. NE Ingersoll. _Comanche_: Camp Boulder,
Wichita National Forest (Ortenburger and Freeman, 1930:188).
_McCurtain_: _Pushmataha_: (Ortenburger, 1927:100).
PENNSYLVANIA: _Allegheny_: Neville Island, Ohio River below Pittsburgh
(Atkinson, 1901:154). _Clarion_: Allegheny River at Foxburg (Netting,
1944:85).
?SOUTH DAKOTA: _County unknown_: Fort Mackenzie, Missouri River, 6-8
mi. below Cedar Island (Stejneger, 1944:15).
TENNESSEE: _Lake_: Mississippi River (Parker, 1948:29). _Pickett_:
Obey River at Eagle Creek Ford (Shoup, Peyton and Gentry, 1941:75).
WISCONSIN: _Crawford_: _Pepin_: Mississippi River (Breckenridge,
1944:183; Pope and Dickinson, 1928:82).
=Trionyx muticus calvatus= Webb
Gulf Coast Smooth Softshell
Plate 47
_Trionyx muticus calvatus_ Webb, Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat.
Hist., 11:519, 1 fig., 2 pls., August 14, 1959.
_Type._--Holotype, UI 31071, hatchling, sex undetermined, alcoholic;
obtained from Pearl River, Roses Bluff, 14 miles northeast Jackson,
Rankin County, Mississippi, by William F. Childers on August 25, 1952.
_Range._--Southeastern United States from the Florida Parishes of
Louisiana eastward to the western end of the panhandle of Florida;
rivers of the Gulf Coast drainage from the Escambia River drainage,
Florida, westward to Louisiana and Mississippi including the Pearl
River drainage. The eastern extent of geographic range is not known
(see map, Fig. 22).
_Diagnosis._--Juvenal pattern of large circular spots, often ocellate;
no stripes on dorsal surface of snout; pattern on dorsal surface of
limbs of fine markings, not in contrast with ground color; pale
postocular stripes having thick black borders approximately one half
width of pale stripe on adult males.
_Description._--Plastral length of smallest hatchling, 3.0 centimeters
(TU 17301); of largest male, 11.8 centimeters (KU 47118); of largest
female, 18.0 centimeters (TU 13473).
Juvenal pattern of dusky, circular spots, some ocellate, lacking short
lines and streaks; number of spots variable; some spots on carapace of
hatchlings may have maximum diameter of three millimeters (TU 17301);
pale rim of carapace having dusky, ragged, inner border; juvenal
pattern on adult males absent or usually evident, at least posteriorly
(TU 17306.1).
Dorsal surface of snout lacking pale stripes just in front of eyes;
pale postocular stripe having thick, black borders on adult males, but
narrower, dusky or blackish borders on juveniles and large females;
lower border of postocular stripe usually in contact with dusky
postlabial line; no other markings on side of head; pattern on dorsal
surface of soft parts of body of closely approximated, fine markings
that are not in contrast with ground color, over-all coloration
grayish; occasionally few larger and more contrasting markings,
especially on hind limbs and anteriolateral surface of forelimbs.
Underparts whitish, lacking markings, occasional black flecks or dusky
marks posteriorly along ventral edge of carapace (TU 17306.3).
Surface of carapace smooth in adult males; large females lacking
prominences posteriorly in center of carapace or in nuchal region;
anterior edge of carapace smooth in both sexes, but occasionally
having regularly spaced furrows or wrinkles on hatchlings.
_Comparisons._--_T. m. calvatus_ can be distinguished from _T. m.
muticus_ by the absence of pale stripes on the snout just in front of
the eyes, in having pale postocular stripes that have thick, black
borders on adult males, and in having a juvenal pattern of large,
circular spots that are often ocellate and three millimeters in
diameter (no short lines).
_Remarks._--I have not seen specimens of _calvatus_ from the
Tombigbee-Alabama river drainage; presumably Cook's record (1946:185)
from Lowndes County, Mississippi, represents this subspecies.
It is still not certain that _calvatus_ occurs in streams that drain
into Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana; TU 17236 from the Amite River that
lacks a diagnostic character is questionably referred to _calvatus_
(Webb, 1959:524). As mentioned previously _T. s. asper_ shows little
evidence of intergradation with _T. spinifer_ in the Mississippi River
drainage; _asper_ is present in streams of the Lake Pontchartrain
drainage. _T. m. calvatus_ presumably shows a corresponding
relationship with _T. m. muticus_ in the Mississippi River drainage.
There are no specimens that indicate intergradation between _calvatus_
and _muticus_; _calvatus_ is expected in streams that drain into Lake
Pontchartrain, Louisiana. Probably _calvatus_ occurs eastward in the
Apalachicola drainage system.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 38 as follows: FLORIDA: _Escambia_: KU
47116, 50852, 50854-55, 50835-36, TU 13473, 16682, 17301, 17302 (2),
Escambia River, 2 mi. E, 1 mi. N Century.
LOUISIANA: _East Baton Rouge_: TU 17236, Amite River, "near" Baton
Rouge. _Washington_: TU 13795, Bogue Chitto River, Enon; TU 17303 (5),
TU 17304 (4), Pearl River, "near" Varnado. _No data_: TU 17305.
MISSISSIPPI: _Lawrence_: KU 47117-19, TU 16956, USNM 7655, Pearl River
within 4 mi. of Monticello; TU 17306 (4), Pearl River, 9 mi. S
Monticello. _Marion_: USNM 95133-34, Pearl River, Columbia. _Perry_:
MSC uncatalogued (3), 3 mi. SE New Augusta. _Rankin_: UI 31071, Pearl
River, Roses Bluff, 14 mi. NE Jackson.
_Records in the literature._--MISSISSIPPI: _Forrest_: no data.
_Jones_: Crawford Bridge. _Lowndes_: Columbus, Lake Park (Cook,
1946:185).
NATURAL HISTORY
Habitat
Most writers who describe the general habitat of soft-shelled turtles
mention large rivers and streams having some current, and large
permanent, quiet bodies of water having soft mud or sand bottoms, but
note the general avoidance of temporary water. The impermanence of water
in the ponds and "charcos" of headwaters of streams may preclude the
presence of softshells from these otherwise suitable habitats.
Seemingly, soft-shelled turtles are not restricted to particular local
situations or microhabitats in a continuous aquatic environment as are
some kinds of fish, which seem to be more or less confined to riffle
areas or deep holes. Certain activities of softshells such as burying
themselves in soft sand in shallow water or seeking crawfish and other
food over a gravel-rock substrate or one that is débris-laden, are best
carried on in different habitats. Repeated observations of turtles that
are probably engaged in a specific activity in a restricted area may
lead to erroneous general conclusions regarding the over-all preference
for a specific habitat. Perhaps this accounts for Conant's statement
(1951:156) that "In the lower portion of the Scioto River [Ohio] it
appears that the present species [_muticus_] is abundant while
_spinifer_ is almost entirely absent."
Cagle (1954:181) wrote that softshells "inhabit the extreme headwaters
and smaller tributaries." Other statements in the literature indicate
the variety in kinds of habitat. In Louisiana, Beyer (1900:44)
mentioned _spinifer_ as abundant "in all inland waters, preferring,
however, such bayous which have sloping and sandy banks upon which
they are fond of sunning themselves." Viosca (1923:41) reported
soft-shelled turtles as characteristic "of the large silt-bearing
rivers ... such as the Pearl, Amite, Mississippi and Atchafalaya."
Cagle and Chaney (1950:386) wrote that _spinifer_ in Louisiana was
found in greatest abundance in streams having some current, but that
individuals were also common in quiet areas; the habitats recorded
were: False River--a lake of clear water supporting an abundance of
submerged vegetation, the shallow ends having mats of water hyacinth;
Lakes Iatt and Bistineau--cypress swamps having clear or muddy water;
Caddo Lake--a large lake having a light oil film on the surface of the
water, and vegetation toward the shore consisting of cattails, water
lilies and water hyacinths, and along the bank of cypress and willow
trees; Caddo Lake Spillway--muddy with swift current; Sabine
River--swift current, traps set in quieter backwater areas or near
cypress logs in river; Lacassine Refuge--traps set in inlets and coves
of ship channel having vegetation of water hyacinth, alligator grass,
and along bank, saw grass, cypress knees and snags. Stejneger
(1944:59) reported _spinifer_ taken in barrow pits in Mississippi.