Edwin C. Galbreath

“ The sulci bounding the scutes are moderately impressed. The width of the first vertebral scute, anteriorly and posteriorly, is less than the width of the second vertebral scute. The costal scutes join the marginal scutes on the marginal plates.
The plastron, broadly indented at the posterior end, does not have the posterior lobe flared laterally as it is in Recent species of Chrysemys, and lacks any pronounced notch at the femoro-anal suture. The humero-pectoral sulcus crosses the plastron behind the entoplastron in a straight line, and reaches the border anterior to the axillary notch. ”

“ The left half of the plastron is relatively complete, lacking only the epiplastron and entoplastron. The left 7th, 8th, and 9th marginals are joined to the plastron at the inguinal buttress, and the right 7th, 8th, and 9th marginals are attached to the fifth costal. The carapace has smooth contours with no keel present, but on the lower half of the costals there are seven or eight ridges, and the remaining surface of the costals and neurals are rugose. The marginals lack ridges, and the posterolateral marginals are not serrated. The anterior end of the carapace has a broad shallow notch. ”

“ The greatest allowance possible in estimating the length of C. limnodytes fails to bring the ratio of its breadth to length within the range of Recent specimens of similar size. Data from 96 specimens of Recent Chrysemys picta show that the ratio of length to width is not affected by sex, but that the ratio does vary with the age of the specimen. In young animals the length and width are approximately equal, but with further growth the length becomes relatively greater. ”