A New Subspecies of Slider Turtle from Coahuila, Mexico

Legler, John M.Project Gutenberg · United StatesMar 2023

Rating 2.5

Word count: 27K words
Chapters: 3

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A New Subspecies of Slider Turtle (Pseudemys scripta) from Coahuila, M閤icoAuthor: Legler, John M.,Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Mar 9, 2010

Editor's review

This is a short zoological taxonomy paper focusing on a new subspecies of slider turtle (Pseudemys scripta) from Coahuila, Mexico. As a public-domain electronic text in Project Gutenberg, its value lies not in popular readability but in preserving a searchable original description for turtle taxonomy researchers, reptile enthusiasts, and readers of scientific history. It typically includes morphological measurements, type locality, and comparisons with similar subspecies—taxonomic elements useful for reference or when comparing specimens. Being a mid-twentieth-century academic note, it is concise and dense with terminology, lacking background setup and illustrated guidance, so general readers may find it dry to read straight through. Use it as a reference document: read the abstract and conclusions first, then consult the morphological description as needed. The English original poses some difficulty for non-native readers; a taxonomic dictionary or related reviews can help.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University faculty and students engaged in turtle or reptile taxonomy research
Researchers needing the original description of slider turtle subspecies
Collectors interested in the history of science and early zoological literature
Advanced herpetology enthusiasts with English reading ability

Not a good fit for

Pet owners seeking turtle care and husbandry knowledge
General readers with limited English and no taxonomy background
Young readers expecting illustrated popular natural-history books

Reading tips

Read the abstract and conclusions first to identify the diagnostic features of the new subspecies, then return to the morphological description and measurements.
Read alongside taxonomic literature on similar subspecies in the same genus and build a feature comparison table to understand the basis for the naming.
Look up Latin names and technical terms in a taxonomic dictionary as you go, so terminology does not stall your reading.
If consulting it only for reference, read closely just the type locality and diagnostic features sections and skim the rest.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this paper suitable for readers with no zoology background at all?

Not really. It is a professional taxonomic description dense with terminology and lacking background explanation; readers without zoology or taxonomy training will struggle. If you are simply curious about turtles, start with popular reptile books and return to original papers like this later.

As a public-domain ebook, does it include complete figures and illustrations?

The Project Gutenberg version is primarily a text transcription; illustrations, maps, and photographs from the original paper may not be fully preserved, though measurement data and textual descriptions are usually readable. If your research requires checking plates, consult a facsimile of the original journal or a scanned version in an academic database.

What reference materials should I prepare before reading?

A Latin-name dictionary, a taxonomic review of turtles and tortoises, and an atlas of Mexican geography are recommended. Reading alongside descriptions of other subspecies in the same genus clarifies why the author defined this as a new subspecies and helps you judge subsequent changes to its taxonomic status.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Legler, John M. Author

John M. Legler is an author known for his work on reptile taxonomy and natural history. Public information about him is limited, and his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background remain unclear. Four of his works are held in the collection, including a monograph on the natural history of the ornate box turtle, a paper describing a new tortoise genus from north-central Mexico, a study of a new slider turtle subspecies from Coahuila, and a record of a new snake of the genus Geophis from Chihuahua. These works focus mainly on the morphological identification, geographic distribution, and habits of turtles and snakes, with writing centered on observational records and taxonomic descriptions that reflect careful fieldwork and specimen comparison. His research provides basic material for the naming of related species and for later conservation discussion, and is intended mainly for reptile researchers and nature enthusiasts.