Re: Mislabeling ornates

Pritchard’s text on “Genus Malaclemys” appears on pages 150 to 154 of the same book. The only use of “ornate” in the text I have noticed is on page 154 in the top paragraph. “The ornate diamondback, Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota, is easily recognizable by the orange or yellow centers of the carapace scutes. . . . ” The short mention of tequesta in the text does not mention “ornate.” The photo above the four tequesta heads on page 265 is of a macrospilota. The caption does not mention “ornate.” I would guess the use of “ornate” on page 265 was intended for the macrospilota on the upper photo and that this is just a mistake by someone (the author, editor, printers???). Pritchard makes no mention of “ornate” northern M. t. terrapins or of light phases, etc. The use of “ornate” in one tequesta photo shouldn’t justify the continued misuse of the term in my mind! Todd Chun-Ming Chew wrote: