| molecular and morphological characterization of a haemogregarine in the alligator snapping turtle, macrochelys temminckii (testudines: chelydridae). | a severely underweight alligator snapping turtle macrochelys temminckii troost in harlan, 1835, was found near tyler, texas, and taken to the caldwell zoo. blood films were submitted to texas a&m university, college station, texas, for morphological and molecular identification of haemogregarine-like inclusions in the red blood cells. intraerythrocytic haemogregarina sp. forms were found on microscopic examination at a parasitemia of <1 %. the morphology and morphometric data for the forms indic ... | 2017 | 27807618 |
| anatomy of the fully formed chondrocranium of emydura subglobosa (chelidae): a pleurodiran turtle. | the chondrocranium is a cartilaginous structure that forms around and protects the brain and sensory organs of the head. through ontogeny, this skeletal structure may become more elaborate, remodeled and reabsorbed, and/or ossified. though considerable attention has been given to the formation of the chondrocranium and a great amount of data has been gathered on the development of this structure among many craniates, the anatomy of this structure in turtles often is neglected. we describe the ma ... | 2013 | 22972700 |
| formation and ossification of limb elements in trachemys scripta and a discussion of autopodial elements in turtles. | though sequences of formation and ossification of bony elements have been described for many taxa, controversy surrounds the formation of limb elements in turtles. three hypotheses for patterns of formation of autopodial elements have been proposed, differing primarily in the origin of distal carpal/tarsal 3, the digital arch, and centrale 4. patterns of formation and ossification of limb elements are described for trachemys scripta. these patterns are compared to similar data for representative ... | 2008 | 18624573 |
| cutaneous fibroma in a captive common snapping turtle (chelydra serpentina). | an adult female common snapping turtle (chelydra serpentina) had a mass on the plantar surface of the right forelimb that was removed surgically. microscopical examination revealed many spindle cells with mild anisocytosis and anisokaryosis and a surrounding collagenous stroma. there were no mitoses. immunohistochemistry showed that the spindle cells expressed vimentin, but not desmin. a diagnosis of cutaneous fibroma was made. tumours are reported uncommonly in chelonian species. cutaneous fibr ... | 2012 | 22578330 |
| cross-reactivity of a polyclonal antibody against chinemys reevesii vitellogenin with the vitellogenins of other turtle species: chelydra serpentina , macrochelys temminckii , and pelodiscus sinensis. | vitellogenin (vtg), a yolk-precursor protein in oviparous vertebrates, is a useful biomarker for reproductive physiology and environmental estrogenic pollution. to examine interspecific applicability of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) for quantifying chinemys reevesii vtg, we observed cross-reactivity between a polyclonal antibody against chinemys reevesii vtg and the vtgs from other turtle species: chelydra serpentina (chelydridae), macrochelys temminckii (chelydridae), and pelodis ... | 2008 | 19267600 |
| skeletal development of macrochelys temminckii (reptilia: testudines: chelydridae). | few descriptions of the development and sequence of chondrification and ossification of the entire skeleton of turtles exist, particularly compared to other groups of reptiles. in this study, the embryonic skeleton and its ontogenesis are described for the alligator snapping turtle, macrochelys temminckii (chelydridae). morphological descriptions utilize cleared and double-stained embryonic specimens and form the basis of comparison of the ontogenesis of the skeleton between this species and its ... | 2005 | 15536645 |
| taxonomic assessment of alligator snapping turtles (chelydridae: macrochelys), with the description of two new species from the southeastern united states. | the alligator snapping turtle, macrochelys temminckii, is a large, aquatic turtle limited to river systems that drain into the gulf of mexico. previous molecular analyses using both mitochondrial and nuclear dna suggested that macrochelys exhibits significant genetic variation across its range that includes three distinct genetic assemblages (western, central, and eastern = suwannee). however, no taxonomic revision or morphological analyses have been conducted previously. in this study, we test ... | 2014 | 24869532 |
| a new haemogregarina species of the alligator snapping turtle, macrochelys temminckii (testudines: chelydridae), in georgia and florida that produces macromeronts in circulating erythrocytes. | haemogregarina macrochelysi n. sp. (apicomplexa: haemogregarinidae) of the alligator snapping turtle, macrochelys temminckii, is characterized by slender, recurved gamonts 29-35 x 3-4.5 microm, in which the anterior limb comprises 48-54% of the total length. the gamont nucleus, 5-7.5 x 2-5 microm, is situated at approximately midbody of the gamont. meronts typical of haemogregarina occupying erythrocytes have 3-8 small, compact nuclei and are 13-17 x 4.5-9 microm. erythrocytic meronts that conta ... | 2009 | 19245282 |
| acanthostomum macroclemidis n. sp. (digenea: cryptogonimidae: acanthostominae) from the alligator snapping turtle, macroclemys temmincki. | acanthostomum macroclemidis n. sp. is described from specimens found in the intestine of an alligator snapping turtle macroclemys temmincki from southern mississippi. the most important diagnostic features of the new species are the general shape and proportions of the body, the position of the pharynx (relative length of the prepharynx and esophagus), the egg size, the relative length and position of the vitelline fields, and the number, shape, and size of the circumoral spines. the new species ... | 2003 | 12659321 |
| evaluating recent taxonomic changes for alligator snapping turtles (testudines: chelydridae). | the alligator snapping turtle (macrochelys temminckii troost in harlan 1835, sensu lato) has been historically treated as a single, wide-ranging species, until a recently published paper by thomas et al. (2014; hereafter thomas et al.) analyzed variation in morphology and mitochondrial dna sequence data to describe two new species of macrochelys: the apalachicola alligator snapping turtle (macrochelys apalachicolae thomas, granatosky, bourque, krysko, moler, gamble, suarez, leone & roman 2014) a ... | 2015 | 25947748 |
| effects of life-history requirements on the distribution of a threatened reptile. | survival and reproduction are the two primary life-history traits essential for species' persistence; however, the environmental conditions that support each of these traits may not be the same. despite this, reproductive requirements are seldom considered when estimating species' potential distributions. we sought to examine potentially limiting environmental factors influencing the distribution of an oviparous reptile of conservation concern with respect to the species' survival and reproducti ... | 2017 | 27488734 |
| traumatic amputation of finger from an alligator snapping turtle bite. | legend states that the alligator snapping turtle (macrochelys temminckii) should be handled with extreme caution as it has jaw strength powerful enough to bite a wooden broomstick in half. tales of bite injuries from what is the largest freshwater turtle in north america exist anecdotally, yet there are few descriptions of medical encounters for such. the risk of infection from reptilian bites to the hand in an aquatic environment warrants thorough antibiotic treatment in conjunction with hand s ... | 2016 | 27116923 |
| health assessment of free-ranging alligator snapping turtles (macrochelys temminckii) in georgia and florida. | the alligator snapping turtle (macrochelys temminckii) is a large freshwater turtle endemic to river systems that drain into the gulf of mexico. turtle populations were sharply reduced by commercial harvest in the 1970s and 1980s; however, the species has yet to be protected under the endangered species act. while anthropogenic stressors such as habitat fragmentation and degradation and illegal capture continue to threaten populations, the degree to which disease may be contributing to any decli ... | 2008 | 18689653 |
| correction: different mechanisms of serum complement activation in the plasma of common (chelydra serpentina) and alligator (macrochelys temminckii) snapping turtles. | [this corrects the article doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217626.]. | 2019 | 31291346 |
| different mechanisms of serum complement activation in the plasma of common (chelydra serpentina) and alligator (macrochelys temminckii) snapping turtles. | reptiles are declining worldwide yet our understanding of their immune function lags far behind other taxa. the innate immune system is the primary mode of defense in reptiles, and the serum complement cascade is its major component. we assessed serum complement activity of plasma in two closely related aquatic turtle species, the common snapping turtle (cst; chelydra serpentina) and alligator snapping turtle (ast; macrochelys temminckii). we used a sheep red blood cell (srbc) hemolysis assay to ... | 2019 | 31170203 |
| surgical anatomy of celiotomy approaches to the stomach in the common snapping turtle (chelydra serpentina). | entanglement in or ingestion of fishing gear is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in chelonians. commercial and recreational fishing activities exert bycatch pressures sufficient to cause population declines in the common snapping turtle (chelydra serpentina) and the alligator snapping turtle (macrochelys spp.). gastrotomy for the removal of fish hook foreign bodies from the stomach of freshwater turtles typically requires a plastron osteotomy but in sea turtles has been successfully acc ... | 2019 | 31120665 |
| comparison of alligator snapping turtle ( macrochelys temminckii) plasma biochemical profiles from two clinical analyzers. | the interpretation of plasma biochemical profiles can be confounded by the methodologies by which samples are analyzed. the goal of this study was to compare agreement between two biochemical analyzers for plasma samples from alligator snapping turtles ( macrochelys temminckii). blood was obtained from the dorsal coccygeal vein of captive-reared, juvenile turtles ( n = 34), stored in lithium heparin tubes, and centrifuged to separate plasma from whole blood. plasma samples were stored at 5°c pri ... | 2018 | 30592915 |
| antibacterial activities of plasma from the common (chelydra serpentina) and alligator snapping turtle (macrochelys temminckii). | innate immunity provides a fast-acting and nonspecific defense against microbial infection, and appears to have particular importance in the immune response of ectothermic vertebrates. chelonians are a globally distributed and diverse group, yet little is known about their basic immune function. the chelonian family chelydridae is made up of two genera (chelydra and macrochelys), represented in our study by the widespread common snapping turtle ( chelydra serpentina; cst) and the southeast usa e ... | 2019 | 30273972 |
| assessment of blood lead, zinc, and mercury concentrations and cholinesterase activity in captive-reared alligator snapping turtles ( macrochelys temminckii) in louisiana, usa. | the alligator snapping turtle ( macrochelys temminckii) is a freshwater apex predator that has experienced severe population declines throughout its range due to historical overharvesting and habitat degradation. because of its long lifespan, high trophic level, and limited home range, it is a suitable sentinel species for monitoring environmental contaminants. in louisiana, us a pilot program aims to augment free-ranging populations by releasing captive-reared individuals. baseline values of po ... | 2018 | 29697311 |
| functional mechanisms and histologic composition of the lingual appendage in the alligator snapping turtle, macroclemys temmincki (troost) (testudines: chelydridae). | gross and microscopic examination of the lingual appendages of juvenile and adult alligator snapping turtles, macroclemys temmincki, shows that it is divided into an anterior horn, a body, and a posterior horn. lingual appendages of adults usually are more darkly pigmented than those of juveniles and melanocyte distribution is variable, resulting in a mottled appearance. the musculoskeletal components of the hyoid apparatus, presumably responsible for most of the motion displayed by the appendag ... | 1987 | 29914228 |
| integumentary appendages of chelonians. | the head and neck of four families of turtles, the chelydridae, kinosternidae, pelomedusidae, and chelidae, possess a diverse assemblage of skin appendages. appendages are termed barbels when they occur in the gular region and tubercles when they occur other places. the appendages consist of protrusions of the dermis and epidermis and are devoid of such specializations as taste buds or neuromasts. they lack skeletal tissue, muscle, or erectile tissue. methylene blue and silver staining technique ... | 1982 | 30089342 |
| haemogregarina daviesensis sp. nov. (apicomplexa: haemogregarinidae) from south american lungfish lepidosiren paradoxa (sarcopterygii: lepidosirenidae) in the eastern amazon region. | based on morphology and morphometry of gametocytes in blood and molecular phylogenetic analysis, we described a new species of hemoparasite from the genus haemogregarina isolated from lepidosiren paradoxa in the eastern amazon region. haemogregarina daviesensis sp. nov. is characterized by monomorphic gametocytes of varying maturity stage and their dimensions were 16 ± 0.12 μm (range 13-18) in length and 6 ± 0.97 μm (range 5-8) in width. the morphological and morphometric data were not identical ... | 2019 | 31456045 |