Actinemys pallida (Southwestern Pond Turtle)
Credit: Brad Shaffer
about the species
The western pond turtle consists of two recently-recognized species, Actinemys marmorata (northwestern pond turtle) and Actinemys pallida (southwestern pond turtle). Now recognized and managed as a species pair, western pond turtles occur across California in all low-mid elevation freshwater aquatic ecosystems. They are a west-coast endemic species, ranging from southern Washington to northern Baja California west of the Sierra/Cascade divide.
why species was selected
Although widespread, it is also a key conservation concern in the state: both species are currently listed as Species of Special Concern (Thomson 2016) and both are candidates for listing at the federal level under the US Endangered Species Act. Declines have been particularly severe in southern California from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border. Given its wide range and broad geographic distribution across much of the state, its unique role as our only native freshwater turtle, and its extremely high conservation status by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the western pond turtles is an important, iconic species for genomic sequencing.
