610 CuElorlrnN CoNSERVATIoN AND BloLoGv, Volunte 2, Nuntber 4 - 1997

hatchlin_e produrction in Florider. Conservation Biology I 0(2): I -9. sides fused into single bones. The specimen in question, LeBupr, C.R., Jn. 1990. The Loggerhead Turtle in the Eastern Gulf of NMZB 7 589,was caught as an adult in Lake Kariba ,Zimba- Mexico. Sanibel, FL: Caretta Research Inc.. 216 pp. bwe, and lived in captivity for many years before it died. 1996. season study of MnnCclvALDI, M.A., AND LnunENr, A. A six In life the specimen looked like a deformed P. sinuatus Forte' Bahia, Brazil. with impli- meuine turtle nesting at Praia do and it keyed out to that species (Broadley, l98l ), i.e., cations for conservation and n'lanagement. Chelonian Conserva- axillary scute present, posterior width of first pair of marginals tion and Biology 2( I ):55-59. 1027a of anterior width of first vertebral, posterior margin of MnosovsKy. N. l978.Effects of flashing lights on sea-finding behav- ior of green turtles. Behav. Biol. 22:85-91. carapace serrated, and plastron yellow with a symmetrical TttotvtE, J.C.A., Bntlstorrn, C.. ScnlFoNl. J.T., RIEIH. D.B.. ALMEIDA, black angular peripheral pattern. The carapace measured A.P.S.L., MonEtnn, L.M.P., SnNTos, A.S., LEuentttANN, M.R., AND 245 mm long by 245 mm wide, the anterior lobe was 100 mm ArurnR, P. 199-5. Actividades de educaci6n ambiental y participacion long, and the shell I l5 mm deep. The number of scutes was comunitaria dessarolladas por el Projecto TAMAR/IBAMA en el normal, although the median vertebrals and costals were Estado do Espirito Santo, Brasil. XII Encuentro Interuniversitario strongly compressed (Fig. l). y II Encuentro Internaciorral para la Conservacion de las Tortugas The prepared skeletal shell showed striking abnormali- Marinas. Mazunte, Mexico. Unpurblished. ties for a species in which the only bones usually variable in WnspnrNcroN, B.E. 1995. Hatchling orientation. In: Bjorndal. K.A. number are the four to seven neurals (Broadley, 1983). The (Ed.). Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institurtion Press, pp. 571-518. specimen has four anterior neurals, but only three pleurals on each side, numbers one to six being fused. There are the Rer-eived'. l8 October 1996 usual I I peripherals on each side. The striking feature of the Reviev,etl: 5 April 1997 plastron is the absence of mesoplastra, the anterior lobe Reyisecl qrrcl Acceptecl: l5 May 1991 being hinged directly onto the hypoplastra, which are pal- tially fused to the xiphiplastra (Fig. l). The numerous anomalous fusions in the shell suggest Clrcltlttitrrt ('tttt.s(rt'ulitttr ttttd Ilittltt,rlt', I997. l('l):610-6ll A 1997 by Chelonian RL'sL'arch Fotrnclation fusion occurring early in life and perhaps representing fusion rather than absense of the mesoplastra. Support for An Anomalous Specimen of Pelusios sinuatus Lacking Mesoplastra

DonnLD G. BnoeDLEYl'2

I Depurtntent r4f Herpetology, Nctturul Histrtt), Museunt of Zimbol)w'e, Bulavrrtto, Zintbabvre ; 3 P resent Aclclress : Bioclive rsitt' Fourtdcttiort for Afric'ct, P.O. Box FM 730, Futttortcl Bulcll,t'd'\:o, Zimbabu,e I Fcr.r : 263 -9-540709 ; E-rnuil : bJa @ colclfi re.clrtet.co.:,u' ]

The pleurodiran turtle family Pelornedusidae is par- tially characterized by the presence of mesoplastral bones. Of the two African genera, Pelomeclusa has small lateral mesoplastra and Pelusios has large mesoplastra in broad median contact. The only previous record of a pelomedusid lacking mesoplastra concerned a Pelorneclusct subru.fa from IJganda (Williams, 1954). Pelusios sirtuatus is the largest species in its genus, attaining a maximum carapace length of 485 mm in Lake Tanganyika (Broadley, 1 98 1 ). It also has a long f ossil record, extending back to the upper Miocene (Broin, 1988) and contributed 987o of the fossilized chelonian fragments from the Pleistocene deposits of Olduvai Gorge (Auffenberg, I 98 I ). The present range of the species extends through East Africa from Somalia south to South Africa and west to the upper Zambezi, where it is the common species in large rivers and lakes. In the Plio-Pleistocene it extended as far west as Tchad (Broin, 1969). Figure l. Dorsal and ventral views of the anomalous shell of During examination of an extensive series of skeletal Pelusios sirtucttus NMZB 7 589 fi'orn Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. shells of P. sinuatus, I discovered one large specimen Thick lines indicate sulci between scutes. thin lines are sutures lacking mesoplastra and having the first six pleurals on both between bones. The line indicates I cm to scale. NorEs AND Frnr-n Rgponrs 611

.:..> theory comes from the shape of the peripheral bones (Costanzo et al., 1988; Costanzo and Claussen, 1990: .' l:e re the suture should have been. Churchill and Storey, 1992). Actual physiological mecha- nisms that allow this freeze tolerance in reptiles are poorly .\ckrtovvleclgments. I thank my friend David Blake - understood., br-rt include increases in tissue glucose, dehydra- : -,r donating this remarkable terrapin, and P.C.H. Pritchard tion of some organs and sequestering of ice crystals outside -:nd A.G.J. Rhodin for their constructive comments on an the organs, temporary cessation of cardiac function when :.trlier draft. high body-ice is present, and cellular mechanisms to stabi- lize surface proteins (Storey and Storey, 1992: Costanzo Literature Cited et al., 1993).

\ rrprsERc, W. 198 I . The fossil tr"utles of Oldr"rvai Gorge, Tanzania. Behavioral adaptations to seasonally cold temperatures .\tl'icar. Copeia 198 I (3):509- 522. by over-wintering ectotherms include the use of hibernacula Brr rrDLEv, D.G. 1981. A review of the genLls Pelusios Wagler in (Storey and Storey, 1992). These habitats, which include :t'ruthern Africa (Pleurrodira: Pelomedusidae). Occas. Pap. Nat. specific repeatedly used retreats and general thermally pro- \lus. Rhodesia B. Nat. Sci. 6(9):633-686. tected areas, provide relatively stable thermal environments BPleurodira: Pelomedusidae). For semiaquatic species, such as the Emydidae, these loczr- In: Rl'rodin, A.G.J., and Miyata, K. (Ecls.). Advances in Herpetology tions are often under water, below the depth of ice f ormation attd Evolutionary Biology. Essays in Honor of Emest E. Williams. (Ultsch,1989; Cambddge: Mr-rseLrm of Cornparative Zoology, pp. 159- 168. in rnud Crawford, 1991). Dor-n-rant turtles B Horr. F. oE. 1969 . Sur la pr6sence d'une tofiue, Pelusios siuucttrrs (A. in these hypoxic environments have additional physi- Smith) ar-r Villafranchien infdrieur du Tchad. Bull. Soc. Geol. Fr. ological adaptations allowing increased tolerances for t 7ll I :909-916. anoxi a (Lutz, 1992). BHotx. F. oE. 1988. Les tortues et le Gondwana. Examen des rapports General characteristics of winter dormancy sites and entre le fractionnement du Gondwana et la dispersion gdographique associated behaviors have been noted for many turtles such des tortues pleurodires d partir du Cr6tac6. Str"rdia as painted turtles (C. ltictd) and snapping turtles (Chelt,dra Pal aeocheloniologica 2: | 03 - I 42. serpentina) (e.g.., Peterson, l99l' Meeks and Ultsch, 19901 \\-rr-Lr,rvrs, E.E. 1954. Absence of mesoplastra in a Pelonteclusct Crawford, 1991 Brown and Brooks 1994). Furthennore, ( Testr"rdines, Pelornedusidae). Brevi ora 29:| -4. ; , Ultsch ( 1989) reviewed general ecological paramete rs of Rer-eived: 30 November 1996 hibernacula sites in freshwater turtles. Detailed,, repeated Revieyrecl: 24 August 1997 observations of the same hibernaculum are rare and hiberna- Reyisecl cutcl Acceptecl'. l7 September 1997 tion specifics are lacking for most species. Spotted turtles (Clenu??.\'^r gfitcttu') remain active in waters as cold as 3"C, even beneath ice (Ernst, 1982) and are I I -6 I 5 o, ee7 o, .,ilil,liifl ?:3ll','J,Li;r;lJ):6 reported at the far northern range of cold tolerance for freshwater turtles (Ultsch, 1989). Spotted turtles can be Characteristics of Hibernacula Use by found from Maine, USA, rvest to Ontario, Canada, south to Spotted Turtles, Clemmys guttatarin Ohio northeastern Illinois, east to northeastern Virginia, and south again along the coastal plain into Georgia and Florida (Ernst et al .,1994). In Ohio they are found with few exceptions only TuuorHy L. Lpwtsr AND JoHNr RnznNTHALER2 in the previously-glaciated northern parts of the state, having been abundant in the first half of this century in swamps, I Depctrtment of Biology, Wittenberg Universin', bogs, ditches, And ponds (Conant, 195 turrtle Springfielcl, Oltio 45501 USA 1). Spotted rFctx:"l:;,:"2:iT,:r,,'1,'!1,',"r'Jl,iil?,,i,'"i',,'lu;,',''gectul hibernacula are typically aquatic beneath a layer of ice and mud (Ward et al., 1976; Ernst. 1976: Ernst. 1982; Ultsch. Dat'tort, Ohio, 45414 USA 1989). Sometimes surnmer sites used for aestivation Are continuously occupied through the following spring (Ernst, Adaptations to cold stress of reptiles living in regions 1976; Lovich, 1988). subject to seasonally cold environments may be either physi- The objective of our study was to examine long-ternt ological or behavioral (Hutchison, 1919). Due to their ecto- hibernacula use by spotted turtles in a fen in Ohio and to thermic metabolism, these reptiles generally adapt to long- determine the characteristics of winter dormancy sites used term or seasonal cooling rather than resist it physiologically. repeatedly over several winters. Supercooling can be found in all reptiles found in temperate Stuclt, Site.- Prairie Road Fen (PRF) is the largest of 40 climates, at least over lirnited periods of time (Lowe et al.. remaining fens in Ohio. It is located in Moorefield township l97l; Storey and Storey, 1992). Freeze tolerance has been in northern Clark County along Buck Creek (39"59'N, found in box turtles (Terrapene carolirra), eastern garter 83'42'W). There are approximately 5 ha of fen habitat which snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) and hatchling painted have been protected in a 39.29 ha preserve owned by the turtles (Chn',senr\''s lticta), with mechanisms allowing up to Arrny Corps of Engineers and managed by the Division of half of all body water to freeze without causing injury Natural Areas and Preserves (DNAP), Ohio Department of