I observed 215 nesting events of Pseudemys texana (134) and Trachemys scripta (81) from 25 April to 14 July 2008 on a golf course in Hays County, Texas. For P. texana, 111 (82.8%) nested one time, 21 (15.7%) nested twice, and 2 (1.5%) nested three times. For T. scripta, 53 (65.4%) nested one time, 24 (29.6%) nested twice, 3 nested three times (3.7%), and 1 nested four times (1.2%). Both species had an internesting interval of ca. 30 days between first and second clutches. Subsequent internesting intervals were shorter but samples were not sufficient to address whether this was fortuitous. On their first attempt, 82% of P. texana and 78% of T. scripta completed nesting. Nesting was diurnal with most activity occurring before noon. Neither distance to nesting site from water nor number of days from the first nesting event to the next nesting event varied with length of plastron.
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1 March 2011
Annual Frequency of Clutches of Pseudemys texana and Trachemys scripta at the Headwaters of the San Marcos River in Texas
Francis L. Rose
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The Southwestern Naturalist
Vol. 56 • No. 1
March 2011
Vol. 56 • No. 1
March 2011