Trachemys dorbigni (Duméril & Bibron, 1835) (Testudines: Emydidae) recorded in an artificial pond in northeastern Brazil

The genus Trachemys is distributed throughout the Americas from the United States to Argentina (Gibbons, 1990; Seidel, 2002). The Emydidae family is represented by two species in Brazil: Trachemys dorbigni (Dumeril and Bibron, 1835), occurring in Rio Grande do Sul State (and in neighboring countries including Uruguay and Argentina); while T. adiutrix occurs in Maranhao State in northeastern Brazil (Ernst, 1990; Vanzolini, 1995). Fritz et al. (2011) analyzed the phylogeny, systematics, and biogeography of the genus Trachemys based on molecular data, and redefined T. adiutrix as a subspecies of T. dorbigni. Trachemys dorbigni, popularly known as D’Orbigny’s slider, can be identified by its green and yellow-striped color pattern (more intense in females), its short snout, and feet with interdigital membranes and strong nails (Ernst, 1990). Trachemys dorbigni is the most abundant chelonian in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, and occupies a large variety of environments including rivers, lakes, and wetlands (Lema and Ferreira, 1990). Historically, many populations of T. dorbigni were subjected to intense predation involving harvesting their eggs and the capturing of juveniles to supply the pet trade (Lema and Ferreira, 1990; Barco and Larriera, 1991; Bager et al., 2007). The consequences of these practices on their natural populations are still largely