Diamondback terrapin

Diamondback terrapin
Photographed in the wild
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Emydidae
Genus:	Malaclemys Gray, 1844[3]
Species:	M. terrapin
Binomial name
Malaclemys terrapin (Schoepff, 1793)[3]
Synonyms[4][5]
List Malaclemys terrapin terrapin Testudo terrapin Schoepff, 1793 Testudo concentrica Shaw, 1802 Testudo ocellata Link, 1807 Testudo concentrata Kuhl, 1820 (ex errore) Emys concentrica Gray, 1831 (Duméril & Bibron, 1830[4]) Testudo concentrica var polita Gray, 1831 Emys terrapin Holbrook, 1842 Emys macrocephalus Gray,1844 Malaclemys concentrica Gray, 1844 (1863[4]) Emys macrocephala LeConte,1854 Emys terrapene LeConte,1856 (ex errore) Clemmys terrapin Strauch, 1862 Malaclemmys concentrica Gray, 1870 Malacoclemmys terrapen Boulenger, 1889 (ex errore) Malaclemys centrata concentrica Cochran, 1932[4] Malaclemys terrapin Bangs, 1896 Malaclemmys centrata concentrica Hay, 1904 Malaclemys terrapin terrapin Lindholm, 1929 Malaclemys terrapene Stephens & Wiens, 2003 Malaclemys terrapin centrata Testudo centrata Latreille, 1801 Emys centrata Schweigger, 1812 Emys concentrica var livida Gray, 1831 Clemmys (Clemmys) centrata Fitzinger, 1835 Malaclemmys centrata Lönnberg, 1894 Malaclemmys terrapin centrata Mittleman, 1944 Malaclemys terrapin centrata Mittleman, 1945 Malaclemys terrapin centra Highfield, 1996 (ex errore) Malaclemys terrapin littoralis Malaclemmys littoralis Hay, 1904 Malaclemys centrata littoralis Siebenrock, 1909 Malaclemys pileata littoralis Stejneger & Barbour, 1917 Malaclemys terrapin littoralis Lindholm, 1929 Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota Malaclemmys macrospilota Hay, 1904 Malaclemys centrata macrospilota Siebenrock, 1909 Malaclemys pileata macrospilota Stejneger & Barbour, 1917 Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota Lindholm, 1929 Malaclemys terrapin pileata Emys pileata Wied, 1865 Malaclemmys pileata Hay, 1904 Malaclemys centrata pileata Siebenrock, 1909 Malaclemys pileata pileata Stejneger & Barbour, 1917 Malaclemys terrapin pileata Lindholm, 1929 Malaclemys terrapin rhizophorarum Malaclemys tuberculifera Gray, 1844 (nomen oblitum) Malaclemmys littoralis rhizophorarum Fowler, 1906 (nomen protectum) Malaclemmys terrapin rhizophorarum Carr, 1946 Malaclemys terrapin rhizophorarum Carr, 1952 Malaclemys terrapin rhizophararum Anderson, 1985 (ex errore) Malaclemys terrapin tequesta Malaclemys terrapin tequesta Schwartz, 1955

The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a species of terrapin native to the brackish coastal tidal marshes of the East Coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico coast, as well as in Bermuda.^[6] It belongs to the monotypic genus Malaclemys. It has one of the largest ranges of all turtles in North America, stretching as far south as the Florida Keys and as far north as Cape Cod.^[7]

The name "terrapin" is derived from the Algonquian word torope.^[8] It applies to Malaclemys terrapin in both British English and American English. The name originally was used by early European settlers in North America to describe these brackish-water turtles that inhabited neither freshwater habitats nor the sea. It retains this primary meaning in American English.^[8] In British English, however, other semi-aquatic turtle species, such as the red-eared slider, might also be called terrapins.^{[citation needed]}