Brazilian Radiolated Swamp Turtle Acanthochelys radiolata (Mikan, 1820) in rivers of the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, Brazil

The Brazilian Radiolated Swamp Turtle (Acanthochelys radiolata) is distributed in a narrow coastal strip between the states of Alagoas and Rio de Janeiro (Garbin et al., 2016). This species is described as carnivorous, although it is known to eat plants in captivity (Ernst and Barbour, 1989). It is further described as having a preference for lentic habitats (Bonin et al., 2006). Studies have recorded the species in large coastal lakes, bogs, puddles, and on steep and heterogeneous land surfaces when moving to mate and uneven terrain with plenty of plant cover when spawning (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Molina, 1992; Molina et al., 2016). The shell colour of A. radiolata is highly variable , with a wide range of variants and dark morphs (Garbin et al., 2016).