Map turtles are medium-sized freshwater turtles (males, 3-5 inches long; females, 6-10 inches long) named for the intricate, map-like patterns on the tops of their shells, known as the carapace. 

• The Pearl River map turtle’s range includes the Pearl River system in Mississippi and Louisiana.  
• The Alabama map turtle’s range includes the Mobile River system in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee; and the Tennessee River system in Mississippi. 
• The Barbour’s map turtle’s range includes the Wacissa River system in Florida; the Ochlockonee River system in Florida and Georgia; the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, Flint (ACF) Rivers system in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia; and the Choctawhatchee River system in Alabama and Florida. 
• The Escambia map turtle’s range includes the Escambia River, Yellow River, and Choctawhatchee River systems in Alabama and Florida. 
• The Pascagoula map turtle’s range includes the Pascagoula River system in Mississippi and Alabama.

The Pearl River map turtle is faced with the possibility of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future. Currently there are only around 21,000 of these turtles left in the wild. Threats such as: 

• Habitat loss and degradation (i.e., channel and hydrological modifications and impoundments; removal or loss of deadwood; declines in water quality from agricultural run-off; development; and mining)
• The effects of sea level rise, drought, and flooding, and turtle harvesting are pervasive across the species’ range. Future projections to the year 2070 indicate that populations of the Pearl River map turtle will become increasingly isolated leading to inbreeding and loss of gene flow. 
• Sea level rise threatens to shrink populations even more as encroachment of saline waters from the Gulf of Mexico reduces available freshwater habitats. These effects will be magnified with hurricane-related storm surges into freshwater systems. 

To further protect the Pearl River map turtle, the Service also listed the Alabama, Barbour’s, Escambia, and Pascagoula map turtles as threatened due to similarity of appearance to the Pearl River map turtle. Most people are unable to easily distinguish these species from one another. Listing due to similarity in appearance helps Federal and State law enforcement agents trying to prevent the illegal collection of the Pearl River map turtle.

Section 4(e) of the ESA allows for the treatment of a species, subspecies, or population segment as endangered or threatened under the following circumstances: 

• If a species closely resembles (in appearance) a species which has been listed and there would be substantial difficulty in differentiating between the listed and unlisted species. 
• If the effect of this substantial difficulty is an additional threat to an endangered or threatened species.
• If the treatment of the unlisted species will substantially facilitate enforcement of the ESA and further the policy of the ESA.

While a designation of threatened due to similarity of appearance under section 4(e) of the ESA for the Alabama, Barbour’s, Escambia, and Pascagoula map turtles does not extend other protections of the ESA to them (such as consultation requirements for Federal agencies and recovery planning provisions), all applicable prohibitions and exceptions for these species are addressed in a section 4(d) rule.

For threatened species, the Service uses the flexibility provided under section 4(d) of the ESA to tailor take prohibitions for the conservation of the species. This targeted approach helps reduce regulatory burdens by exempting certain activities that do not significantly harm the species, or that are beneficial, while focusing conservation efforts on the threats detrimental to recovery.

For the Pearl River map turtle, the 4(d) rule will provide for its conservation by prohibiting the following across its range: importing or exporting wild-caught individuals; take; possession, sale, delivery, carrying, transporting, or shipping of unlawfully taken specimens from any source; delivering, receiving, transporting, or shipping wild-caught individuals in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of commercial activity; and selling or offering for sale wild-caught or farm brood stock individuals in interstate or foreign commerce.

The Service removed construction, operation, and maintenance activities that occur near and in a stream, pesticide and herbicide application, and maintenance dredging activities that remain in the previously disturbed portion of a maintained channel from the originally proposed exceptions to take. Forestry activities that implement industry and State approved best management practices and take for Tribal members and employees remain as exceptions.  

For the Alabama, Barbour’s, Escambia, and Pascagoula map turtles, the 4(d) rule will provide a conservation benefit to the Pearl River map turtle by instituting the same prohibitions for the Pearl River map turtle, as outlined above. The 4(d) rule will not consider instances of incidental take of these similarity of appearance turtles as violations of Section 9 of the ESA for otherwise lawful activities, as outlined above, as they will not pose a threat to the Pearl River map turtle.

This rule prohibits the collection of these turtles. Possession of pre-ESA listed Alabama, Barbour's, Escambia, and Pascagoula map turtles by private persons or entities is allowed in compliance with all applicable Federal permits and regulations. 

At the time of the proposed listing, critical habitat was found to be not prudent due to poaching concerns. After receiving public comments that information regarding where the turtles live was already publicly available, we revised our prudency determination and find that critical habitat is prudent but not determinable, at this time. However, we intend to publish a proposed rule designating critical habitat for the Pearl River map turtle in the near future.

Public inspection: On July 9, 2024, the document will appear here: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection

Publication: On July 12, 2024, the document will appear here:  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/current

After the date of publication, links to documents can be found here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=FR

The Species Status Assessment is at the following link: https://ecos.fws.gov/ServCat/Reference/Profile/167738