"Jicotea elegante" is one of the Spanish common names for Trachemys scripta elegans , the same subspecies known in other contexts as the red-eared slider (in Spanish, galápago de Florida or tortuga de orejas rojas).
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Testudines |
| Family | Emydidae |
| Genus | Trachemys |
| Species | Trachemys scripta elegans |
"Jicotea elegante" is one of the Spanish common names for Trachemys scripta elegans, the same subspecies known in other contexts as the red-eared slider (in Spanish, galápago de Florida or tortuga de orejas rojas). The name "elegante" translates the Latin epithet elegans, alluding to the fine pattern of yellow and green lines that decorates the animal's head and neck.
It is a freshwater turtle of the family Emydidae, with an oval carapace that can exceed 20 cm in length, olive or brown in adults, and the characteristic reddish patch behind each eye.
Its natural range covers the south-east of the United States and the north-east of Mexico, in warm, slow-flowing waters — ponds, lakes and river backwaters — with abundant aquatic vegetation and basking spots.
It is an omnivorous species: young individuals eat more animal prey (insects, small invertebrates), while adults take a greater proportion of aquatic plants and algae.
Mating takes place in the water, mainly in spring. Females lay between 2 and 20 eggs per clutch in nests dug in the ground, with an incubation period of around 80 days before hatching.
It is the most widely traded aquatic turtle in the world as a pet, which has favoured its introduction and establishment in the wild in many countries outside its native range, where it is considered an invasive species.
