Hepatic Neoplasia in Two Bog Turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) from the Same Massachusetts Fen

Kenneth J. Conley^1,2,*, Michael T. Jones³, Esther Crouch^1,4, Susan L. Bartlett¹, Angela Sirois-Pitel⁵, Denise McAloose¹, and Maureen Murray⁶

¹Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx Zoo, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460. ²Current address - Disney’s® Animals, Science and Environment, PO Box 10000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. ³Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581. ⁴Current address - Charles River Laboratories International, Inc., 251 Ballardvale Street, Wilmington, MA 01887. ⁵The Nature Conservancy, 636 West Road, Great Barrington, MA 01238. ⁶Tufts Wildlife Clinic, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Special Issue 12 (2024): G18–G27

First published early online: 30 May 2024

Abstract
Massachusetts populations of Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Bog Turtle) encompass the northeasternmost limit of the species’ range. Populations of this species have declined primarily as a result of habitat alterations and fragmentation. We report hepatic neoplasia in 2 adult Bog Turtles from the same fen in Massachusetts in the spring and summer of 2020. The presence of neoplasia in 2 turtles from the same site is notable and has potential conservation implications for disease surveillance and research, population monitoring, and threats assessment of this critically endangered species that often occurs in small, isolated populations.

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