Minimally invasive blood collection techniques as a source of gDNA for genetic studies on turtles and tortoises

This technical note aims to describe the venipuncture procedure used to collect blood from Southern River terrapins via the subcarapacial venous plexus (SVP) and jugular vein. On uncooperative terrapins, SVP was applied while the jugular vein was reversed. 1.5 ml blood was preserved in 0.5 ml EDTA and stored at -20°C. ReliaPrep^TM Blood genomic DNA Miniprep was used to extract DNA. Thermo ScientificTM NanoDrop 2000c was used to determine the concentrations of extracted DNAs. The greatest concentration of DNA is 136.3 g/L, and the highest purity is 1.90. The treatment is safe, minimally invasive, and effective.