Herrera's Mud Turtle
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Herrera's mud turtle (''Kinosternon herrerai'') is a species of
mud turtle ''Kinosternon'' is a genus of small aquatic turtles from the Americas known commonly as mud turtles. Geographic range They are found in the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The greatest species richness is in Mexico, a ...
in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.


Etymology

The
specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''herrerai'', is in honor of Mexican
biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...
Alfonso Luis Herrera.


Life history

Based on a 1988 study of a population near Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, the males of ''K. herrerai'' attain a larger size than females, with a proportionally smaller plastron, and narrower and shallower carapace. Symbionts reported include a balanomorph barnacle, leeches of the genus ''Phcobdelta'', and the filamentous green alga Basichdia. The food items identified indicate an omnivorous diet, with wild figs the major plant component, and several insect orders and millipedes represented. Courtship in ''K. herrerai'' agrees in most respects with courtship of other kinosternid species. Sexual maturity in females is apparently attained between 115 and 130 mm carapace length. Clutch size is estimated to range from 2-4. Several clutches may be laid in a reproductive season.


Geographic range

''K. herrerai'' is found in the Mexican states of Hidalgo,
San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...
, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.


References


Further reading

* Stejneger, L. (1925). "New species and subspecies of American turtles". ''Journal of the Washington Academy of Science''. 15: 462–463. (''Kinosternon herrerai'', new species, p. 462). Kinosternon Endemic reptiles of Mexico Fauna of the Sierra Madre Oriental Natural history of Hidalgo (state) Natural history of San Luis Potosí Natural history of Tamaulipas Natural history of Veracruz Endangered biota of Mexico Reptiles described in 1925 Taxa named by Leonhard Stejneger {{Turtle-stub