''Kinosternon'' is a
genus of small aquatic
turtles from the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
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, and only three species (''
K. dunni'', ''
K. leucostomum'', and ''
K. scorpioides'') are found in South America.
Description
They are very similar to the
musk turtles, but generally smaller in size, and their
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
s are not as highly
dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
d.
Diet
All mud turtles are
carnivorous
A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...
, consuming various aquatic
invertebrates,
fish, and even
carrion
Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh.
Overview
Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures, c ...
.
Species
Extant
*
Central Chiapas mud turtle
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
- ''K. abaxillare''
(Baur, 1925)
*
Tabasco mud turtle - ''K. acutum''
Gray, 1831
*
Alamos mud turtle - ''K. alamosae''
Berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
& Legler, 1980
*
Central American mud turtle - ''K. angustipons''
Legler, 1965
*
Striped mud turtle
The striped mud turtle (''Kinosternon baurii'') is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States.
Etymology
The specific name, ''baurii'', is in honor of herpetologist Georg Baur.Beole ...
- ''K. baurii''
( Garman, 1891)
*
Jalisco mud turtle
The Jalisco mud turtle (''Kinosternon chimalhuaca'') is a species of mud turtle in the Kinosternidae family endemic to Mexico. It is found in Colima and Jalisco.
References
* Berry, Seidel & Iverson, 1996 : '' inosternon chimalhuaca' ''i ...
- ''K. chimalhuaca''
Berry, Seidel, & Iverson, 1996
*
Cora mud turtle - ''K. cora''
Loc-Barragán ''et al''., 2020
*
Creaser's mud turtle - ''K. creaseri''
Hartweg, 1934
*
Dunn's mud turtle - ''K. dunni''
Schmidt, 1947
*
Durango mud turtle - ''K. durangoense''
Iverson, 1979
*
Yellow mud turtle - ''K. flavescens''
(Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz ( ; ) FRS (For) FRSE (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873) was a Swiss-born American biologist and geologist who is recognized as a scholar of Earth's natural history.
Spending his early life in Switzerland, he rec ...
, 1857)
*
Herrera's mud turtle
Herrera's mud turtle (''Kinosternon herrerai'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.
Etymology
The specific name, ''herrerai'', is in honor of Mexican biologist Alfonso Luis Herrera.
L ...
- ''K. herrerai''
Stejneger
Leonhard Hess Stejneger (30 October 1851 – 28 February 1943) was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles ...
, 1925
*
Rough-footed mud turtle - ''K. hirtipes''
( Wagler, 1830)
**Valley of Mexico mud turtle - ''K. h. hirtipes''
(Wagler, 1830)
**Lake Chapala mud turtle - ''K. h. chapalaense''
Iverson, 1981
**San Juanico mud turtle - ''K. h. magdalense''
Iverson, 1981
**Viesca mud turtle - ''K. h. megacephalum''
Iverson, 1981 (extinct)
**Mexican plateau mud turtle - ''K. h. murrayi''
Glass and Hartweg, 1951
**Patzcuarco mud turtle - ''K. h. tarascense''
Iverson, 1981
*
Mexican mud turtle
The Mexican mud turtle (''Kinosternon integrum''),Liner, Ernest A. and Gustavo Casas-Andreu. 2008. ''Standard Spanish, English and scientific names of the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico.'' Society for the Study Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpet ...
- ''K. integrum''
(LeConte, 1954)
*
White-lipped mud turtle - ''K. leucostomum''
A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron
Gabriel Bibron (20 October 1805 – 27 March 1848) was a French zoologist and herpetologist. He was born in Paris. The son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hir ...
& A.H.A. Duméril, 1851
**Northern white-lipped mud turtle - ''K. l. leucostomum''
A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1851
**Southern white-lipped mud turtle - ''K. l. postinguinale''
(Cope, 1887)
*
Oaxaca mud turtle
The Oaxaca mud turtle (''Kinosternon oaxacae'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Both the common name and the scientific name derive from Oaxaca, a Mexican state. The International Union for Conserv ...
- ''K. oaxacae''
Berry & Iverson, 1980
*
Scorpion mud turtle - ''K. scorpioides''
( Linnaeus, 1766)
**Scorpion mud turtle (subspecies) - ''K. s. scorpioides''
(Linnaeus, 1766)
**White-throated mud turtle - ''K. s. albogulare''
(A.H.A. Duméril and Bocourt, 1870)
**Red-cheeked mud turtle - ''K. s. cruentatum''
(A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1851)
*
Sonora mud turtle
The Sonora mud turtle (''Kinosternon sonoriense''), also known as the Sonoyta mud turtle, is a species of turtle in the Kinosternidae family. It is found in Mexico and the United States.
The Sonoran mud turtle species is heavily influenced by it ...
- ''K. sonoriense''
( Le Conte, 1854)
**Sonora mud turtle (subspecies) - ''K. s. sonoriense''
(Le Conte, 1854)
**Sonoyta mud turtle - ''K. s. longifemorale''
(Iverson, 1981)
*
Florida mud turtle
The Florida mud turtle (''Kinosternon steindachneri)'' is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States.
Taxonomy
Although originally described as a species, ''K. steindachn ...
- ''K. steindachneri''
( Siebenrock, 1906)
*
Arizona mud turtle
The Arizona mud turtle (''Kinosternon stejnegeri'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae found in the deserts of Arizona (United States) and Sonora (Mexico). It is a semi-aquatic turtle. It lives in impermanent puddles, and avo ...
- ''K.'' ''stejnegeri''
Gilmore, 1923''
''
*
Eastern mud turtle
The eastern mud turtle (''Kinosternon subrubrum'') or common mud turtle is a common species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the United States. There are two recognized subspecies.
Description
The eastern mud turt ...
- ''K. subrubrum''
( Bonnaterre, 1789)
**Eastern mud turtle (subspecies) - ''K. s. subrubrum''
(Bonnaterre, 1789)
**Mississippi mud turtle - ''K. s. hippocrepis''
(Bonnaterre, 1789)
*
Vallarta mud turtle
The Vallarta mud turtle (''Kinosternon vogti'') is a recently identified species of Kinosternon, mud turtle in the family (biology), family Kinosternidae. While formerly considered conspecific with the Jalisco mud turtle, further studies indicat ...
- ''K. vogti''
López-Luna ''et al''., 2018
Extinct
†''
Kinosternon arizonense
''Kinosternon arizonense'' is an extinct species of mud turtle in the genus ''Kinosternon''. Initially described by Charles W. Gilmore in 1922. In 2016 McCord examined available Pliocene material of ''K. arizonense'' and concluded that the fossi ...
''
Gilmore, 1923 (known from
Plio-Pleistocene fossil remains, formerly considered
conspecific with ''K. stejnegeri'')''
''
References
;Bibliography
*
{{Taxonbar , from=Q2500468
Turtle genera
Taxa named by Johann Baptist von Spix