The scorpion mud turtle or Tabasco mud turtle (''Kinosternon scorpioides'') 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. It is found in Mexico, Central and South America.

Description

The scorpion mud turtle is a medium to large kinosternid (mud turtle) with a domed, oval upper shell 92–270 mm (3.6–10.6 in) long. Males regularly exceed 200 mm. The scorpion mud turtle is a highly aquatic, adaptable kinosternid that will live in almost any body of water.

Diet

It is primarily omnicarnivorous, a glutton, and feeds on a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates (such as insects and their larvae, spiders,

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

s, snails and worms) and vertebrates (such as fish and frogs), as well as carrion and bird eggshells. It also feeds on plant material such as

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

, fruits, flowers,

nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...

s, seeds and

aquatic plants Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that ...

. In captivity, poorly fed ''K. scorpioides'' can be cannibalistic, biting off the toes and limbs of conspecifics.

Reproduction and habitat

Females probably lay 1 to 6 hard-shelled eggs. Like many kinosternids, they probably construct a shallow terrestrial nest with little cover. Kinosternon scorpioides Scorpion Mud Turtle, Tamaulipas

Kinosternon scorpioides Scorpion Mud Turtle, Tamaulipas

Subspecies

Scorpion mud turtle (subspecies) The scorpion mud turtle or Tabasco mud turtle (''Kinosternon scorpioides'') is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. It is found in Mexico, Central and South America. Description The scorpion mud turtle is a medium to large kin ...

– ''Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides'' ( Linnaeus, 1766) * White-throated mud turtle – ''Kinosternon scorpioides albogulare'' (Duméril and Bibron, 1870) * Red-cheeked mud turtle – ''Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum'' ( 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 ...

& Duméril, 1851)

References

* Linnaeus, 1766 : Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio duodecima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, Holmiae, p. 1–532. * Pritchard, P. C. H. 1979. Encyclopedia of Turtles. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune, New Jersey. 895 pp. * Pritchard, P. C. H., and P. Trebbau. 1984. The Turtles of Venezuela. Contributions to Herpetology 2. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca. 403 pp., 47 plates, 16 maps.

External links

''Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q596405 Kinosternon Turtles of North America Turtles of South America Turtles of Brazil Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles of Central America Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Reptiles described in 1766