The Vallarta mud turtle (''Kinosternon vogti'') is a recently identified 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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Kinosternidae The Kinosternidae are a family of mostly small turtles that includes the mud turtles and musk turtles. The family contains 25 species within four genera, but taxonomic reclassification is an ongoing process, so many sources vary on the exact numb ...

. While formerly considered conspecific with the

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 ...

, further studies indicated that it was a separate species. It can be identified by a combination of the number of plastron and carapace scutes, body size, and the distinctive yellow rostral shield in males. It is endemic to

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

state of

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

. It is only known from a few human-created or human-affected habitats (such as small streams and ponds) found around

Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadala ...

. It is one of only 3 species in ''Kinosternon'' known to inhabit the lowlands of the Central Pacific region in Mexico. Natural populations are not currently known, and the current habitats the species is known from have all been damaged by

urban growth Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

. Only one female was found during the study of the species. This makes it possibly one of the most threatened freshwater turtle species. At the time of writing, nothing is known about their diet, nesting areas, mating behaviour etc. It is the smallest of all freshwater turtles and possibly extant turtles in general, as the collected specimens do not exceed 10.2 centimeters.

References

Kinosternon Turtles of North America Endemic reptiles of Mexico Jalisco dry forests Natural history of Jalisco Reptiles described in 2018 {{turtle-stub