Kinosternidae
Encyclopedia
Kinosternidae is a family
of mostly small turtle
s that includes the mud turtle
s and musk turtle
s. The family Kinosternidae contains 25 species
within 4 genera
, but taxonomic
reclassification is an ongoing process so many sources vary on the exact numbers of species and subspecies
. They inhabit slow-moving bodies of water, often with soft, muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation.
d carapace has a distinct keel down its center. The genus Staurotypus
gets much larger, to 30 cm (12 inches). Females are generally larger than males, but males have much longer tail
s. Kinosternids can be black
, brown
, green
, or yellow
ish in color. Most species do not have shell markings, but some species have radiating black markings on each carapace
scute
. Some species have distinctive yellow striping along the sides of the head and neck.
The musk turtles are so named because they are capable of releasing a foul smelling musk
from glands under the rear of their shell when disturbed. They are native to North
and South America
.
s, aquatic insect
s, mollusks, annelid
s, amphibian
s, small fish
, and sometimes carrion
.
during the late spring and early summer. After hatching, some species overwinter in the subterranean nest, emerging the following spring. Some adults also spend the winter on land, constructing a burrow with a small air hole that is used on warm days.
Kinosternids contain the only species
of turtle
known, or at least suspected, to exhibit parental care. Studies of the yellow mud turtle
in Nebraska
, USA
, suggest females sometimes stay with the nest and may urinate on the eggs long after laying, to either keep them moist or to protect them from snake
predation (by making them less palatable).
Family KINOSTERNIDAE
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of mostly small turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
s that includes the mud turtle
Mud turtle
The Eastern Mud Turtle, or Kinosternon subrubrum is a small semi-aquatic, generally freshwater turtle. Turtles are members of the phylum Chordata and the class Reptilia. The eastern mud turtle lives in the southeastern parts of the United States...
s and musk turtle
Musk turtle
Musk turtle is the common name given to three genera of aquatic turtles:*Sternotherus, the musk turtles proper,*Staurotypus, variously called Mexican, three-keeled or giant musk turtles, and.*Claudius, the narrow-bridged musk turtle....
s. The family Kinosternidae contains 25 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
within 4 genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, but taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
reclassification is an ongoing process so many sources vary on the exact numbers of species and subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
. They inhabit slow-moving bodies of water, often with soft, muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation.
Description
Most kinosternids are small turtles, 10–15 cm (4-6 inches) in carapace length. The highly domeDome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
d carapace has a distinct keel down its center. The genus Staurotypus
Staurotypus
Staurotypus is a genus of aquatic turtles commonly known as Mexican musk turtles, giant musk turtles, or three-keeled musk turtles...
gets much larger, to 30 cm (12 inches). Females are generally larger than males, but males have much longer tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
s. Kinosternids can be black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
, green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
, or yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
ish in color. Most species do not have shell markings, but some species have radiating black markings on each carapace
Carapace
A carapace is a dorsal 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 tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
scute
Scute
A scute or scutum is a bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, the feet of some birds or the anterior portion of the mesonotum in insects.-Properties:...
. Some species have distinctive yellow striping along the sides of the head and neck.
The musk turtles are so named because they are capable of releasing a foul smelling musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
from glands under the rear of their shell when disturbed. They are native to North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Diet
All members of the family are carnivorous, feeding on crustaceanCrustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, aquatic insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, mollusks, annelid
Annelid
The annelids , formally called Annelida , are a large phylum of segmented worms, with over 17,000 modern species including ragworms, earthworms and leeches...
s, amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s, small fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, and sometimes carrion
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
.
Reproduction
Kinosternids lay approximately four hard-shelled eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
during the late spring and early summer. After hatching, some species overwinter in the subterranean nest, emerging the following spring. Some adults also spend the winter on land, constructing a burrow with a small air hole that is used on warm days.
Kinosternids contain the only species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
known, or at least suspected, to exhibit parental care. Studies of the yellow mud turtle
Yellow mud turtle
The yellow mud turtle is a species of mud turtle that can be found in the Central United States.- Description :...
in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, suggest females sometimes stay with the nest and may urinate on the eggs long after laying, to either keep them moist or to protect them from snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
predation (by making them less palatable).
Taxonomy
Family KINOSTERNIDAE
- Subfamily KinosterninaeKinosterninaeKinosterninae is a subfamily of the Kinosternidae family of aquatic turtles which contains the genera Kinosternon and Sternotherus, which are native to much of the United States and northern Mexico.- References :*...
- Genus KinosternonKinosternonKinosternon is a genus of aquatic turtles known commonly as mud turtles.-Geographic range:They are found throughout the United States, Mexico and Central America, south into South America in Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru.-Description:...
- Tabasco mud turtleTabasco Mud TurtleThe Tabasco mud turtle is a species of turtle in the Kinosternidae family.It is found in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico.-Source:* Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 29 July 2007....
- Kinosternon acutum GrayJohn Edward GrayJohn Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
, 1831 - Alamos mud turtle - Kinosternon alamosae Berry & Legler, 1980
- Narrow-bridged mud turtle - Kinosternon angustipons Legler, 1965
- Arizona mud turtle - Kinosternon arizonense Gilmore, 1923
- Striped mud turtleStriped Mud TurtleThe striped mud turtle is a species of turtle endemic to the United States.-Geographic range:Striped mud turtle are found in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.-Description:...
- Kinosternon baurii (Garman, 1891) - Jalisco mud turtle - Kinosternon chimalhuaca Berry, Seidel, & Iverson, 1996
- Creaser's mud turtleCreaser's Mud TurtleThe Creaser's mud turtle is a species of turtle in the Kinosternidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.-Source:* Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 29 July 2007....
- Kinosternon creaseri Hartweg, 1934 - Dunn's mud turtleDunn's Mud TurtleDunn's mud turtle or the Colombian mud turtle is a species of turtle in the Kinosternidae family. The epithet or specific name honors Emmett Reid Dunn, an American herpetologist.It is endemic to Colombia.- References :...
- Kinosternon dunni SchmidtKarl Patterson SchmidtKarl Patterson Schmidt was an American herpetologist.-Biography:Schmidt was the son of George W. Schmidt and Margaret Patterson Schmidt. Schmidt's father was a German professor who, at the time of Schmidt's birth, was teaching in Lake Forest, Illinois. His family left the city in 1907 and settled...
, 1947 - Durango mud turtle - Kinosternon durangoense Iverson, 1979
- Yellow mud turtleYellow mud turtleThe yellow mud turtle is a species of mud turtle that can be found in the Central United States.- Description :...
- Kinosternon flavescens (AgassizLouis AgassizJean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
, 1857) - Herrara's mud turtle - Kinosternon herrerai StejnegerLeonhard Hess StejnegerLeonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians....
, 1925 - Rough-footed mud turtle - Kinosternon hirtipes (WaglerJohann Georg WaglerJohann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826...
, 1830))- Valley of Mexico mud turtle - Kinosternon hirtipes hirtipes (WaglerJohann Georg WaglerJohann Georg Wagler was a German herpetologist.Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and became Director of the Zoological Museum at the University of Munich after Spix's death in 1826...
, 1830) - Lake Chapala mud turtle - Kinosternon hirtipes chapalaense (Iverson, 1981)
- San Juanico mud turtle - Kinosternon hirtipes magdalense (Iverson, 1981)
- Viesca mud turtle - Kinosternon hirtipes megacephalum (Extinct) (Iverson, 1981)
- Mexican plateau mud turtle - Kinosternon hirtipes murrayi (Glass and Hartweg, 1951)
- Patzcuarco mud turtle - Kinosternon hirtipes tarascense (Inverson, 1981)
- Valley of Mexico mud turtle - Kinosternon hirtipes hirtipes (Wagler
- Mexician mud turtle - Kinosternon integrum (LeConte, 1954)
- White-lipped mud turtle - Kinosternon leucostomum DumérilAuguste DumérilAuguste Henri André Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of Herpetology and Ichthyology at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris from 1857. His father André Marie Constant Duméril was also a zoologist...
, BibronGabriel BibronGabriel Bibron was a French zoologist. He was born in Paris. Son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hired to collect vertebrates in Italy and Sicily. He classified a number of reptile species with André Marie Constant...
& DumérilAndré Marie Constant DumérilAndré Marie Constant Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of anatomy at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle from 1801 to 1812, when he became professor of herpetology and ichthyology...
, 1851- Northern white-lipped mud turtle - Kinosternon leucostomum leucostomum DumérilAuguste DumérilAuguste Henri André Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of Herpetology and Ichthyology at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris from 1857. His father André Marie Constant Duméril was also a zoologist...
, BibronGabriel BibronGabriel Bibron was a French zoologist. He was born in Paris. Son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hired to collect vertebrates in Italy and Sicily. He classified a number of reptile species with André Marie Constant...
& DumérilAndré Marie Constant DumérilAndré Marie Constant Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of anatomy at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle from 1801 to 1812, when he became professor of herpetology and ichthyology...
, 1851 - Southern white-lipped mud turtle - Kinosternon leucostomum postinguinale (Cope, 1887)
- Northern white-lipped mud turtle - Kinosternon leucostomum leucostomum Duméril
- Oaxaca mud turtleOaxaca Mud TurtleThe Oaxaca mud turtle is a species of turtle in the Kinosternidae family.It is endemic to Mexico. Both the common name and the scientific name derive from Oaxaca, a Mexican state.-Source:...
- Kinosternon oaxacae Berry & Iverson, 1980 - Scorpion mud turtle - Kinosternon scorpioides (LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1766)- Scorpion mud turtle (subspecies) - Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides (LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1766) - Central Chipas mud turtle - Kinosternon scorpioides abaxillare (Baur, 1925)
- White-throated mud turtle - Kinosternon scorpioides albogulare (Duméril and Bibron, 1870)
- Red-cheeked mud turtle - Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum (DumérilAuguste DumérilAuguste Henri André Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of Herpetology and Ichthyology at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris from 1857. His father André Marie Constant Duméril was also a zoologist...
, BibronGabriel BibronGabriel Bibron was a French zoologist. He was born in Paris. Son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hired to collect vertebrates in Italy and Sicily. He classified a number of reptile species with André Marie Constant...
& DumérilAndré Marie Constant DumérilAndré Marie Constant Duméril was a French zoologist. He was professor of anatomy at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle from 1801 to 1812, when he became professor of herpetology and ichthyology...
, 1851)
- Scorpion mud turtle (subspecies) - Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides (Linnaeus
- Sonora mud turtleSonora Mud TurtleThe Sonora mud turtle is a species of turtle in the Kinosternidae family.It is found in Mexico and the United States.-Source:* Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 29 July 2007....
- Kinosternon sonoriense (Le ConteJohn Eatton Le ConteJohn Eatton Le Conte, Jr. was an American naturalist. He was born near Shrewsbury, New Jersey, the son of John Eatton Le Conte and Jane Sloane Le Conte...
, 1854)- Sonora mud turtle (subspecies) - Kinosternon sonoriense sonoriense (Le ConteJohn Eatton Le ConteJohn Eatton Le Conte, Jr. was an American naturalist. He was born near Shrewsbury, New Jersey, the son of John Eatton Le Conte and Jane Sloane Le Conte...
, 1854) - Sonoyta mud turtle - Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale (Inverson, 1981)
- Sonora mud turtle (subspecies) - Kinosternon sonoriense sonoriense (Le Conte
- Eastern mud turtleEastern Mud TurtleThe eastern mud turtle or common mud turtle is a common species of turtle found in the United States.-Appearance:...
- Kinosternon subrubrum (BonnaterrePierre Joseph BonnaterreAbbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre was a French naturalist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique...
, 1789)- Eastern mud turtle (subspecies) - Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum (BonnaterrePierre Joseph BonnaterreAbbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre was a French naturalist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique...
, 1789) - Mississippi mud turtle - Kinosternon subrubrum hippocrepis (BonnaterrePierre Joseph BonnaterreAbbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre was a French naturalist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique...
, 1789) - Florida mud turtle - Kinosternon subrubrum steindachneri (Siebenrock,1906)
- Eastern mud turtle (subspecies) - Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum (Bonnaterre
- Tabasco mud turtle
- Genus SternotherusSternotherusSternotherus is a genus of aquatic turtles known commonly as musk turtles.-Description:They are very similar to the American mud turtles, but tend to have a more domed carapace, with a distinctive keel down the center of it...
- Razorback musk turtle, Sternotherus carinatusSternotherus carinatusThe razor-backed musk turtle is a species of turtle native to the United States.-Geographic range:It is found in the states of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Florida and Louisiana.- Description :...
(GrayJohn Edward GrayJohn Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
, 1855) - Flattened musk turtle, Sternotherus depressus (TinkleDonald W. TinkleDonald Ward Tinkle was a prominent herpetologist, ecologist, and evolutionary biologist at the University of Michigan until his illness and death at age 50...
& Webb, 1955) - Loggerhead musk turtle, Sternotherus minor (AgassizLouis AgassizJean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
, 1857) - Common musk turtle or Stinkpot, Sternotherus odoratusSternotherus odoratusSternotherus odoratus is a species of small turtle native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States. It is also known as the common musk turtle or stinkpot due to its ability to release a foul musky odor to deter predation...
(Sonnini & LatreillePierre André LatreillePierre André Latreille was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom after recognising a rare species he found in the prison, Necrobia ruficollis...
, 1802)
- Razorback musk turtle, Sternotherus carinatus
- Genus Kinosternon
- Subfamily StaurotypinaeStaurotypinaeStaurotypinae is a subfamily of the Kinosternidae family of aquatic turtles which contains the genera Claudius and Staurotypus....
- Genus Claudius
- Narrow-bridged musk turtle, Claudius angustatusClaudius angustatusThe narrow-bridged musk turtle is a species of musk turtle found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. As of 2010 it is the only extant species in the genus Claudius recognised.- Description :...
CopeEdward Drinker CopeEdward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen...
, 1865
- Narrow-bridged musk turtle, Claudius angustatus
- Genus StaurotypusStaurotypusStaurotypus is a genus of aquatic turtles commonly known as Mexican musk turtles, giant musk turtles, or three-keeled musk turtles...
- Chiapas giant musk turtle, Staurotypus salvinii GrayJohn Edward GrayJohn Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
, 1864 - Mexican giant musk turtle, Staurotypus triporcatus (WiegmannArend Friedrich August WiegmannArend Friedrich August Wiegmann was a German zoologist. He studied medicine and philology at the University of Leipzig, and afterwards was an assistant to Martin Lichtenstein in Berlin...
, 1828)
- Chiapas giant musk turtle, Staurotypus salvinii Gray
- Genus Claudius