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Kinosternon
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<h2 id="geographic-range">Geographic range</h2> <p>They are found in the United States, <a href="/facts/Mexico/IT5bwhdh">Mexico</a>, <a href="/facts/Central_America/CXKgTuxC">Central America</a>, and South America. The greatest <a href="/facts/Species_richness/xb1W1j65">species richness</a> is in Mexico, and only three species (<i><a href="/facts/Dunn%2527s_mud_turtle/oSn30TdR">K. dunni</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/White-lipped_mud_turtle/gl9sK7IW">K. leucostomum</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Scorpion_mud_turtle/vN5gzRVw">K. scorpioides</a></i>) are found in South America. </p> <h2 id="description">Description</h2> <p>They are very similar to the <a href="/facts/Sternotherus/YwqfwH8t">musk turtles</a>, but generally smaller in size, and their <a href="/facts/Carapace/8VnnWH2b">carapaces</a> are not as highly <a href="/facts/Dome/vcv5uuXj">domed</a>. </p> <h2 id="diet">Diet</h2> <p>All mud turtles are <a href="/facts/Carnivorous/q6h6aSqe">carnivorous</a>, consuming various aquatic <a href="/facts/Invertebrate/3CyqCVnN">invertebrates</a> (especially <a href="/facts/Molluscs/1elgknsQ">molluscs</a> and <a href="/facts/Worm/FMrnWM8s">worms</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a>) , <a href="/facts/Fish/fln4gH9V">fish</a>, and even <a href="/facts/Carrion/QEBnJuVy">carrion</a>. </p> <h2 id="behavior">Behavior</h2> <p>Mud turtles live in the ground layer on the bed of bodies of slowly-flowing or still water. By burrowing deeply into mud, mud turtles are protected from danger. They occasionally like to bask in the sun.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="species">Species</h2> <h3>Extant</h3> <ul><li>Central Chiapas mud turtle - <i>K. abaxillare</i> (Baur, 1925)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Tabasco_mud_turtle/7wNDE9X8">Tabasco mud turtle</a> - <i>K. acutum</i> <a href="/facts/John_Edward_Gray/6JdrIDH0">Gray</a>, 1831<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Alamos_mud_turtle/yyAoLmn2">Alamos mud turtle</a> - <i>K. alamosae</i> Berry & Legler, 1980<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Central_American_mud_turtle/RovmoRcf">Central American mud turtle</a> - <i>K. angustipons</i> Legler, 1965<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Striped_mud_turtle/86cGwez6">Striped mud turtle</a> - <i>K. baurii</i> (<a href="/facts/Samuel_Garman/1J6TQhhx">Garman</a>, 1891)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Jalisco_mud_turtle/tGkKfSkS">Jalisco mud turtle</a> - <i>K. chimalhuaca</i> Berry, Seidel, & Iverson, 1996<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Cora_mud_turtle/TtPknT0d">Cora mud turtle</a> - <i>K. cora</i> Loc-Barragán <i>et al</i>., 2020<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Creaser%2527s_mud_turtle/effyhDlk">Creaser's mud turtle</a> - <i>K. creaseri</i> Hartweg, 1934<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Dunn%2527s_mud_turtle/oSn30TdR">Dunn's mud turtle</a> - <i>K. dunni</i> <a href="/facts/Karl_Patterson_Schmidt/rGtnFGJc">Schmidt</a>, 1947<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Durango_mud_turtle/o0fd0UKL">Durango mud turtle</a> - <i>K. durangoense</i> Iverson, 1979<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Yellow_mud_turtle/UoSCRXNx">Yellow mud turtle</a> - <i>K. flavescens</i> (<a href="/facts/Louis_Agassiz/W3DJ3zFN">Agassiz</a>, 1857)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Herrera%2527s_mud_turtle/JS7TvyxS">Herrera's mud turtle</a> - <i>K. herrerai</i> <a href="/facts/Leonhard_Hess_Stejneger/z9jXIk2G">Stejneger</a>, 1925<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Rough-footed_mud_turtle/8eMBzEJI">Rough-footed mud turtle</a> - <i>K. hirtipes</i> (<a href="/facts/Johann_Georg_Wagler/7K0MXbq8">Wagler</a>, 1830)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> <ul><li>Valley of Mexico mud turtle - <i>K. h. hirtipes</i> (Wagler, 1830)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a></li> <li>Lake Chapala mud turtle - <i>K. h. chapalaense</i> Iverson, 1981<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a></li> <li>San Juanico mud turtle - <i>K. h. magdalense</i> Iverson, 1981<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a></li> <li>Viesca mud turtle - <i>K. h. megacephalum</i> Iverson, 1981 (extinct)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a></li> <li>Mexican plateau mud turtle - <i>K. h. murrayi</i> Glass and Hartweg, 1951<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a></li> <li>Patzcuarco mud turtle - <i>K. h. tarascense</i> Iverson, 1981<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/facts/Mexican_mud_turtle/3t6bvwFY">Mexican mud turtle</a> - <i>K. integrum</i> (LeConte, 1954)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/White-lipped_mud_turtle/gl9sK7IW">White-lipped mud turtle</a> - <i>K. leucostomum</i> <a href="/facts/A.M.C._Dum%25C3%25A9ril/jy5EwTst">A.M.C. Duméril</a>, <a href="/facts/Bibron/qDXaUMcu">Bibron</a> & <a href="/facts/A.H.A._Dum%25C3%25A9ril/xVHMXMFL">A.H.A. Duméril</a>, 1851<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> <ul><li>Northern white-lipped mud turtle - <i>K. l. leucostomum</i> A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1851<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a></li> <li>Southern white-lipped mud turtle - <i>K. l. postinguinale</i> (Cope, 1887)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a></li></ul></li> <li>Pacific red-cheeked mud turtle - <i>K. mexicanum</i> Iverson & Berry, 2024<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Oaxaca_mud_turtle/JISlKRyV">Oaxaca mud turtle</a> - <i>K. oaxacae</i> Berry & Iverson, 1980<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Scorpion_mud_turtle/vN5gzRVw">Scorpion mud turtle</a> - <i>K. scorpioides</i> (<a href="/facts/Linnaeus/gy5HWkHS">Linnaeus</a>, 1766)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a> <ul><li>Scorpion mud turtle (subspecies) - <i>K. s. scorpioides</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28"><sup>28</sup></a></li> <li>White-throated mud turtle - <i>K. s. albogulare</i> (A.H.A. Duméril and Bocourt, 1870)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29"><sup>29</sup></a></li> <li>Red-cheeked mud turtle - <i>K. s. cruentatum</i> (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1851)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30"><sup>30</sup></a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/facts/Sonora_mud_turtle/Jen5l3gz">Sonora mud turtle</a> - <i>K. sonoriense</i> (<a href="/facts/John_Eatton_Le_Conte/P9Gz2DsY">Le Conte</a>, 1854)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31"><sup>31</sup></a> <ul><li>Sonora mud turtle (subspecies) - <i>K. s. sonoriense</i> (Le Conte, 1854)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32"><sup>32</sup></a></li> <li>Sonoyta mud turtle - <i>K. s. longifemorale</i> (Iverson, 1981)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33"><sup>33</sup></a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/facts/Florida_mud_turtle/Ta5PUlPw">Florida mud turtle</a> - <i>K. steindachneri</i> (<a href="/facts/Friedrich_Siebenrock/j7eJ2mrQ">Siebenrock</a>, 1906)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34"><sup>34</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Arizona_mud_turtle/QqL4lbo0">Arizona mud turtle</a> - <i>K.</i> <i>stejnegeri</i> Gilmore, 1923<i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35"><sup>35</sup></a></i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36"><sup>36</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Eastern_mud_turtle/U4f1gv83">Eastern mud turtle</a> - <i>K. subrubrum</i> (<a href="/facts/Pierre_Joseph_Bonnaterre/R5cLDDEc">Bonnaterre</a>, 1789)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37"><sup>37</sup></a> <ul><li>Eastern mud turtle (subspecies) - <i>K. s. subrubrum</i> (Bonnaterre, 1789)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38"><sup>38</sup></a></li> <li>Mississippi mud turtle - <i>K. s. hippocrepis</i> (Bonnaterre, 1789)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39"><sup>39</sup></a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/facts/Vallarta_mud_turtle/U5EELzDr">Vallarta mud turtle</a> - <i>K. vogti</i> López-Luna <i>et al</i>., 2018<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40"><sup>40</sup></a></li></ul> <h3>Extinct</h3> <ul><li>†<i><a href="/facts/Kinosternon_arizonense/dxcLolWR">Kinosternon arizonense</a></i> Gilmore, 1923 (known from <a href="/facts/Plio-Pleistocene/5TN9Vb6Y">Plio-Pleistocene</a> <a href="/facts/Fossil/by7NzIA1">fossil</a> remains, formerly considered <a href="/facts/Biological_specificity/9LRI9yyR">conspecific</a> with <i>K. stejnegeri</i>)<i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41"><sup>41</sup></a></i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42"><sup>42</sup></a></li> <li>†<i>Kinosternon notolophus</i> Bourque, 2016</li> <li>†<i>Kinosternon pannekollops</i> Bourque, 2016</li> <li>†<i><a href="/facts/Kinosternon_pojoaque/AfKUh9fr">Kinosternon pojoaque</a></i></li> <li>†<i>Kinosternon rincon</i> Bourque, 2016</li> <li>†<i><a href="/facts/Kinosternon_skullridgescens/B2LsGU3l">Kinosternon skullridgescens</a></i></li> <li>†<i>Kinosternon wakeeniense</i> Bourque, 2016</li></ul> Bibliography <ul><li>Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Iverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley (2010-12-14). <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110717125632/http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Accounts/crm_5_000_checklist_v3_2010.pdf">"Turtles of the world, 2010 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status"</a> (PDF). <i>Chelonian Research Monographs</i>. 5. Archived from <a href="http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Accounts/crm_5_000_checklist_v3_2010.pdf">the original</a> (PDF) on 2011-07-17.</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Obst, Fritz Jürgen (1986). Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins (1 ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 112. ISBN 0-312-82362-2. <a href="0-312-82362-2" target="_blank">0-312-82362-2</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Obst, Fritz Jürgen (1986). Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins (1 ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 112. ISBN 0-312-82362-2. <a href="0-312-82362-2" target="_blank">0-312-82362-2</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Loc-Barragán, Jesús A.; Reyes-Velasco, Jacobo; Woolrich-Piña, Guillermo A.; Grünwald, Christoph I.; Anaya, Myriam Venegas De; Rangel-Mendoza, Judith A.; López-Luna, Marco A. (27 November 2020). "A New Species of Mud Turtle of Genus Kinosternon (Testudines: Kinosternidae) from the Pacific Coastal Plain of Northwestern Mexico". Zootaxa. 4885 (4): 509–529. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4885.4.3. PMID 33311258. <a href="https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/download/zootaxa.4885.4.3/42029" target="_blank">https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/download/zootaxa.4885.4.3/42029</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:24"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:25"><p>Iverson, J. B., & Berry, J. F. (2024). Morphometric Variation in the Red-Cheeked Mud Turtle (Kinosternon cruentatum) and its Taxonomic Implications. Chelonian Conservation and Biology: Celebrating 25 Years as the World’s Turtle and Tortoise Journal.https://doi.org/10.2744/CCB-1589.1 <a href="https://doi.org/10.2744/CCB-1589.1" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2744/CCB-1589.1</a> <a href="#fnref:25" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:26"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:26" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:27"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:27" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:28"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:28" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:29"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:29" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:30"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:30" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:31"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:31" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:32"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:32" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:33"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:33" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:34"><p>Rhodin, Anders G.J.; Inverson, John B.; Roger, Bour; Fritz, Uwe; Georges, Arthur; Shaffer, H. Bradley; van Dijk, Peter Paul (August 3, 2017). "Turtles of the world, 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status(8th Ed.)" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 7. ISBN 978-1-5323-5026-9. Retrieved October 4, 2019. <a href="978-1-5323-5026-9" target="_blank">978-1-5323-5026-9</a> <a href="#fnref:34" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:35"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:35" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:36"><p>McCord, Robert D. (2016-02-17). "What is Kinosternon arizonense?". Historical Biology. 28 (1–2): 310–315. Bibcode:2016HBio...28..310M. doi:10.1080/08912963.2015.1053879. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 85572922. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:36" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:37"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:37" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:38"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:38" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:39"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:39" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:40"><p>López-Luna, Marco A.; Cupul-Magaña, Fabio G.; Escobedo-Galván, Armando H.; González-Hernández, Adriana J.; Centenero-Alcalá, Eric; Rangel-Mendoza, Judith A.; Ramírez-Ramírez, Mariana M.; Cazares-Hernández, and Erasmo. "A Distinctive New Species of Mud Turtle from Western México". Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 2018. <a href="#fnref:40" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:41"><p>Rhodin 2010, p. 000.95-000.98 <a href="#fnref:41" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:42"><p>McCord, Robert D. (2016-02-17). "What is Kinosternon arizonense?". Historical Biology. 28 (1–2): 310–315. Bibcode:2016HBio...28..310M. doi:10.1080/08912963.2015.1053879. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 85572922. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:42" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>