The Alamos mud turtle (''Kinosternon alamosae'') is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
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, ...
in the family
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 num ...
. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, where it occurs in the states of
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales.
It is located in northwest Mexic ...
and
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
.
[
]
Description
The Alamos mud turtles are slightly less than average in size compared to other members of the same genus. Males tend to be larger than females, with matured females having an average carapace length of 95–100 mm, compared to an average of 90–120 mm with their male counterparts. When males are compared to females, there are a few notable differences. Males have a much narrower carapace, a shorter plastron, a shorter plastral hind lobe, narrower plastral lobes, a shorter bridge, and a shorter interanal seam.[Iverson, J. B. (1989). Natural History of the Alamos Mud Turtle, ''Kinosternon alamosae'' (Kinosternidae). Southwestern Association of Naturalists, 34(1), 134–142. doi: 10.2307/3671819]
Habitat
Alamos mud turtles prefer temporary pond habitats. Examples of such include arroyos, roadside ditches, and cattle tanks. The Alamos mud turtle also has an extraordinary thermal tolerance. Researchers have found them in shallow ponds (~10 cm deep) with temperatures reaching as high as 42 °C. Some specimen are even located in ponds that are scalding to the touch.
References
Further reading
*Berry, J. F. and Legler, J. M. 1980. A new turtle (genus ''Kinosternon'') from northwestern Mexico. ''Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County'' 325, 1–12.
Kinosternon
Endemic reptiles of Mexico
Natural history of Sinaloa
Natural history of Sonora
Reptiles described in 1980
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