Kinosternon baurii, the striped mud turtle, is a member of Kinosternidae within Cryptodira. There are 20 extant species in the genus Kinosternon (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006). Long thought to be the sister-group to Trionychidae (e.g., Gaffney, 1975), the relationship of this taxon to other turtles has recently been called into question on the basis of both molecular and morphological features (e.g., Shaffer et al., 1997). |
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Kinosternon baurii is a small turtle, with a carapace length of up to 12 cm (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006). The skull is relatively small and exhibits little emargination. The carapace is smooth and unserrated, and the plastron is well-developed and hinged (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006). Kinosternon baurii ranges from tan to black dorsally, and three light-colored stripes are present on the carapace. Two light-colored stripes extend posteriorly from the orbit. The plastron is olive to yellow (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006).
The striped mud turtle prefers quiet freshwater bodies with soft bottoms, and may enter meadows and brackish water. It is found in the southeastern United States, from South Carolina through Florida, including the Florida Keys (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006). Kinosternon baurii is omnivorous. Females lay up to three clutches per year containing one to five eggs (Ernst and Barbour, 1989; Bonin et al., 2006).
Literature
Bickham, J.W. and J.L. Carr. 1983. Taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher categories of cryptodiran turtles based on a cladistic analysis of chromosomal data. Copeia 1983:918-932.
Bonin, F., Devaux, B., and A. Dupré. 2006. Turtles of the World. Translated by P.C.H. Pritchard. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD.
Ernst, C.H. and R.W. Barbour. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC.
Ferri, V. 2002. Turtles and Tortoises. Firefly Books, Willowdale, ON.
Gaffney, E.S. 1972. An illustrated glossary of turtle skull nomenclature. American Museum Novitates 2486:1-33.
Gaffney, E.S. 1975. A phylogeny and classification of higher categories of turtles. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 155:387-436.
Gaffney, E.S. 1979. Comparative cranial morphology of recent and fossil turtles. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 164:1-376.
Gaffney, E.S. and P.A. Meylan. 1988. A phylogeny of turtles. In: Benton, M.J., editor. The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods, Volume 1: Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds. Clarendon Press, Oxford, pp. 157-219.
Jamniczky H.A. In press. Turtle carotid circulation: a character analysis case study. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.
Jamniczky, H.A. and A.P. Russell. 2007. Reappraisal of patterns of nonmarine cryptodiran turtle carotid circulation: evidence from osteological correlates and soft tissues. Journal of Morphology 268:571-587.
Joyce, W.G. 2007. A phylogeny of Mesozoic turtles. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 48:3-102.
Karl, S.A. and D.S. Wilson. 2001. Phylogeography and systematics of the mud turtle, Kinosternon baurii. Copeia 2001:797-801.
Lovich, J.E. and T. Lamb. 1995. Morphometric similarity between the turtles Kinosternon subrubrum hippocrepis and K. baurii. Journal of Herpetology 29:621-624.
Meylan, P.A. and E.S. Gaffney. 1989. The skeletal morphology of the Cretaceous cryptodiran turtle, Adocus, and the relationships of the Trionychoidea. American Museum Novitates 2941:1-60.
Orenstein, R. 2001. Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins: Survivors in Armor. Firefly Books, Buffalo, NY.
Pritchard, P.C.H. 1979. Encyclopedia of Turtles. TFH Publishing, Neptune FL.
Shaffer, H.B., Meylan, P., and M.L. McKnight. 1997. Tests of turtle phylogeny: molecular, morphological, and paleontological approaches. Systematic Biology 46:235-268.
Wilson, D.S., Mushinsky, H.R and E.D. McCoy. 1999. Nesting behavior of the striped mud turtle, Kinosternon baurii (Testudines: Kinosternidae). Copeia 1999:958-968.
Links
Kinosternon baurii page on CentralPets.com
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