Scorpion mud turtle

The scorpion mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides) is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. It is found in Mexico, Central and South America. It is a medium to large kinosternid (mud turtle) with a domed, oval upper shell 92–270 mm (3.6–10.6 in) long. Males regularly exceed 200 mm. The scorpion mud turtle is a highly aquatic, adaptable kinosternid that will live in almost any body of water. It is primarily omnicarnivorous, a glutton, and feeds on a wide variety of aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, including carrion. In captivity, poorly fed K. scorpioides can be cannibalistic, biting off the toes and limbs of conspecifics. Females probably lay 1 to 6 hard-shelled eggs. Like many kinosternids, they probably construct a shallow terrestrial nest with little cover.[2]

Scorpion mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum), southern Tamaulipas, Mexico (23 September 2004).

Scorpion mud turtle
Kinosternon scorpioides La Fortuna de San Carlos, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica (January 1997).
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Kinosternidae
Genus:	Kinosternon
Species:	K. scorpioides
Binomial name
Kinosternon scorpioides (Carl Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms[1]
Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides Testudo scorpioides Linnaeus, 1766 Testudo tricarinata Retzius, 1792 Testudo retzii Daudin, 1801 Emys retzii Schweigger, 1812 Emys scorpioidea Schweigger, 1812 (ex errore) Emys scorpioides Oken, 1816 Chersine scorpioides Merrem, 1820 Terrapene tricarinata Merrem, 1820 Kinosternon brevicaudatum Spix, 1824 Kinosternon longicaudatum Spix, 1824 Kinosternon shavianum Bell, 1825 Terrapene retzii Fitzinger, 1826 Terrapene scorpioidea Fitzinger, 1826 Cinosternon brevicaudatum Wagler, 1830 Cinosternon longicaudatum Wagler, 1830 Cinosternon scorpioidea Wagler, 1830 Cinosternon shavianum Wagler, 1830 Clemmys tricarinata Wagler, 1830 Emys (Kinosternon) scorpoides Gray, 1831 (ex errore) Kinosternon scorpioides Gray, 1831 Monoclida retziana Rafinesque, 1832 Uronyx scorpioides Rafinesque, 1832 Cinosternon scorpioidei Wagler, 1833 (ex errore) Cinosternon scorpioideum Wagler, 1833 (ex errore) Terrapene scorpioides Schinz, 1833 Cinosternon scorpioides Duméril & Bibron, 1835 Kinosternon shawianum Duméril & Bibron, 1835 (ex errore) Clemmys (Cinosternon) scorpioidea Fitzinger, 1835 Kinosternon scorpoides Gray, 1844 Kinosternon (Swanka) scorpiodes Gray, 1844 (ex errore) Kinosternum brevicaudatum LeConte, 1854 Kinosternum longicaudatum LeConte, 1854 Kinosternum scorpioides LeConte, 1854 Cinosternum brevicaudatum Agassiz, 1857 Cinosternum longicaudatum Agassiz, 1857 Cinosternum scorpioides Agassiz, 1857 Cinosternum shavianum Agassiz, 1857 Thyrosternum longecaudatum LeConte, 1859 (ex errore) Thyrosternum scorpioides LeConte, 1859 Swanka scorpoides Gray, 1869 Swanka longicaudata Gray, 1870 Swanka scorpioides Gray, 1872 Cinosternon shawianum Bocourt, 1876 Ciniosternon shawianum Sumichrast, 1880 Cinosternum shawianum Sumichrast, 1882 Thyrosternum shavianum Garman, 1884 Cinosternum shawanianum Velasco, 1892 (ex errore) Cinosternum scorpioides scorpioides Siebenrock, 1907 Kinosternon scorpioides pachyurum Müller & Hellmich, 1936 Kinosternon scorpioides seriei Freiberg, 1936 Kinosternon panamensis Schmidt, 1946 Kinosternon scorpioides panamense Mertens & Wermuth, 1955 (ex errore) Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides Mertens & Wermuth, 1955 Kinosternon scorpioides pachyrum Wermuth & Mertens, 1977 (ex errore) Kinosternon scorpioides serei Iverson, 1986 (ex errore) Kinosternon scorpioides serieli Gosławski & Hryniewicz, 1993 (ex errore) Kinosternon scorpioides carajanensis Rogner, 1996 (ex errore) Kinosternon scorpioides abaxillare Kinosternon abaxillare Baur, 1925 Kinosternon scorpioides abaxillare Berry, 1979 Kinosternon cruentatum abaxillare Artner, 2003 Kinosternon scorpioides carajasense Joseph-Ouni, 2004 (ex errore) Kinosternon scorpioides albogulare Cinosternon albogulare Duméril & Bocourt, 1870 Cinosternum albogulare Cope, 1875 Kinosternon cruentatum albogulare Wettstein, 1934 Kinosternon scorpioides albogulare Dunn & Saxe, 1950 Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum Cinosternon cruentatum Duméril & Bibron, 1851 Kinosternum cruentatum LeConte, 1854 Kinosternum mexicanum LeConte, 1854 Kinosternon cruentatum Gray, 1856 Cinosternum cruentatum Agassiz, 1857 Cinosternum mexicanum Agassiz, 1857 Kinosternum triliratum LeConte, 1860 Cinosternon mexicanum Strauch, 1862 Cinosternon triliratum Strauch, 1862 Kinosternon mexicanum Müller, 1865 Swanka cruentata Gray, 1870 Swanka mexicana Gray, 1870 Swanka trilirata Gray, 1870 Thyrosternum cruentatum Garman, 1884 Cinosternum triliratum Günther, 1885 Kinosternon cruentatum cruentatum Schmidt, 1941 Kinosternon cruentatum consors Stejneger, 1941 Kinosternon crenulatum Pearse, 1945 (ex errore) Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum Berry, 1979 Kinosternon cruentatum consor Obst, 1996 (ex errore)

Subspecies

• Scorpion mud turtle (subspecies) – Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides (Linnaeus, 1766)
• Central Chiapas 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 (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1851)

References

1. Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 255–258. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
2. "Kinosternon scorpiodes (Linnaeus, 1766)". U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2018. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

• Linnaeus, 1766 : Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio duodecima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, Holmiae, p. 1–532.
• Pritchard, P. C. H. 1979. Encyclopedia of Turtles. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune, New Jersey. 895 pp.
• Pritchard, P. C. H., and P. Trebbau. 1984. The Turtles of Venezuela. Contributions to Herpetology 2. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca. 403 pp., 47 plates, 16 maps.

External links

• Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides