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Home »» Turtles & Tortoises »» Kinosternidae (Mud & Musk Turtles) »» Sonora Mud Turtles »» Sonoyta Mud Turtle (Kinsternon sonoriense longifemorale)


Sonoyta Mud Turtle (Kinsternon sonoriense longifemorale)Critically Imperiled





Description: This dark, medium sized aquatic turtle, is 7 inches long (shell), with a mottled pattern on the head, neck, and limbs. Its head and neck are brown or olive on top, contrasting with plain yellow or cream color below. The throat has nipple like projections. The upper shell (carapace) is olive brown to dark brown with dark seams; the lower shell (plastron) is hinged, front and rear, and is yellow to brown. The shell contains 23 marginal shields. Long barbells are typically present on the chin, and all four feet are webbed.


Habitat: This turtle inhabits sprin fed pools, ponds, and stream courses with perennial or near-perennial water.


Range: This turtle is known from pond and limited stream habitat at Quitobaquito Springs in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, and from a few locations in the nearby Rio Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico, including the Sonoyta sewage ponds adjacent to the Rio Sonoyta.


Found in these States: AZ


Diet: Sonoyta mud turtles mostly feed on aquatic insects and snails that live on vegetation that grows in ponds and streams. In habitats with poor aquatic invertebrate faunas, Sonoyta mud turtles shift to omnivorous feeding including plants and vertebrates that are available including mesquite tree pods and fish.


Reproduction: The Sonoyta mud turtle will lay a clutch of 2 to 9 eggs from May to September. The eggs are buried in soil on land.


Status: In 1997, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Sonoyta mud turtle as a "candidate" for listing under the Endangered Species Act.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Testudines - Turtles & Tortoises
           »» Family: Kinosternidae - Mud & Musk Turtles
             »» Genus: Kinsternon
               »» Species: Kinsternon sonoriense - Sonora Mud Turtle
                 »» Subspecies: Sonoyrta Mud Turtle (Kinsternon sonoriense longifemorale)

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "ANIMAL", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


Recommended Books at Amazon.com


Turtles of North America: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Turtles of the Continental United States and Canada     Turtles of the United States and Canada     Common Box Turtles     Complete North American Box Turtle



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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
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