Mexican musk turtle

The Mexican musk turtle (Staurotypus triporcatus), also known commonly as the giant musk turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species occurs in Central America and Mexico.

Mexican musk turtle
Staurotypus triporcatus
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Kinosternidae
Genus: Staurotypus
Species:
S. triporcatus
Binomial name
Staurotypus triporcatus
(Wiegmann, 1828)
Synonyms[2]
  • Terrapene triporcata
    Wiegmann, 1828
  • Staurotypus triporcatus
    Wagler, 1830
  • Emys (Kinosternon) triporcata
    Gray, 1831
  • Kinosternon triporcatum
    — Gray, 1831
  • Clemmys (Staurotypus) triporcata
    Fitzinger, 1835
  • Claudius pictus
    Cope, 1872
  • Staurotipus triporcatus
    Sumichrast, 1882
  • Staurotypus triporeatus
    Thatcher, 1963 (ex errore)
  • Clemmys (Staurotypus) triporcatus
    H.M. Smith & R.B. Smith, 1980
  • Staurotipus triporcatus
    Ippi & Flores, 2001 (ex errore)

Geographic range

S. triporcatus is found in Belize, northeastern Guatemala, western Honduras, and Mexico. In Mexico it is found in the Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.[3]

Description

S. triporcatus is typically much larger than other species of Kinosternidae, attaining a straight carapace length of up to 36 cm (14 in), with males being significantly smaller than females. It is typically brown, black, or green in color, with a yellow underside. The carapace is distinguished by three distinct ridges, or keels, which run the length.

S. triporcatus exhibits XX/XY sex determination, in contrast to the temperature-dependent sex determination of most turtles.[4]

Diet

Like other musk turtle species, S. triporcatus is carnivorous, eating various types of aquatic invertebrates, as well as fish and carrion..

References

  1. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  2. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 261–262. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  3. "Staurotypus triporcatus ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. Badenhorst, Daleen; Stanyon, Roscoe; Engstrom, Tag; Valenzuela, Nicole (2013-04-01). "A ZZ/ZW microchromosome system in the spiny softshell turtle, Apalone spinifera, reveals an intriguing sex chromosome conservation in Trionychidae". Chromosome Research. 21 (2): 137–147. doi:10.1007/s10577-013-9343-2. ISSN 1573-6849.

Further reading

  • Wiegmann AF (1828). "Beyträge zur Amphibienkunde ". Isis von Oken 21: 364–383. (Terrapene triiporcata, new species, pp. 364–365). (in German and Latin).


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