Herrera's mud turtle

Herrera's mud turtle (Kinosternon herrerai) is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

Herrera's mud turtle
Carapace
Plastron
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Kinosternidae
Genus:	Kinosternon
Species:	K. herrerai
Binomial name
Kinosternon herrerai Stejneger, 1925
Synonyms[2][3]
Kinosternon herrerai Stejneger, 1925 Kinosternon herrarai [sic] Ippi & Flores, 2001 (ex errore) Cryptochelys herrerai — Iverson, Le & Ingram, 2013 Kinosternon herrerai — Spinks et al. 2014

Etymology

The specific name, herrerai, is in honor of Mexican biologist Alfonso Luis Herrera.^[4]

Geographic range

K. herrerai is found in the Mexican states of Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.^[3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of K. herrerai is permanent bodies of fresh water, at elevations from sea level to 1,150 m (3,770 ft).^[1]

Life history

In San Luis Potosí

Based on a 1988 study of a population near Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, the males of K. herrerai attain a larger size than females, with a proportionally smaller plastron, and narrower and shallower carapace.^[5]

Symbionts reported include a balanomorph barnacle, leeches of the genus Placobdella, and the filamentous green alga Basicladia.^[5]

Food items identified indicate an omnivorous diet, with wild figs the major plant component, and several insect orders and millipedes represented.^[5]

Reproduction

Courtship in K. herrerai agrees in most respects with courtship of other kinosternid species. Sexual maturity in females is apparently attained between 115 and 130 mm (4.58 and 5.12 inches) straight carapace length. Clutch size is estimated to range from two to four. Several clutches may be laid in a reproductive season.^[5]