Mexican musk turtle

Mexican musk turtle
	Staurotypus triporcatus
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Kinosternidae
Genus:	Staurotypus
Species:	S. triporcatus
Binomial name
	Staurotypus triporcatus; (Wiegmann, 1828)
Synonyms
	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 ; — , 1882; Staurotypus triporeatus ; Thatcher, 1963 (ex errore); Clemmys (Staurotypus) triporcatus ; — H.M. Smith & R.B. Smith, 1980; Staurotipus tripocartus ; Ippi & , 2001 (ex errore);

The Mexican musk turtle (Staurotypus triporcatus), also known commonly as the narrow-bridged musk turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Central America and Mexico.

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.^[2]

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.^{[citation needed]}

S. triporcatus exhibits XX/XY sex determination, in contrast to the temperature-dependent sex determination of most turtles.^[3]

Diet[]

Like other musk turtle species, S. triporcatus is carnivorous, eating various types of aquatic invertebrates, as well as fish and carrion.^{[citation needed]}.

References[]

^ 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 17 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
^ "Staurotypus triporcatus ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
^ 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.

External links[]

Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (1996). Staurotypus triporcatus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 29 July 2007.