(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species turtle, eastern mud
Species Id M030051
Date 26 AUG 96
TAXONOMY
NAME - turtle, eastern mud
OTHER COMMON NAMES -
ELEMENT CODE - 07/19/84
AOU CODE - 10/23/85
CATEGORY - Reptiles
PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - Chordata, Vertebrata
CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Reptilia, Anapsida
ORDER AND SUBORDER - Testudines, Casichelydia
FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Kinosternidae,
GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Kinosternon,
SPECIES AND SSP - subrubrum, subrubrum
SCIENTIFIC NAME - Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum
AUTHORITY - Lacepede
TAXONOMY REFERENCES - 1024 and 2984
Taxonomy - 1 (DRAFT) - Status
Species turtle, eastern mud
Species Id M030051
Date 26 AUG 96
STATUS
Status - 1 (DRAFT) - Distribution
Species turtle, eastern mud
Species Id M030051
Date 26 AUG 96
DISTRIBUTION
References on County Occurrence - 001, 007, 013, 025, 033, 036, 037, 041, 047, 049, 053, 059, 061, 073, 075, 081, 083, 085, 087, 093, 095, 097, 099, 101, 103, 109, 115, 117, 119, 127, 131, 133, 135, 137, 145, 147, 149, 153, 159, 175, 177, 179, 181, 183, 193, 199, 550, 570, 595, 600, 610, 620, 630, 650, 670, 700, 710, 730, 735, 740, 800, 810 and 830
References on County Abundance - 001, 007, 013, 025, 033, 036, 037, 041, 047, 049, 053, 059, 061, 073, 075, 081, 083, 085, 087, 093, 095, 097, 099, 101, 103, 109, 115, 117, 119, 127, 131, 133, 135, 137, 145, 147, 149, 153, 159, 175, 177, 179, 181, 183, 193, 199, 550, 570, 595, 600, 610, 620, 630, 650, 670, 700, 710, 730, 735, 740, 800, 810 and 830
REFERENCES FOR HYDROLOGIC UNIT CODES - 001, 007, 013, 025, 033, 036, 037, 041, 047, 049, 053, 059, 061, 073, 075, 081, 083, 085, 087, 093, 095, 097, 099, 101, 103, 109, 115, 117, 119, 127, 131, 133, 135, 137, 145, 147, 149, 153, 159, 175, 177, 179, 181, 183, 193, 199, 540, 560, 590, 595, 600, 610, 620, 630, 650, 670, 700, 710, 730, 735, 740, 800, 810 and 830
REFERENCES FOR OTHER DISTRIBUTION - D
Distribution - 1 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
HABITAT - Aquatic
REFERENCES FOR HABITAT - 1008, 1027, 1038 and 2988
LAND USE -
Forest Land
Deciduous Forest Land
Evergreen Forest Land
Mixed Forest Land
Water
Streams and Canals
Lakes
Reservoirs
Bays and Estuaries
REFERENCES FOR LAND USE - 1008, 1027, 1038 and 2988
NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY CODES
NWI NWICLS NWIMOD NWISPEC
Lacustrine, limnetic
Lacustrine, littoral
Marine, intertidal
REFERENCES FOR NWI - 1008, 1027, 1038 and 2988
ANIMAL/PLANT SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS -
6812
4812
POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION -
065 Northern Cordgrass Prairie (Distichlis-Spartina)
101 Oak - Hickory - Pine Forest (Quercus-Carya-Pinus)
103 Southern Floodplain Forest (Quercus-Nyssa-Taxodium)
REFERENCES FOR PNV - 882
ECOREGION -
Southeastern Mixed Forest: Flat Plains
Southeastern Mixed Forest: Irregular Plains
Southeastern Mixed Forest: Irregular Plains, slight rel
Southeastern Mixed Forest: Plains with Hills
REFERENCES FOR ECOREGION - 882
Habitat Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species turtle, eastern mud
Species Id M030051
Date 26 AUG 96
FOOD HABITS
TROPHIC LEVEL -
Omnivore
REFERENCES FOR TROPHIC LEVEL - 2988
LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART
General Insects Not Specified
General Animals Not Specified
General Crustaceans Not Specified
General Molluscs Not Specified
General Amphibia Not Specified
General Carrion Not Specified
General Plants Not Specified
REFERENCES FOR GENERAL FOOD - 2988
Food Habits - 1 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species turtle, eastern mud
Species Id M030051
Date 26 AUG 96
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
Environment Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species turtle, eastern mud
Species Id M030051
Date 26 AUG 96
LIFE HISTORY
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: small, flattened, oval turtle whose
back edge is nearly perpendicular; head is large and irregularly
streaked, spotted, or marbled with light colors; plastron relatively
large with 2 obvious hinges (hinges not developed in young); pectoral
scutes triangular; carapace length=3-5 inches, carapace is smooth and
brownish, varying from light to almost black; young=rough carapace that
is black or very dark brown, plastron is sometimes black, often darker
at the center and along juncture of scutes, lighter areas yellowish
through orange to red, each marginal scale bears a light spot;
male/female difference=male has longer tail with prominent claw at tip
and 2 small horny patches on inner surface of each hind leg *1008*;
REPRODUCTION: eggs are oval and variable in size, average 5/8 by 1 inch;
white with a thick, hard, and brittle shell *1008*; shell surface
covered with fine irregular network of impressed lines, eggs do no take
up water as most turtle eggs do *2988*; breeding season occurs in April
or May, egg laying starts soon after *1008*; incubation period
approximately 110 days *2988*; male sexually mature 4-7 years of age and
female sexually mature 5-8 years of age *2988*; clutch size is 2 to 5
eggs *1008*; BEHAVIOR: bottom crawler but is also a good swimmer *1038*;
quite terrestrial also in early morning or early evening *1027*; when
habitat dries species burrows into mud and aestivates *2988*; nest
site=peak of egg laying in June, female selects a rather dry spot to lay
eggs, digs a slanting hole with hind feet, lays eggs and packs dirt
tightly over them with hind feet *1008*; nest is semicircular cavity
from 3 to 5 inches deep entering the ground at a 30 degree angle *1027*;
sandy, loamy soils preferred but piles of vegetable debris are also used
*2988*; young hatch in September, winter in the nest, or eggs overwinter
to hatch in April *1008*; spends winter in mud buried below frost line,
some select area out of the water to hibernate (but in wet areas where
mud is but a few inches down), emerge sometime in late March or early
April *1008*; may also hibernate in dead wood *1027*; can be seen
basking at times on submerged brush or on the shore but not often
*2988*; POPULATION PARAMETERS: sex ratio=2:5, male to female *2988*;
AQUATIC/TERRESTRIAL ASSOCIATIONS: predators of adults=rodents; predators
of juveniles=blue crabs, gars, water snake, hognose snake, cottonmouths,
crows; predators of eggs=king snakes, opossums, weasels, skunks,
raccoons *2988*
REFERENCES FOR LIFE HISTORY- 1008, 1027, 1038 and 2988
Life History - 1 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species turtle, eastern mud
Species Id M030051
Date 26 AUG 96
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Management Practices - 1 (DRAFT) - References
Species turtle, eastern mud
Species Id M030051
Date 26 AUG 96
References
882* Conant, R. 1958. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians
of the United States and Canada East of the 100th Meridian.
Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston,
Mass:366.
1008* Barbour, R.W. 1971. Amphibians and Reptiles of Kentucky.
Univ. Press of Kentucky Lexington:334.
1024* Parker, S.P. (ed.)1982. Synopsis and Classification of
Living Organisms. McGraw-Hill Book Co. New York, New York:1232.
1027* Carr, A.F. 1952. Handbook of Turtles. Turtles of the
United States, Canada, and Baja California. Comstock Publ.
Assoc. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca, N.Y:542.
1038* Pope, C.H. 1939. Turtles of the United States and Canada.
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York, N.Y:343.
2984* Iverson, J.B. 1977. Kinosternon subrubrum. Catalog of
American amphibians and reptiles. Am. Soc. Iththyologists and
Herpetologists:345.
2988* Ernst, C.H., Barbour, R.W. 1972. Turtles of the United
States. Univ. Press of Kentucky Lexington:347.
References - 1