Eastern mud turtle

The eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum) or common mud turtle is a common species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to the United States. There are two recognized subspecies.
==Description==
The eastern mud turtle is a small and often hard to identify species. It measures in carapace length. The carapace is keelless, lacks any pattern, and varies in color from yellowish to black. The plastron is large and double hinged, and can be yellowish to brown, and may sometimes have a dark pattern. The chin and throat are a yellowish grey, streaked and mottled with brown, while the limbs and tail are grayish. The eye, or iris, of the eastern mud turtle is yellow with dark clouding, and its feet are webbed.
==Habitat==
Mud turtles (genus Kinosternon) are fresh water turtles that are found in the southern United States. They live in rivers, lakes and swamps. Mud turtles prefer ponds that have a lot of vegetation. These animals can generally be found in spring-fed streams, and they prefer clean, oxygenated water. In the wild, they also prefer sandy and muddy areas, as they will hibernate by burrowing into the mud.
==Reproduction==
Mating occurs in K. subrubrum during early spring followed by egg laying in May to early June. Clutch sizes vary from 2 to 5.
==Geographic range==
The eastern mud turtle is found in the US states of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
In Indiana, the eastern mud turtle is listed as an endangered species.
==Subspecies==
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies."Kinosternon subrubrum ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
*K. s. subrubrum – eastern mud turtle (nominate subspecies)
*K. s. hippocrepis – Mississippi mud turtle
The former subspecies, K. s. steindachneri – Florida mud turtle, was elevated to species status in 2013.
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Kinosternon.
==References==
==Further reading==
*Behler JL, King FW (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Knopf. 742 pp. . (Kinosternon subrubrum, pp. 441–442 + Plates 318, 320, 321).
*Bonnaterre PJ (1789). Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique des trois règnes de la nature, Erpétologie. Paris: Panckoucke. xxviii + 71 pp. + 66 plates. (Testudo subrubra, new species, pp. 27–28 + [turtles] Plate 5, figure 1). (in French and Latin).
*Boulenger GA (1889). Catalogue of the Chelonians, Rhynchocephalians, and Crodcodiles in the British Museum (Natural History). New Edition. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). x + 311 pp. + Plates I-III. (Cinosternon pensylvanicum, pp. 39–40).
*Conant R (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. (hardcover), (paperback). (Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum, p. 43 + Plates 4, 5 + Map 13).
*Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. xi + 378 pp. . (Kinosternon s. subrubrum, detailed description of nesting, p. 264).
*Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 color plates 207 figures. . (Kinosternon subrubrum, pp. 225-227, Figure 102 + Plates 19, 21).
*Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. . (Kinosternon subrubrum, pp. 26–27).
*Stejneger L, Barbour T (1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum, p. 112).
*Zim HS, Smith HM (1956). Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species: A Golden Nature Guide. New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. (Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum, pp. 19, 23, 155).
==External links==
*Eastern mud turtle - Kinosternon subrubrum Species account from the Towson University Reptiles of Maryland Web Page.
Category:Kinosternon
Category:Reptiles described in 1789