About Kinosternon integrum Le Conte, 1854
Taxonomy
The Mexican mud turtle (Kinosternon integrum, first described by Le Conte in 1854) is a species of mud turtle belonging to the family Kinosternidae.
Endemic Range
This species is endemic to Mexico, where it lives in moist environments including shallow ponds, lakes, rivers, and moderate temperature tropical forest areas.
Distribution Within Mexico
Within Mexico, its distribution covers the states of Aguascalientes, Colima, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, México, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.
Nesting Season
The nesting season for Mexican mud turtles runs from early May to September, starting just before the summer rainy season.
Clutch Size
Most females lay clutches of 2 to 4 eggs, though clutch size can range from 1 to 8 total eggs.
Sexual Dimorphism in Nostrils
This species has a distinct nostril trait that differs between males and females: females have more rounded nostrils that are more brownish in color, while male nostrils are yellow.
Survival Strategy
The Mexican mud turtle uses a bet hedging survival strategy: its organismal fitness changes based on the conditions it experiences.
Fitness Variation
It has low fitness when in a normal, relaxed daily state, and higher fitness when under stress.
Reproductive Restriction
This bet hedging strategy also impacts its reproduction, restricting breeding to only every two to three seasons.
