Schildkröten im Fokus Online, Bergheim 2014 (1) Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle Kinosternon baurii Garman, 1891 Text and photos by Andrea Luison, Latina, Italy, Stefano Redaelli, Monza, Italy. Systematics and Kinosternon (s. l.) (Turtle 1965) The turtle family Kinosternidae is dis­ Taxonomy Working Group 2012), • Cryptochelys creaseri (Hartweg, tributed in the American continent now separated by Iverson et al. (2013) 1934) from southern Canada to the the cen­ in Cryptochelys (6 species) and Kino­ • Cryptochelys dunni (Schmidt, tre of South America. After a recent sternon (14 species), by uplifting 2 sub­ 1947) molecular phylogenetic analysis (Iver­ species to full species. • Cryptochelys herrerai (Stejneger, son et al. 2013) it consists of 5 genera 1925) with Claudius (1 species), Staurotypus • Cryptochelys acuta (Gray, 1831) • Cryptochelys leucostoma (Duméril (2 species), Sternotherus (4 species) • Cryptochelys angustipons (Legler, & Bibron 1851) Fig. 1 Despite of its highly variable morphology no subspecies exist of the striped mud turtle, Kinosternon baurii. Schildkröten im FokuS Online 2014 (1) 3 Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle • Kinosternon abaxillare Baur, 1925 • Kinosternon scorpioides (Linn ae­ orange or brown with a black spot • Kinosternon alamosae Berry & us, 1766) along the plastral seeds; it’s double Legler, 1980 • Kinosternon sonoriense Le Conte, hinged. The skin is very dark with few • Kinosternon arizonense Gilmore, 1854 yellow marks. The head is black with 1922 • Kinosternon subrubrum (Bonna­ two lateral yellow stripes from the • Kinosternon baurii Garman, 1891 terre, 1789) eyes to the neck. Males have a long • Kinosternon chimalhuaca Berry, • Kinosternon steindachneri Sieben­ and thick tail and are smaller than Seidel & Iverson, 1997 rock, 1906 females. Detailed descriptions are • Kinosternon durangoense Iverson, pub lished by Pope (1939), Carr 1979 Physical Description (1969), Pritchard (1979), Alder­ • Kinosternon flavescens Agassiz, Kinosternon baurii is a small species ton (1988), Ernst & Barbour 1857 and does not exceed a length of 13 cm (1989), Ernst et al. (1994), Schilde • Kinosternon hirtipes Wagler, 1830 (Schilde 2001). The carapace is (2001), Vetter (2004), Bonin et al. • Kinosternon integrum Le Conte, dark­black with three longitudinal (2006), and Luison & Redaelli 1854 yellow stripes. The young specimens (2008). Extra­ordinary yellow or gold­ • Kinosternon oaxacae Berry & have three keels that disappear when en specimens are reported by May Iver son, 1980 they grow up. The plastron is yellow, (2008) from the Everglades in Florida. Fig. 2 Usually the striped mud turtle has a dark carapace and dark skin, here an astonishing bright coloured specimen of unknown origin showing an extraordinary marked head similar to the “Golden Mud Turtle” (May 2008). 4 Schildkröten im FokuS Online 2014 (1) Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli Fig. 3a–b A striped mud turtle with a more typical appearance, originating in North Florida. Fig. 4a–b Also nuances exist, like this lighter coloured turtle with yellow stripes on carapace and head (a) or the reddish toned juvenile which is still showing clearly its keels in contrary to the adult specimen. Schildkröten im FokuS Online 2014 (1) 5 Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle Fig. 5a–b This striped mud turtle originating at the Florida Keys is representing the other extreme with a completely dark carapace with- out the yellow name-giving stripes. Distribution and Habitat and calm species so, for this reason, tion. Males and females are kept sepa­ The distribution of the striped mud it’s possible to prepare a naturalistic rated; each tank contains only one turtle reaches from Virginia, through paludarium. We use plastic tanks of male or two females. North and South Carolina, Georgia to 100×50 cm with a 70 % water area of Florida (Iverson 1992). This species 20 cm depth and 30 % land section Seasonal Temperatures is also native in the Florida Keys filled up with humid sand. Water From April to October we put the (May 2007) and lives in aquatic cleaning is very important, for this tanks outside, in a shady place to basins with muddy banks and aquatic matter we use internal filters. Sand avoid overheating of the water. From plants, further more in riv­ November to March turtles ers, ponds and marsh When keeping aquatic turtles are kept inside a reptilarium, swamps. Some times it can cleaning of the water is a very until February heated at be found in brackish basins, 22 °C, afterwards tempera­ but the proportion of salt is important matter ture is dropped to 15 °C in a limiting factor (Dunson order to create a chilling peri­ 1979). A condensed review of the bottom, floating plants like water od. The room is exposed to natural species’ ecology is given by Wilson et hyacinths or duckweed, Lemna minor light. al. (2006). can be a good solution to create an adequate environment and to filter Feeding Setup water. There are many aquatic hiding We feed Kinosternon baurii twice a Kinosternon baurii usually is not a places to avoid stress to the turtles. week with insects, molluscs, larvae, good swimmer and prefers to look for Each tank has a heat spot lamp point­ crustaceans, worms, snails, fish and food in shallow waters. It is a small ed on the land zone for thermoregula­ artificially coloured gel; they occa­ 6 Schildkröten im FokuS Online 2014 (1) Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli Fig. 6a–c Kinosternon baurii show a strict sexual dimorphism (female left, male right). Schildkröten im FokuS Online 2014 (1) 7 Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle Fig. 7 Kinosternon baurii have a robust jaw and large claws. Fig. 8 Our striped mud turtles are kept in tanks with shallow water and sandy soil. 8 Schildkröten im FokuS Online 2014 (1) Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli Fig. 9a–b Some animals of the mentioned breeding groups, above the females and below the males: This overview shows again quite obvious the broad spectrum of colouration of that species and the sexual dimorphism. The plastron is double hinged, but the most of the turtles cannot close both sides at the same time, as it is also in Kinosternon scorpioides. Schildkröten im FokuS Online 2014 (1) 9 Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle sion ally eat aquatic plants in small portion. Breeding Group We have 4 different breeding groups of two different forms coming from the Florida Keys and North Florida. Size, weight and composition of the group are given in table 1. Breeding and Incubation Females of Kinosternon baurii mature at five to six years of age, whereas males at their third or fourth year. For mating, at the beginning of spring, when water temperature exceeds Fig. 10 14 °C, each female is introduced into More members of the breeding groups: Males and females are kept separated, the the male’s tank. When the male notic­ males individual, and the females single or in groups of 2 specimens. es the female, it starts to move around the female, sniffing the anal region and biting her legs repeatedly. If the 1st FK group female is susceptible to mating it Carapace length Weight remains motionless and enables the Specimen mm g male to copulate. Sometimes the Male #1 190 111 female bites the male and refuses to mate; only several attempts, the male Female #1 108 210 succeeds to copulate. Copulation lasts st 1 NF group about 10–15 minutes, depending of Carapace length Weight the specimen. After copulating, both Specimen mm g turtles do not show any interest in Male #2 76 86 each other. Female #2 95 154 The nesting season starts in May and lasts until October. Females lay nd 2 NF group the eggs in the sand, at a depth of Carapace length Weight 10–15 cm. The average clutch size is Specimen mm g 3–5 eggs, with a maximum of seven Male #3 83 86 eggs. The eggs are elliptical, white­ Female #3 88 108 pink, measuring 10–23 mm and 3–5 g of weight. Our females use to lay one Female #4 92 130 or two clutches a year. 3rd NF group All eggs are incubated in plastic Carapace length Weight boxes in moist vermiculite (in the Specimen mm g ratio 1:1 with water). The tempera­ Male #4 66 66 ture of incubation is 28–29 °C and 90 % of relative humidity. After one Female #5 86 120 week, the eggs develop a white blotch Female #6 93 118 on their top. Hatchlings occur after Table 1 70–95 days. Schilde (2001) describes Size and weight of the members of the different breeding groups of Kinosternon an incubation period of 101 days of baurii. a single egg of a wild caught female, 10 Schildkröten im FokuS Online 2014 (1) Keeping, breeding and rearing of the striped mud turtle Andrea Luison & Stefano Redaelli bred constantly at 28 °C. Furthermore 1990). Therefore my breed ing tem­ in plastic tanks (white or transparent) he remarks that Kinosternon baurii is perature over 28 °C should provide of 40×30×20 cm each. Water level is known to produce “frequently” bi mod­ females. about 5–10 cm according to the spe­ al hatching, caused by diapause, but Usually, we keep our hatchlings cies. Usually we set up the tanks with without mentioning the source. At in the incubator for 2 days after they stones and live plants like common least under natural con­ duckweed (Lemna spp.), ditions it can spend up to water hyacinth one year until hatchlings Under natural conditions (Eichhornia crassipes) leave their nest (Wilson it can spend up to one year and other plants.