Variable mud turtle
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Pleurodira
Family: Pelomedusidae
Genus: Pelusios
Species:
P. rhodesianus
Binomial name
Pelusios rhodesianus
Hewitt, 1927
Synonyms

Pelusios nigricans rhodesianus Hewitt, 1927

The variable mud turtle (Pelusios rhodesianus), also known as Rhodesian mud turtle, Mashona hinged terrapin or variable hinged terrapin, is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae. It is widely distributed in Central, East, and Southern Africa.[1][2] The species was officially described by John Hewitt in 1927 and had to be broken into subspecies due to color variations on the heads of the turtles acrost the regions.[3]

Distribution

This species is found in the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, and South Africa.[1] The variable mud turtle can generally be found in or around water sources or areas such as lagoons or swampy areas.[3]

Conservation status

The variable mud turtle (Pelusios rhodesianus) is currently listed as of least concern by conservationists, but a reduction in population has been noticed between the variable mud turtle and species in the same family. As it would turn out, destruction of water sources (such as damming) has caused an impact on this family of turtles. One of these species (Pelusios seychellensis) has actually recently became extinct for these same reasons.[4] This family along with the family Pelomedusa is actually are the last two surviving families of an even larger group of turtles called the Pelomedusoides.[5]

Facts

  • All of the species in this family are very aquatic.[5]
  • "A hinge between hypoplastral and mesoplastral bones allows a more or less complete closure of the anterior part of the shell."[5]
  • You can often find these turtles with burn marks on the shells caused from brush fires.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tortoise.; Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. (2016) [errata version of 1996 assessment]. "Pelusios rhodesianus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T16530A97385824. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  2. ↑ Pelusios rhodesianus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 11 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Rhodin, Anders; Pritchard, Peter; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Saumure, Raymond, eds. (2008-05-15). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises. Chelonian Research Monographs. Vol. 5 (First ed.). Chelonian Research Foundation. doi:10.3854/crm.5.004.rhodesianus.v1.2008.
  4. ↑ Rhodin, Anders G.J.; Stanford, Craig B.; Dijk, Peter Paul Van; Eisemberg, Carla; Luiselli, Luca; Mittermeier, Russell A.; Hudson, Rick; Horne, Brian D.; Goode, Eric V.; Kuchling, Gerald; Walde, Andrew (2018-12-18). "Global Conservation Status of Turtles and Tortoises (Order Testudines)". Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 17 (2): 135. doi:10.2744/CCB-1348.1. ISSN 1071-8443. S2CID 91937716.
  5. 1 2 3 Fritz, Uwe; Branch, William R.; Hofmeyr, Margaretha D.; Maran, Jérôme; Prokop, Hynek; Schleicher, Alfred; Š iroký, Pavel; Stuckas, Heiko; Vargas‐Ramírez, Mario; Vences, Miguel; Hundsdörfer, Anna K. (March 2011). "Molecular phylogeny of African hinged and helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelusios and Pelomedusa )". Zoologica Scripta. 40 (2): 115–125. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2010.00464.x. ISSN 0300-3256. S2CID 54882383.


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