Published December 21, 2022. Open access. | Purchase book ❯ |
White-lipped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Testudines | Kinosternidae | Kinosternon leucostomum
English common name: White-lipped Mud Turtle.
Spanish common names: Tortuga tapa-rabo de la costa, tortuga tapaculo (Ecuador); tapaculo, culitapa, tortuga casquito, tortuga pecho quebrado de labios blancos (Colombia).
Recognition: ♂♂ 21.4 cmMaximum straight length of the carapace. ♀♀ 20.8 cmMaximum straight length of the carapace..1 The White-lipped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum) can be distinguished from other Kinosternon species based on the following combination of characters: carapace brown and smooth in adults or with a single keel in hatchlings and juveniles.2–5 There is a light band that extends from the tip of the mouth to the neck, passing above the eye. The mandibles are light yellow. Females tend to have shorter tails and their upper jaw is not hooked like that of males, and the plastron is rather slightly convex (concave in males).3 This species differs from turtles of the genus Rhinoclemmys by being smaller and having a movable hinge in the plastron.2–4
Figure 1: Individuals of Kinosternon leucostomum from Canandé Reserve, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador (); Guayas province, Ecuador (); La Sexta, Pichincha province, Ecuador (), Morromico Reserve, Chocó departmnet, Colombia (); and Tundaloma Lodge, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador (). ad=adult, j=juvenile.
Natural history: UncommonUnlikely to be seen more than once every few months. in land to frequentRecorded weekly in densities below five individuals per locality. along some water bodies. The abundance of Kinosternon leucostomum is linked to the availability of food and the presence of predators.3 These turtles occur primarily well-preserved freshwater habitats ranging from swamps and marshes to slow-moving rivers,3,4 but they also occur in brackish waters, estuaries, and heavily contaminated streams.6,7 They are aquatic, terrestrial, and nocturnal and spend the day hidden under fallen branches, among floating vegetation in the water, or buried in the substrate at the base of plants.3,8,9 Individuals are occasionally seen moving on land far from water.4 In large rivers, they are found between 2–3 m from the edge and at depths between 0.5 and 3 m.10 White-lipped Mud Turtles that inhabit seasonally dry areas estivate by burying themselves and then reactivate with the first rains; while in regions without seasonality they are active year-round.11
White-lipped Mud Turtles are omnivores and feed in shallow waters. Their diet includes a wide variety of algae, grasses, leaves, seeds, roots, snails, freshwater crustaceans, insects, tadpoles, and small reptiles, mammals, and carrion.12–15 Their home range is linear in shape and 50–200 meters in length, but they also perform movements of more than 600 m to reach aestivation or nesting areas.3
Females reach sexual maturity when they are about 10 cm in carapace length, while males mature at 12 cm carapace length.2 Reproductive activity in Kinosternon leucostomum takes place in the afternoons and evenings, and the breeding season varies across localities or be can continuous throughout the year.7,11 Courtship is initiated by the female and copulation lasts approximately 20 minutes.3,4 Males are aggressive and territorial during the breeding months. It is estimated that there is one sexually mature male for every 3–4 fertile females.16 Clutches consist of 1–6 (usually 1–2) eggs.7 These are large and have thick shells, measure 30–41 mm x 17–22 mm, and have an average weight of 9 g. The female deposits them in depressions in the ground and covers them with leaf-litter or hides them under logs and branches.3,7 Incubation time is 60–265 days (about 2–9 months)7 and temperature determines the sex of offspring.17 In México, temperatures above 27°C produce females.3
Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..18,19 Kinosternon leucostomum is listed in this category given its wide distribution over areas that have not been heavily affected by deforestation, including the entire Colombian Pacific coast and major ecological reserves in Ecuador: Cotacachi Cayapas, Cayapas Mataje, and Mache Chindul. Therefore, the species is considered to be facing no major immediate extinction threats. Although some populations in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama appear to be stable, those outside protected areas in Ecuador and some parts of Colombia are declining due to habitat loss and indiscriminate harvesting.2,3 Adult turtles are hunted for medicinal use, carving of handicrafts, consumption, or to be used or sold as pets.3,9,20
Distribution: Kinosternon leucostomum is native to an estimated 677,999 km2 area in the Chocó–Río Magdalena valley and Mesoamerica biogeographic regions.1 The species occurs throughout the Atlantic lowlands of southeastern México, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá, and Colombia, as well as on the Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica, Panamá, Colombia, and Ecuador. In Ecuador, K. leucostomum has been recorded at elevations between 0 and 1374 m (Fig. 2).
Figure 2: Distribution of Kinosternon leucostomum in Ecuador. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The generic name Kinosternon, which comes from the Greek words kinetos (meaning “movable”) and sternon (meaning “chest”),21 refers to the hinged plastron. The specific epithet leucostomum, which is derived from the Greek words leukos (meaning “white”) and stoma (meaning mouth),21 refers to the pale lip coloration.
See it in the wild: Since Kinosternon leucostomum is semi-aquatic and nocturnal, turtles of this species are most easily located by walking along the shores of muddy water bodies. During the day, White-lipped Mud Turtles may be found hidden under branches, leaves, trunks, or in small holes along water bodies. In Ecuador, this species is labeled as being common in reserves Canandé and Itapoa, Esmeraldas province.
Special thanks to Cheryl Vogt for symbolically adopting the White-lipped Mud Turtle and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.
Click here to adopt a species.
Authors: Gabriela SandovalaAffiliation: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador. and Alejandro ArteagabAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.
Photographers: Jose VieiracAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,dAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador. and Alejandro ArteagabAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.
How to cite? Sandoval G, Arteaga A (2022) White-lipped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/UMFV8346
Literature cited:
- Rhodin AGJ, Iverson JB, Bour R, Fritz U, Georges A, Shaffer HB, van Dijk PP (2021) Turtles of the world: annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Chelonian Research Monographs 8: 1–472. DOI: 10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021
- Rueda-Almonacid JV, Carr JL, Mittermeier RA, Rodríguez-Mahecha JV, Mast RB, Vogt RC, Rhodin AGJ, de la Ossa-Velásquez J, Rueda JN, Mittermeier CG (2007) Las tortugas y los cocodrilianos de los países andinos del trópico. Conservación Internacional, Bogotá, 538 pp.
- Giraldo A, Garcés-Restrepo MF, Carr JL (2012) Kinosternon leucostomum. In: Páez VP, Morales-Betancourt MA, Lasso CA, Castaño-Mora OV, Bock BC (Eds) Biología y conservación de las tortugas continentales de Colombia. Serie Editorial Recursos Hidrobiológicos y Pesqueros Continentales de Colombia, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt (IAvH), Bogotá, 332–339.
- Savage JM (2002) The amphibians and reptiles of Costa Rica, a herpetofauna between two continents, between two seas. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 934 pp.
- Berry JF (1978) Variation and systematics in the Kinoternon scorpioides and K. leucostomum complexes (Reptilia: Testudines: Kinosternidae) of Mexico and Central America. PhD thesis, The University of Utah, 323 pp.
- Ceballos CP, Zapata D, Alvarado C, Rincón E (2016) Morphology, diet, and population structure of the Southern White-lipped Mud Turtle Kinosternon leucostomum postinguinale (Testudines: Kinosternidae) in the Nus River drainage, Colombia. Journal of Herpetology 50: 374–380. DOI: 10.1670/15-035
- Giraldo A, Garcés-Restrepo MF, Carr JL (2013) Kinosternon leucostomum (Duméril y Bibron en Duméril y Duméril 1851). Catálogo de Anfibios y Reptiles de Colombia 1: 45–49.
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- Carr JL, Almendáriz A, Simmons JE, Nielsen MT (2014) Subsistence hunting for turtles in northwestern Ecuador. Acta Biológica Colombiana 19: 401–413. DOI: 10.15446/abc.v19n3.42886
- Morales-Verdeja SA, Vogt RC (1997) Terrestrial movements in relation to aestivation and the annual reproductive cycle of Kinosternon leucostomum. Copeia 1997: 123–130. DOI: 10.2307/1447847
- Acuña-M. RA (1998) Las tortugas continentales de Costa Rica. Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, 96 pp.
- Vogt RC, Guzman Guzman S (1988) Food partitioning in a Neotropical freshwater turtle community. Copeia 1988: 37–47. DOI: 10.2307/1445920
- Villa J (1973) A snake in the diet of a kinosternid turtle. Journal of Herpetology 7: 380–381.
- Berry JF, Iverson JB (2001) Kinosternon leucostomum (Duméril and Bibron) White-lipped Mud Turtle. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 724: 1–8.
- Vargas-Salinas F, Muñoz-Avila JA, Morales-Puentes ME (2019) Biología de los anfibios y reptiles en el bosque seco tropical del norte de Colombia. Editorial UPTC, Tunja, 484 pp. DOI: 10.19053/978-958-660-341-6
- Bonin F, Devaux B, Dupré A (2006) Tortugas del mundo. Lynx, Barcelona, 416 pp.
- Ewert MA, Nelson CE (1991) Sex determination in turtles: diverse patterns and some possible adaptive values. Copeia 1991: 50–69. DOI: 10.2307/1446248
- Morales-Betancourt MA, Lasso CA, Páez VP, Bock BC (2005) Libro rojo de reptiles de Colombia. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, 257 pp.
- Reyes-Puig C (2015) Un método integrativo para evaluar el estado de conservación de las especies y su aplicación a los reptiles del Ecuador. MSc thesis, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, 73 pp.
- Arango J, Patiño D, Benítez L, Botero A (2018) New records of Kinosternon leucostomum postinguinale (Duméril and Bibron, 1851) from the Central Cordillera of Colombia. Revista Colombiana de Ciencia Animal-RECIA: 82–85. DOI: 10.24188/recia.v10.n1.2018.635
- Brown RW (1956) Composition of scientific words. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C., 882 pp.
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Kinosternon leucostomum in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Colombia | Cauca | Guapi | iNaturalist |
| Colombia | Chocó | Morromico Reserve | This work |
| Colombia | Nariño | Bajo Cumilinche | UPTC 025 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Bellavista | Giraldo et al. 2013 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Carretera San Jorge–Tumaco | Giraldo et al. 2013 |
| Colombia | Nariño | CORPOICA | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Dirección General Marítima (DIMAR) | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Nariño | El Palmichal | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Estación Mar Agrícola | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Nariño | San Andrés de Tumaco | MLS 245 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Nariño | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Valle del Cauca | Buenaventura | Berry 1978 |
| Ecuador | Azuay | La Maravilla | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Cañar | Manta Real | Cogalniceanu et al. 2015 |
| Ecuador | Chimborazo | Cumandá | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Arenillas | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Balsas | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Barbones | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Bellamaría | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | El Guabo | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | La Finquita | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | La Iberia | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Machala, Providencia | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Platanillos | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Puerto Bolívar | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Remolinos | Garzón-Santomaro et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Reserva Biológica Buenaventura | Garzón-Santomaro et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Tillaes | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | El Oro | Vía a Chilla | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bilsa Biological Reserve | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Borbón, 6 km S of | Cogalniceanu et al. 2015 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bosque Protector La Perla | Photo by Plácido Palacios |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Casa del Medio | This work |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Cerro Zapallo | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Concepción | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Cupa | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Durango, 5 km W of | Cogalniceanu et al. 2015 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | El Achote | Cogalniceanu et al. 2015 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Estero El Ceibo | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Hacienda Equinox | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Hacienda Erazo | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Hacienda La Molinita | Carr et al. 2014 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Itapoa | This work |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | La Boca | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Lote Rosero | This work |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Luis Vargas Torres | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Nueva Esperanza | Carr et al. 2014 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Palmera de los Andes | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Playa Grande | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Quinindé | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Bogotá | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Cachabi | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Durango | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Santiago | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | San José de Tagua | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tundaloma Lodge | This work |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Vía Lita–San Lorenzo | DHMECN 5436 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Vía San Lorenzo–Rocafuerte | Cogalniceanu et al. 2015 |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Capeira | Photo by Eduardo Zavala |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Cerro Masvale | Cogalniceanu et al. 2015 |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Guayaquil | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Guayaquil, Barrio San Eduardo | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Guayaquil, Hogar de Cristo | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Guayaquil, Parque Centenario | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Guayaquil, Salado | USNM 94337 |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Guayaquil, Sauces | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Milagro | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Puente Río Chimbo | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Río Daule | Berry 1978 |
| Ecuador | Guayas | Río Guayas | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | El Corazón | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Bosque Protector Pedro Franco Dávila | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Centro Científico Río Palenque | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Cruse de Baba | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Intriago | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Vinces | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Manabí | Cocosolo | Carlos Robles |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | El Monte Lodge | Tom Quesenberry |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | El Naranjal | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Hostería Arasari | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Kapari Lodge | This work |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Mashpi Lodge | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Mindo | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Mindo, vía al Cinto | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Nanegal Grande | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Pedro Vicente Maldonado, 2 km E of | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Puerto Quito–La Sexta | This work |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Quito, Vía Nanegal | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Rancho Suamox | Photo by Rafael Ferro |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Río Cubera | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | San Miguel de los Bancos, 6 km W of | Cogalniceanu et al. 2015 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Santuario de Aves Rio Silanche | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Finca la Esperanza | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Finca La Floriana | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | La Concordia | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | La Independencia | iNaturalist |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | San Miguel de los Colorados | Carr & Almendáriz 1990 |
| Perú | Tumbes | Reserva Nacional de Tumbes | Pritchard & Trebbau 1984 |