Home/Species/ Razor-backed Musk Turtle

Sternotherus carinatus

(Gray, 1855)

Razor-backed Musk Turtle

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106452

Element CodeARAAE02010

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassChelonia

OrderTestudines

FamilyKinosternidae

GenusSternotherus

Synonyms

Kinosternon carinatum

Other Common Names

Razorback Musk Turtle (EN)

Concept Reference

Scott, P. A., T. C. Glenn, and L. J. Rissler. 2018. Resolving taxonomic turbulence and uncovering cryptic diversity in the musk turtles (Sternotherus) using robust demographic modeling. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 120:1-15. Advance online publication 2017.

Taxonomic Comments

Based on species-tree and demographic modeling, Scott et al. (2018) found strong support for the recognition of S. carinatus as has been previously defined.

Conservation Status

Review Date1996-10-23

Change Date1996-10-23

Range Extent Comments

Mississippi and Alabama (Escatawpa River; Blankenship et al. 1995, Herpetological Review 26:106-107) to eastern Texas, Gulf Coast north to Oklahoma and Arkansas; range almost completely within Gulf Coastal Plain (Ernst and Barbour 1989).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Slow-moving rivers and streams, swamps; areas with soft bottom, abundant aquatic vegetation, and basking sites. Hibernates in holes under overhanging banks or under rocks on bottom (Ernst and Barbour 1972). One nest was on a steep bank above a river (see Ernst and Barbour 1972).

Ecology

Population density was 37/ha in Oklahoma (Mahmoud 1969). Maximum distance between successive captures was 94 m in same study.

Reproduction

Reproductive characteristics vary geographically. Courtship and mating occur in spring; females with oviductal eggs found April-June. Annually lays 1-3 clutches averaging about 2-5 eggs. Hatchlings emerge in August-September. Females sexually mature in 4-8 years. See Iverson (2002) for recent data and a review.

Palustrine Habitats

FORESTED WETLANDRiparian

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Oklahoma	S4	Yes
Mississippi	S5	Yes
Louisiana	S4	Yes
Texas	S5	Yes
Alabama	S1	Yes
Arkansas	S3	Yes

Roadless Areas (2)

Louisiana (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Cunningham Brake Research Natural Area	Kisatchie National Forest	1,797
Saline Bayou W & S River Corridor	Kisatchie National Forest	5,355

References (19)

Collins, J. T., et al. 1982. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians and Reptiles, 2nd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 12. 28 pp.
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
Dixon, J. R. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas. Second edition. Texas A & M University Press, College Station. 421 pp.
Ernst, C. H., and R. W. Barbour. 1972. Turtles of the United States. Univ. Press of Kentucky, Lexington. x + 347 pp.
Ernst, C. H., and R. W. Barbour. 1989a. Turtles of the world. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. xii + 313 pp.
Ernst, C. H., R. W. Barbour, and J. E. Lovich. 1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. xxxviii + 578 pp.
Iverson, J. B. 1979. Sternotherus carinatus. Cat. Am. Amph. Rep. 226.1-226.2.
Iverson, J. B. 1991b. Phylogenetic hypotheses for the evolution of modern kinosternine turtles. Herpetological Monographs 5:1-27.
Iverson, J. B. 1992. A revised checklist with distribution maps of the turtles of the world. Privately printed. Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana.
Iverson, J. B. 2002. Reproduction in female razorback musk turtles (Sternotherus carinatus: Kinosternidae). Southwestern Naturalist 47:215-224.
Krysko, K. L., J. P. Burgess, M. R. Rochford, C. R. Gillette, D. Cueva, K. M. Enge, L. A. Somma, J. L. Stabile, D. C. Smith, J. A. Wasilewski, and G. N. Kieckhefer III. 2011. Verified non-indigenous amphibians and reptiles in Florida from 1863 through 2010: outlining the invasion process and identifying invasion pathways and stages. Zootaxa 3028: 1-64.
Lindeman, P.V. 2008. Sternotherus carinatus Gray 1856 – razorback musk turtle, razor-backed musk turtle. In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., and Iverson, J.B. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5, pp. 012.1-012.6, doi:10.3854/crm.5.012.carinatus.v1.2008, //iucn-tftsg.org/cbftt/.
Mahmoud, I. Y. 1969. Comparative ecology of the kinosternid turtles of Oklahoma. Southwestern Naturalist 14(1):31-66.
Scott, P. A., T. C. Glenn, and L. J. Rissler. 2018. Resolving taxonomic turbulence and uncovering cryptic diversity in the musk turtles (Sternotherus) using robust demographic modeling. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 120:1-15. Advance online publication 2017.
Seidel, M. E., J. B. Iverson, and M. D. Adkins. 1986. Biochemical comparisons and phylogenetic relationships in the family Kinosternidae (Testudines). Copeia 1986:285-294.
Trauth, S. E., H. W. Robison, and M. V. Plummer. 2004. The amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press.
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (TTWG) [Rhodin, A. G. J., J. B. Iverson, R. Bour, U. Fritz, A. Georges, H. B. Shaffer, and P. P. van Dijk]. 2021. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.). In: Rhodin, A. G. J., J. B. Iverson , P. P. van Dijk, C. B. Stanford, E. V. Goode, K. A. Buhlmann, and R. A. Mittermeier (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs 8:1–472. doi: 10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021.
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group [van Dijk, P.P., Iverson, J.B., Shaffer, H.B., Bour, R., and Rhodin, A.G.J.]. 2012. Turtles of the world, 2012 update: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. In: Rhodin, A.G.J., Pritchard, P.C.H., van Dijk, P.P., Saumure, R.A., Buhlmann, K.A., Iverson, J.B., and Mittermeier, R.A. (Eds.). Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. Chelonian Research Monographs No. 5:000.243-000.328. Online. Available: www.iucn-tftsg.org/cbftt/.