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Home/Species/ Sonoyta Mud Turtle

Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale

Iverson, 1981

Sonoyta Mud Turtle

T1T1 (G3T1) Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
T1T1Global Rank
Critically endangeredIUCN
Very high - highThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105200
Element CodeARAAE01041
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSubspecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNCritically endangered
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassChelonia
OrderTestudines
FamilyKinosternidae
GenusKinosternon
Concept Reference
Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.
Conservation Status
Review Date2008-09-02
Change Date1998-01-06
Edition Date2011-02-18
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G. (2011)
Threat ImpactVery high - high
Range Extent<100-250 square km (less than about 40-100 square miles)
Number of Occurrences1 - 5
Rank Reasons
Small range and few occurrences in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico; small populations; probably negatively affected by agricultural contaminants and dewatering; overgrazing and exotic aquatic frogs and fishes are potential threats.
Range Extent Comments
This turtle is known from pond and limited stream habitat at Quitobaquito Springs in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, and from a few locations in the nearby Rio Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico, including the Sonoyta sewage ponds adjacent to the Rio Sonoyta (Rosen and Lowe 1996). It likely occurs or occurred in other perennial reaches in addition to those from which currently known (Ernst et al. 1994, Rosen and Lowe 1996). In 2002, a population was discovered at Quitovac, a spring complex approximately 40 km south of the town of Sonoyta (Knowles et al. 2002).

Quitobaquito Springs and the Rio Sonoyta may have been joined by perennial flows in the past but now are separated by about 1.5 km of desert and a highway.
Occurrences Comments
This subspecies is represented by just a few known occurrences.
Threat Impact Comments
Habitat loss/degradation appears to be the major current threat. Aquatic habitat in the Rio Sonoyta is being lost and degraded due to groundwater pumping, livestock grazing, and pesticide application (McMahon and Miller 1982, Hendrickson and Varela-Romero 1989).

Exotic species are not now a threat, but bullfrogs, predatory fishes, or crayfish (Fernandez and Rosen 1996), if introduced, could reduce the mud turtle population.

Insecticides and herbicides are used in agricultural areas along the Rio Sonoyta and possibly detrimentally impact turtles (Rosen and Lowe 1996). Turtle tissue contaminants and/or low availability of protein-rich foods may be limiting survival at Quitobaquito (King et al. 1996).

The pond at Quitobaquito was drained twice to eliminate non-native fishes, and some mud turtles were removed and given away; National Park Service is now cognizant of the turtle's management needs.

Natural climatic extremes periodically may reduce populations, which can recover only slowly due to a low reproductive and recruitment rate. Demographic chracteristics make collecting a potential threat, though current collecting pressure likely is low.

The remaining population is vulnerable to the usual effects of small population size.

The turtle is basically tolerant of nondestructive intrusion, but excessive visitation potentially could disrupt nesting.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This turtle inhabits spring-fed pools, ponds, and stream courses with perennial or near-perennial water.
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
ProvinceRankNative
ArizonaS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquaculturePervasive - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingPervasive - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsPervasive - restrictedExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/usePervasive - restrictedExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesPervasive - restrictedUnknownModerate - low
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesPervasive - restrictedUnknownModerate - low
9 - PollutionPervasive - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluentsPervasive - restrictedUnknownHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive - restrictedExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
11.2 - DroughtsPervasive - restrictedExtreme - moderateHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (1)
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
References (14)
  1. Arizona Game and Fish Department. 2005. <i>Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale</i>. Unpublished abstract compiled and edited by the Heritage Data Management System, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, AZ. 4 pp.
  2. Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.
  3. 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
  4. 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]
  5. 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.
  6. Fernandez, P. J., and P. C. Rosen. 1996. Final Report: Effects of the Introduced Crayfish <i>Orconectes virilis</i> on Native Aquatic Herpetofauna in Arizona. Submitted to AZDGF Heritage Fund. 51pp.
  7. King, K. A., C. T. Martinez, and P. C. Rosen. 1996. Contaminants in Sonoran mud turtles from Quitobaquito Springs, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. Report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Phoenix, Arizona.
  8. Knowles, G. W., R. P. Aguilar, D. H. Hall, J. C. Rorabaugh, and P. C. Rosen. 2002. Status, distribution, and recommendations concerning the Sonoyta mud turtle in Sonora and Arizona. Pages 72-73 in W. L. Halvorson and B. S. Gebow, editors. Metting resource management information needs: fourth conference on research and resource management in the southwestern deserts. Extended abstracts. USGS Sonoran Desert Field Station, University of Arizona, Tucson.
  9. Riedle, J.D., P.C. Rosen, R.T. Kazmaier, P. Holm, and C.A&gt; Jones. 2012. Conservation status of an endemic kinosternid, <i>Kinosternon sonoriense longifemorale</i>, in Arizona. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 11(2) 182-189.
  10. Rosen, P. C. 1986. Population decline of Sonoran mud turtles at Quitobaquito Springs. Report to the National Park Service, Cooperative Park Studies Unit, University of Arizona, Tucson.
  11. Rosen, P. C., and C. H. Lowe. 1996a. Population ecology of the Sonoran mud turtle (<i>Kinosternon sonoriense</i>) at Quitobaquito Springs, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. Report to the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix.
  12. Rosen, P. C., and C. H. Lowe. 1996b. Ecology of the amphibians and reptiles at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona. National Park Service Technical Report No. 53.
  13. 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.
  14. 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/.