Sternotherus peltifer

Smith and Glass, 1947

Stripe-necked Musk Turtle

GNRUnranked Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
GNRUnrankedGlobal Rank
Data deficientIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1226017
Element CodeARAAE02050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNData deficient
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassChelonia
OrderTestudines
FamilyKinosternidae
GenusSternotherus
Synonyms
Sternotherus minor peltiferSmith and Glass, 1947
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
Scott et al. (2018) elevated S. m. minor and S. m. peltifer and recognized a new species, S. intermedius. This was tentatively accepted by the Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (2021) pending further analysis.
Conservation Status
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs in the greater Mobile River Basin of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia, Upper Tennessee River drainages of Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Virginia and North Carolina, Pearl River drainage of Louisiana and Mississippi and Pascagoula River drainages of Mississippi and Alabama, USA (Scott et al. 2018). The presumed historical range is 152,672 sq. km (TTWG 2021).

Scott et al. (2018) note that they only included a single individual of S. peltifer from the Tennessee River drainage; thus, further work is needed to determine if individuals from this region should be attributed to S. peltifer, given the hypothesized isolation between animals in the Tennessee and greater Mobile River systems (Stejneger 1923).
Ecology & Habitat
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
VirginiaS2Yes
MississippiSNRYes
LouisianaS1Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
TennesseeS5Yes
North CarolinaS1Yes
GeorgiaSUYes
Roadless Areas (6)
Alabama (2)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Oakey MountainTalladega National Forest6,129
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Indian Grave GapChattahoochee National Forest1,020
Rocky MountainChattahoochee National Forest4,269
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Yellowhammer Branch (add.)Nantahala National Forest1,255
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Add.Cherokee National Forest1,396
References (6)
  1. Bourque, J. R. 2016. New mud turtles (Kinosternidae, <i>Kinosternon</i>) from the middle–late Miocene of the United States. Journal of Paleontology 89(5):821-844.
  2. 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]
  3. Guyer, C., M. A. Bailey, and R. H. Mount. 2015. Turtles of Alabama. Vol. 5. Gosse Nature Guides, First Edition. University of Alabama Press. 288 pp.
  4. Iverson, J.B. 1977. Geographic variation in the musk turtle, <i>Sternotherus minor</i>. Copeia:502-517.
  5. Scott, P. A., T. C. Glenn, and L. J. Rissler. 2018. Resolving taxonomic turbulence and uncovering cryptic diversity in the musk turtles (<i>Sternotherus</i>) using robust demographic modeling. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 120:1-15. Advance online publication 2017.
  6. 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.