Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum

Red-cheeked Mud Turtle

Distribution: Southern Mexico into El Salvador and Guatemala and Honduras where it intergrades with Kinosternon scorpioides albogulare.

Empire Stock: WC imported from Guatemala.

Size: 15 cm.

Habitat: Various bodies of slow moving and still water, some of which periodically dry up.

Diet: I feed mine Mazuri Turtle, fish, earthworms, mealworms, snails, and some plant matter.

Sexing: Males have longer thicker tails with the vent at or beyond the carapace rim.

Breeding: Males are aggressive breeders and might need to be removed from time to time to prevent damage to females. In smaller enclosures like aquariums it is best to keep a single male with 2-3 females.

Notes:

Care Sheets: WCT

Female nesting.

  Side view of an adult.

Side view of a hatchling.

Front view of a hatchling.

Kinosternon scorpioides subspecies.

Kinosternon s. albogulare K. s. cruentatum K. s. scorpioides. Adult females. Notice the more pronounced keels on the Scorpion Mud (right).

Kinosternon s. albogulare K. s. cruentatum K. s. scorpioides. Notice the size difference in these representative adult females.

Kinosternon s. albogulare K. s. cruentatum K. s. scorpioides. Notice how the White-throat and Red-cheek plastrons can close completely, while the Scorpion Mud (right) does not. Also note how the White-throat rear plastral hinge is curved while the Red-cheek's is straight.

Kinosternon s. albogulare K. s. cruentatum K. s. scorpioides hatchlings.

Kinosternon s. albogulare K. s. cruentatum K. s. scorpioides

The White-throat Mud (left) plastron colors vary from those like this one to more subdued. Red-cheek (center) plastrons tend to to be unmarked. The Scorpion Mud (right) plastrons range from dark like this one to yellow.

Suggested Reading

Cabrera, M. R., and S. E. Colantonio. 1997. Taxonomic Revision of the South American Subspecies of the Turtle Kinosternon scorpioides. Journal of Herpetology 31(4): 507-513.