Patterned Mud Turtle< br>
Characteristics:
Named by Gray in 1831, this is an ordinary-sized mud turtle with a body length of about 12 cm and often a stripe in the middle of its back. The vertebral keel is probably an unclear and hazy lateral vertebral keel on each side of the carapace of the larvae. The width of the vertebral shield on the carapace is greater than its length. The first vertebral shield is in contact with the two marginal shields of the first pair. The fourth pair of rib shields on both sides of the carapace are connected with the 11th pair of marginal shields, and the 10th and 11th pair are connected. The block edge shield is higher than the previous edge shields. The carapace is often brown or black, with black seams between the shields. The plastron has two hinged covers at the front and back, and the one on the back has no grooves in the end. At the right time, the plastron can almost completely cover the exposed parts. The LOBE behind the plastron is slightly interrupted at the hinge. The order of arrangement of the size of the plastron's shield is: anal shield>ventral shield>throat shield>rib shield>hip shield, thoracic shield. (The length of the laryngeal scute is more than half the length of the lobe in front of the plastron.) At the cartilage bridge, the larger inguinal scute often fights with the smaller axillary scute. The plastron and armor bridge are generally yellow or light brown, and there are black seams between the shields. The head is generally not very big, and the shield on the beak engulfs a lot of the back area. The head, hands and feet range from gray to yellow or reddish. Yellow and red stripes often appear on the head, and the chin is cream-colored with black spots. Brown or black patterns may also appear on the head, neck, and hands and feet. There are no outstanding scale-like patches (joints) on the thighs and hind legs. There is a brittle and hard horn-like tail spine on both sides of the tail of the male and female. Adult males have long and thick tails and are smaller, with a body length of about 10.5cm. The female has a shorter tail and a body length of 12cm.
Dispersion:
The patterned mud turtle is found in the Caribbean lowlands of Mexico, from central Veracruz to the southeast to northern Guatemala and Belize City (the capital of Honduras). It is notably not dispersed in the northern areas of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Recreational areas:
Live in lakes, streams, temporary pools at low altitudes, and moist woodlands with an altitude of no more than 300 meters.
Growth:
Cope mentioned in 1865: The egg-laying season of the patterned mud turtle often occurs between March and April.
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