POPULATION ECOLOGY OF THE ROUGH-FOOTED MUD TURTLE (Kinosternon hirtipes) IN A HIGH-ALTITUDE LOCALITY IN MICHOACÁN, MÉXICO

Abstract

The Rough-footed mud turtle (Kinosternon hirtipes) is distributed from Western Texas through the Valley of Mexico. Along with its distribution, this turtle inhabits several types of environments, ranging from desert ponds to mountain creeks. During two wet seasons (2017 and 2018) we studied a population of K. h. murrayi in the lagoon of Loma Caliente, in the highlands of Michoacán. We estimated population size and structure with a capture-mark-recapture study and obtained X-ray photographs for each mature female captured to determine clutch size and egg size. A total of 139 turtles were captured and marked, with a recapture rate of 32.85 %. The estimated population was 330 individuals, and the sex ratio was not different from 1:1. The population structure was composed mainly of adults and immature individuals. Nineteen females have eggs in their oviducts. Clutch size ranges from five to two eggs. The average clutch size was 3.2. We provide partial evidence for pelvic constraint on egg size in the studied population.