A new pan-kinosternid, Leiochelys tokaryki, gen. et sp. nov., from the late Maastrichtian Frenchman formation, Saskatchewan Canada.

Previously, only a single member of Pan-Kinosternidae (Yelmochelys rosarioae) had been documented from the Late Cretaceous epoch. In this report we describe a new pan-kinosternid genus and species, herein named Leiochelys tokaryki, based on a nearly complete, articulated skeleton from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Frenchman Formation of Saskatchewan, Canada. L. tokaryki differs most notably from the previously described Y. rosarioae in having triangular plastral lobes, and in that the suture between the hyo- and hypoplastron is in line with the suture between the fifth and sixth peripherals. A maximum parsimony analysis suggests that L. tokaryki is intermediate between Y. rosarioae and crown-group kinosternids. Kinosternid features present in L. tokaryki include the presence of a reduced plastral bridge that extends from the posterior tip of peripheral 4 to the anterior tip of peripheral 7, two inframarginals that contact one another, a smooth triturating surface, and participation of the palatine in the triturating surface. An unexpected feature of the skull is the presence of a large stapedial canal, suggesting that the decrease in size of the stapedial canal and increase in the canalis caroticus cerebralis occurred independently in Dermatemydidae and Kinosternidae. The character-states of the skull and skeleton of L. tokaryki indicate that morphological changes occurring during the diversification of Kinosternoidea were more complex than expected based on data from derived members of the group.

Anatomical, Histological, and Histochemical Analyses of the Scent Glands of the Scorpion Mud Turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides).

Fossil evidence suggests that scent glands are basal features of Testudines. However, we know little about the structure of these glands in the Brazilian Kinosternidae. In this study, we described the macroscopic anatomy, histology, and histochemistry of the scent glands of three males and three females of Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides from the Marajó mesoregion, Pará State, Brazil. In all of the specimens analyzed, regardless of sex, we found four scent glands, including two axillary and two inguinal glands that were structurally similar to each other. Each gland consisted of a single holocrine secretory lobule, a large lumen surrounded by relatively thin glandular secretory epithelium, an adjacent narrow layer of loose connective tissue, and a thick layer of skeletal striated muscle tissue surrounded by a serous tunic. The secretory epithelium produced a characteristic malodorous yellowish substance that was passed via a single duct through a bone channel in the bridge connecting the carapace to the plastron and excreted through an outer pore in the plate of each respective gland. Histologically, the secretory epithelium presented cells with two types of secretory vacuoles. Type 1 vacuoles stained red were the largest and most frequently found, and stained positively with Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), suggesting they contained glycoproteic complexes. Type 2 vacuoles were translucent, smaller in size and fewer in number, and negative for PAS staining. Because they are very primitive structures, scent glands must play important roles in the lives of chelonians, but their real function remains unknown. Several hypotheses suggest that they can act as protection against ectoparasites, as a repellent of predators, in addition to attracting mates and eliciting other pheromonal responses. In this study, all animals reacted by exuding malodorous substances when handled, as a form of defense. However, these are just assumptions that need to be clarified with additional studies on animal behavior. Anat Rec, 303:1489-1500, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.

Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides (TESTUDINES: KINOSTERNIDAE): NUEVO REPORTE EN EL NORORIENTE DE COLOMBIA / Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides (Testudines: Kinosternidae): A New Record from Northeastern Colombia

RESUMEN Presentamos un nuevo reporte de la tortuga escorpión Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides para el departamento de Norte de Santander, Colombia. Este espécimen fue colectado en el bosque seco tropical del departamento, el cual es uno de los ecosistemas más amenazados y menos protegidos del país; esto agravado por problemas locales de contaminación y de transformación del uso del suelo, motivos por los que la presencia y conservación de K. s. scorpioides se encuentra en riesgo.

ABSTRACT We present a new record of the Scorpion Turtle Kinosternon scorpioides scorpioides for the department of Norte de Santander, Colombia. This specimen was collected in the tropical dry forest of the department, which is one of the most threatened and least protected ecosystems in the country; this exacerbated by local problems related with pollution and land-use transformation, threatening the presence and conservation of K. s. scorpioides.

New findings of Pleistocene fossil turtles (Geoemydidae, Kinosternidae and Chelydridae) from Santa Elena Province, Ecuador.

New Pleistocene fossilized turtle remains from five localities of western Ecuador (Santa Elena Province) are described here. All these shell (carapace and plastron) fossil remains come from the Tablazo Formation and belong to three different lineages of cryptodires ("hidden-necked" turtles). The most abundant remains belong to geoemydids, attributed here to the genus Rhinoclemmys (indeterminate species). Less abundant in occurrence are the kinosternidids, attributed to Kinosternon (indeterminate species), and the first fossil record of chelydrids, Chelydra(indeterminate species), in the entirety of Central and South America.

An evaluation of the use of pentosidine as a biomarker for ageing turtles.

Concentrations of the biomarker pentosidine have been shown to be useful measures of age for a number of avian and mammalian species. However, no study has examined its usefulness as an age marker in a long-lived ectotherm despite the fact that such a marker could prove useful in understanding age distributions of populations subject to conservation programmes. Therefore, we evaluated pentosidine concentrations in the interdigital webbing of 117 female yellow mud turtles (Kinosternon flavescens) at a 35 year study site in western Nebraska where nearly all turtles are of known age. Pentosidine concentrations were extraordinarily low and positively correlated with age in this turtle, but concentrations were too variable to permit precise estimates of age for turtles of unknown age. These results may reflect the remarkable physiological adaptations of this turtle to low temperatures and oxygen deprivation in a highly seasonal environment requiring prolonged hibernation. Whether pentosidine concentrations in other ectotherms occupying less seasonal environments would be more highly correlated with age remains to be determined. However, our results suggest that patterns of accumulation of pentosidine in ectotherms may be fundamentally different from those in endotherms.

Multilocus phylogeny of the New-World mud turtles (Kinosternidae) supports the traditional classification of the group.

A goal of modern taxonomy is to develop classifications that reflect current phylogenetic relationships and are as stable as possible given the inherent uncertainties in much of the tree of life. Here, we provide an in-depth phylogenetic analysis, based on 14 nuclear loci comprising 10,305 base pairs of aligned sequence data from all but two species of the turtle family Kinosternidae, to determine whether recent proposed changes to the group's classification are justified and necessary. We conclude that those proposed changes were based on (1) mtDNA gene tree anomalies, (2) preliminary analyses that do not fully capture the breadth of geographic variation necessary to motivate taxonomic changes, and (3) changes in rank that are not motivated by non-monophyletic groups. Our recommendation, for this and other similar cases, is that taxonomic changes be made only when phylogenetic results that are statistically well-supported and corroborated by multiple independent lines of genetic evidence indicate that non-monophyletic groups are currently recognized and need to be corrected. We hope that other members of the phylogenetics community will join us in proposing taxonomic changes only when the strongest phylogenetic data demand such changes, and in so doing that we can move toward stable, phylogenetically informed classifications of lasting value.

Morphological aspects of the ovaries of turtle Kinosternon scorpioides raised in captivity / Aspectos morfológicos dos ovários da tartaruga Kinosternon scorpioides criada em cativeiro

The swear turtle "jurará" (Kinosternon scorpioides) is a mud turtle of the Amazon region exposed to disordering capture in the rural areas of Maranhão, Brazil. Despite its popularity in these areas, little meaningful information regarding the reproductive morphology is currently available, fact that impedes the adoption of policies for preservation of the species. To obtain more information, we studied the ovarian morphology adult jurará females kept in captivity by morphological and morphometric analysis in the dry and rainy season. The results revealed that all females were sexually mature and were in a vitellogenic period. The ovaries are two irregular structures composed by follicles in different stages of development (primary, secondary and tertiary) scattered in a stroma of loose connective highly vascularized tissue. The ovary weight was 6.25±4.23g and 2.27±1.42g, for the right and left one respectively. The gonadosomatic indexes were 2.06% for the dry season and 1.79% for the rainy season. The average of the follicles was 29.83 units per ovary. Microscopically, the mature ovaries revealed a basal layer composed by four cellular layers: the inner and outer theca, stratum granulosum with perivitelline membrane and zona radiata with vitelline membrane. No significant differences were observed in the ovaries either in the dry or wet period.

O jurará (Kinosternon scorpioides) é um cágado da Região Amazônica que sofre com as capturas desordenadas nos interiores maranhenses e que apesar da sua popularidade nessas áreas, os dados relacionados à morfologia reprodutiva ainda são poucos esclarecedores, o que dificulta a adoção de medidas para preservação da espécie. Desta forma, caracterizou-se morfologicamente os ovários de fêmeas adultas de jurara oriundas de cativeiro através da análise morfológica e morfométrica em dois períodos do ano, seco e o chuvoso. Os resultados comprovaram que todas as fêmeas eram maduras sexualmente e se encontravam em período vitelogênico. Os ovários são duas estruturas irregulares constituídas por diversos folículos em desenvolvimento (primários, secundários e terciários) sobre um estroma de tecido conjuntivo frouxo ricamente vascularizado, com média de peso do direito e esquerdo respectivamente de 6,25±4,23g and 2,27±1,42g. Índices gonadossomáticos de 2,06% para o período seco e de 1,79% para o chuvoso. Média de folículos observados de 29,83 unidades por ovário. Histologicamente, os ovários maduros possuíam camada basal composta por quatro camadas celulares: as tecas externa e interna, o estrato granuloso com membrana perivitelínica e a zona radiata com membrana vitelínica. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas dos ovários entre os dois períodos estudados.