PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



U, S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Vol. 90 Washington : 1941 No. 31 15 



NOTES ON MEXICAN TURTLES OF THE GENUS 

 KINOSTERNON 



By Leonhard Stejneger 



When changes of nornenclature become necessary it is desirable 

 that the painful operation be performed as soon as possible; hence the 

 preparation of this paper. At the same time the opportunity is taken 

 to publish the description of a hitherto unnamed geographic race of a 

 long-recognized species, the result of a study of the genus Kinosternon 

 Spix still in progress. 



KiNOSTERNON ACUTUM Gray 



1831. Kinosternon scorpioides a acuta Gray, Synopsis reptilium, p. 34 (pi. 7, fig. 1) 



(no locality; type in British Museum); Cat. Tort. Brit. Mus., 1844, p. 33 



(Central America); Cat. Shield Rept. Brit. Mus., pt. 1, March 8, 1856, 



p. 44 (Central America); Hand-list Shield Rept. Brit. Mus., 1873, p. 61 



(Central America). 

 1865. Cinosternum berendtianum Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1865, 



p. 189 (type locality. Tabasco, Mexico; cotypes, U.S.N. M. No. 6517; 



C, H. Berendt, collector). 

 1869. Swanka macnlata Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1869, p. 162 (type locality, 



Cosamaloapam, Veracruz, Mexico; cotype in British Museum; Mr. 



Sall^, collector) (in part). 

 1873. Cinosternon effeldtii Peters, Monatsb. Berlin Akad. Wiss., 1873, p. 603, 



pi. 5, figs. 1-3 (type locality, "angeblich" Mexico, Veracruz; type in 



Berlin Mus.). 

 1885. Cinosternum leucostomvm Gitnther, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Rept., p. 17 



(part) pi. 16 (Cosamaloaiiam, Veracruz, Mexico; Guatemala) (not of 



Dum^ril) . 



In 1831 J. E. Gray listed a Kinosternon specimen in the British 

 Museum under the varietal name acuta, giving as a character "Stcrno 

 postico acuto integro," without mentioning any locality. In tlie 



322222—11 457 



