The Female Reproductive Cycle in North Florida 

 Kinosternon bauni (Testudines: Kinosternidae) 



John B. Iverson 1 



Florida State Museum and Department of apology, 

 University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 



ABSTRACT. — Female striped mud turtles are generally active 

 throughout the year, with maximum activity in March and October and 

 minimum in February and July. Females mature at an age of 5 to 6 

 years and a plastron length of 70 to 75 mm. 



Vitellogenesis is continuous from July through the following May. 

 Ovulation and oviposition occur from at least September to June. At 

 least three clutches are produced annually. Egg size averages 28 X 17 

 mm and is not correlated with female size or clutch size. The mean 

 length of laboratory incubation is 119 days and hatchlings average 19.2 

 mm PL. Clutch size ranges from one to five (usually two or three) and is 

 positively correlated with female size. Each clutch comprises about 8 

 percent of total body weight. 



INTRODUCTION 



Few reproductive studies exist for mud turtles (genus Kinosternon) other 

 than Kinosternon subrubrum (Mahmoud and Klicka 1972; Gibbons 1975; 

 Iverson, 1979) and Kinosternon flavescens (Mahmoud and Klicka 1972; 

 Christiansen and Dunham 1972). Studies by Sexton (1960) of K. scor- 

 pioides and by Moll and Legler (1971) of K. leucostomum comprise the only 

 other detailed studies. Most Kinosternon reproductive information is anec- 

 dotal. 



The present knowledge of reproduction in K. bauni is based almost en- 

 tirely on Einem's (1956) and Lardie's (1975) observations in central 

 Florida. The purpose of this report is to provide more complete informa- 

 tion on the female reproductive cycle of striped mud turtles, Kinosternon 

 bauni from northern Florida. This study, with others now in progress by 

 this author, should soon permit an analysis of reproductive strategies 

 within the genus. 



MATERIALS AND METHODS 



Female turtles were collected whenever possible in Alachua, Levy, and 

 Marion counties in north Florida (usually within 50 km of Gainesville) 



Present address: Department of Biology and Joseph Moore Museum, Earlham 

 College, Richmond, IN 47374. 



Brimleyana No. 1: 37-46. March 1979. 37 



