biology

Herrera's mud turtle

Herrera's mud turtle is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Herrera's mud turtle rather than just read about it. In short: Herrera's mud turtle (Kinosternon herrerai) is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

Key takeaways

Herrera's mud turtle belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Herrera's mud turtle to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Herrera's mud turtle from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Herrera's mud turtle (Kinosternon herrerai) is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

Etymology The specific name, herrerai, is in honor of Mexican biologist Alfonso Luis Herrera.

Geographic range K. herrerai is found in the Mexican states of Hidalgo, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.

Habitat The preferred natural habitat of K. herrerai is permanent bodies of fresh water, at elevations from sea level to 1,150 m (3,770 ft).

Life history

Based on a 1988 study of a population near Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, the males of K. herrerai attain a larger size than females, with a proportionally smaller plastron, and narrower and shallower carapace. Symbionts reported include a balanomorph barnacle, leeches of the genus Placobdella, and the filamentous green alga Basicladia. Food items identified indicate an omnivorous diet, with wild figs the major plant component, and several insect orders and millipedes represented.

Reproduction Courtship in K. herrerai agrees in most respects with courtship of other kinosternid species. Sexual maturity in females is apparently attained between 115 and 130 mm (4.58 and 5.12 inches) straight carapace length. Clutch size is estimated to range from two to four. Several clutches may be laid in a reproductive season.

References

Further reading Stejneger L (1925). "New species and subspecies of American turtles". Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 15: 462–463. (Kinosternon herrerai, new species, p. 462).

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Herrera's mud turtle

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Herrera's mud turtle claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Herrera's mud turtle before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Herrera's mud turtle ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Herrera's mud turtle

In research: Herrera's mud turtle appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Herrera's mud turtle in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Herrera's mud turtle is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Endangered biota of Mexico, Endemic reptiles of Mexico, Fauna of the Sierra Madre Oriental, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Herrera's mud turtle outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Herrera's mud turtle in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Herrera's mud turtle means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Herrera's mud turtle out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Herrera's mud turtle in simple terms?

Herrera's mud turtle (Kinosternon herrerai) is a species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

Why does Herrera's mud turtle matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Herrera's mud turtle?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Herrera's mud turtle.