THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Reptilia    Testudines    Kinosternidae  

Flattened Musk Turtle
Sternotherus depressus Tinkle and Webb, 1955
STER-noh-THER-us — dee-PRESS-us

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 Scott and Rissler (2015, Biological Conservation 192: 294–303) reported a decline in the historical range of S. depressus and unidirectional mtDNA introgression from S. peltifer. Turtle Taxonomy Working Group (2021, Chelonian Research Monographs (8): 1–472) noted that this hybridization is changing the morphology of S. depressus and threatens its continued distinction. (Taggart, Travis W. and John Carr. 2025. Testudines – Turtles. Pages 55-63 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.10.13.21.19)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.06 MB

Province/State Distribution:
USA: Alabama

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its flattened shell morphology.
Sternotherus — From Greek sternon (στέρνον), “chest,” and therion (θηρίον), “beast” or “creature.” Likely references the plastron (underside) anatomy, distinguishing these turtles from others.
depressus — From Latin depressus, meaning “flattened” or “pressed down.” Refers to the dorsoventrally compressed (flat) carapace of this species.

First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1955 Tinkle, Donald W. and Robert G. Webb. A new species of Sternotherus with a discussion of the Sternotherus carinatus complex (Chelonia, Kinosternidae). Tulane Studies in Zoology 3(3):53
1956 Tinkle, Donald W. The systematics and ecology of the Sternotherus carinatus complex (Testudinata: Chelydridae). Dissertation. Tulane University, New Orleans, Lousiana. 233pp.
1958 Tinkle, Donald W. The systematics and ecology of the Sternotherus carinatus complex (Testudinata, Chelydridae). Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany 6(1):1-56
1977 Iverson, John B. Sternotherus depressus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (194):1-2
1981 Seidel, Michael E., and R.V. Lucchino S.L. Reynolds. Phylogenetic relationships among musk turtles (genus Sternotherus) and genic variation in Sternotherus odoratus. Herpetologica 37(3):161-165
1986 Zug, George R. Sternotherus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (397):1-3
2015 Scott, P. A. and L. J. Rissler. Integrating dynamic occupancy modeling and genetics to infer the status of the imperiled Flattened Musk Turtle. Biological Conservation 192:294-303
2021 Rhodin, Anders G. J., John B. Iverson, Roger Bour, Uwe Fritz, Arthur Georges, H. Bradley Shaffer, and Peter Paul van Dijk. Turtles and tortoises of the world during the rise and global spread of humanity: First checklist and review of extinct pleistocene and holocene chelonians. Chelonian Research Monographs (8):1-472

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Wednesday 09 July 2025 13:20 CT