Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas

An adult female Smooth Softshell from Kingman County, Kansas. Image © Ken Brunson.
An adult female Smooth Softshell from Labette County. Image © MaxEweleen Hornbuckle Good, 2018.
REPTILIA (Reptiles) TESTUDINES (Turtles) TRIONYCHIDAE (Softshells)

Smooth Softshell
Apalone mutica (LeSueur 1827)
ā-pă-lō'-nē — mŭ-tĭ-kă

Conservation Status:
State: None
Federal: None
NatureServe State: S4 - Apparently Secure
NatureServe National: N5 - Secure
NatureServe Global: G5 - Secure
CITES: Appendix III
Diagnosis:
 The semiaquatic Smooth Softshell is characterized by a short tail, an upper shell with flexible, soft edges, a soft lower shell much smaller than the upper shell, uniform, patternless limbs, and a lack of bumps or tubercles along the front edge of the upper shell. The upper shell is olive to light brown with a pattern of darker dots or dashes (males) or blotches (females) and a marginal dark line. The lower shell is white or light gray. The head, limbs, and tail are olive to light brown above and white or light gray below. A black-bordered yellow or white line extends through the eye on each side of the head. Smooth Softshells have a tubular snout with round nostrils lacking septal projections (ridges extending from the inside midline into the nostril space). Males have longer tails, with the anal opening near the tip. Adult females have a mottled pattern on the upper shell and grow much larger than males. 
Adults normally 115-306 mm (4½-12 inches) in carapace length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a female (KU 218796) from Osage County with a carapace length of 285 mm (11¼ inches) collected by John Powell and Beverly Downing on 9 June 1991. The maximum carapace length throughout the range is 355.6 mm (14 inches) (Powell et al., 2016).
Distribution:
 Smooth Softshells are highly aquatic and found in rivers and large streams with sandy or muddy bottoms. Sandbars are important for basking and egg-laying sites. They seem to prefer larger rivers and live in colonies along certain portions
Historic records indicate that the Smooth Softshell occurs statewide.
(,   Museum Voucher) (,   Observation) (,   Literature Record) (,   iNat Record), (  Fossil)
Open icons are questionable records; Click on a marker to view details.
Full range depicted by light shaded red area. Export Google Earth (.kml)
  • Occurrence Summary:  
  • 360
    Records 
  • 334
    Museum Vouchers 
  • 26
    Other Observations 
Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
 County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
 Atchison (3); Barber (6); Clay (2); Cloud (1); Comanche (1); Cowley (13); Crawford (1); Dickinson (4); Doniphan (4); Douglas (34); Ellis (7); Ellsworth (3); Finney (2); Geary (1); Harvey (2); Jefferson (1); Johnson (2); Kearny (1); Kingman (4); Leavenworth (166); Lyon (1); Marshall (1); Mitchell (1); Neosho (1); Osage (1); Ottawa (1); Pottawatomie (13); Reno (9); Rice (1); Riley (13); Rooks (1); Russell (4); Saline (5); Sedgwick (19); Shawnee (3); Stafford (1); Sumner (7); Trego (3); Unknown (1); Washington (15); Woodson (1);

Fossil History:
 Fossils from the Sandahl Local Fauna of McPherson County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Holman 1971; Preston 1979; Holman 1995) are assignable to this genus.
Fossils from the Kanopolis Local Fauna of Ellsworth County (Pleistocene: Rancholabrean I) (Preston 1979, Holman 1984; Holman 1995) are assignable to this genus.
Fossils from the Mount Scott Local Fauna of Meade County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Preston 1979, Holman 1987; Holman 1995) are assignable to this genus.
Fossils from the Butler Spring Local Fauna of Meade County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Tihen 1962; Preston 1979; Holman 1995) are assignable to this genus.
Natural History:
 Plummer (1976, 1977), Plummer and Shirer (1975) and Fitch and Plummer (1975) have studied the Smooth Softshell on the Kansas River in Douglas County, and much of the information on habitat and breeding in Kansas is from their work.
This turtle prefers the sand or mud bottoms of moderate to fast flowing streams and rivers, rarely straying far from water except to bask and nest. It is active in northeastern Kansas from April to October, basking on sandbars, mud flats, steep mud banks, and logs along rivers. The Smooth Softshell avoids open water. During warm summers, when water levels are low, this turtle may become inactive.
It is apparently not territorial. The slightest disturbance will send these turtles scurrying into the water, where they may surface and float downstream to escape enemies.
During the night, this species rests buried in mud or sand below the water at a depth that allows its long neck to extend to the surface for air. These turtles are active during daylight, basking and foraging for food. They spend the winter months burrowed deep in the mud on the bottoms of rivers and streams.
Plummer (1977) estimated a population density of 1,900 turtles of this species in a one-mile stretch of the Kansas River in Douglas County. Capron (1987) estimated 500-700 Smooth Softshells per river mile in the lower Arkansas River valley.
This turtle mates during April and May and again during the fall. Courtship and mating take place in the water with much chasing of females by the males. The male maintains an extended neck while pursuing the female, frequently probing with his head under the sides of her shell. If the female is receptive, she remains passive and the male mounts her. If she is not receptive, she will bite the edges of the male's shell. The male mounts the female in the water but does not grasp her shell like some other turtles. Instead, he swims with the female during copulation.
Nesting reaches a peak during late May and June, when females emerge from the water to dig holes on high open sandbars. The number of eggs per clutch is 3 to 25 with an average of about eleven in Kansas; the number produced by a female increases with her size. The round, hard-shelled eggs hatch in the nest in 2- 2½ months, and the emerging young orient toward the light of flat open areas such as rivers. Adult male Smooth Softshells mature at four years of age, whereas females reach maturity at an age of six to nine years. Capron (1987) reported that this turtle nests during the first two weeks in June in the lower Arkansas River valley.
The Smooth Softshell is carnivorous, feeding primarily on insects, but it will also eat fishes, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, crayfishes, snails, and worms. Plummer and Farrar (1981) showed that male turtles fed primarily on terrestrial insects, whereas female turtles ate mostly aquatic insects, and concluded that this difference was due to habitat preference, since males spend more time on or along shorelines than females. This turtle is a rapid swimmer, easily catching moving fish.
Raccoons and skunks relish the eggs of this turtle. The young are preyed upon by large fishes, other turtles, snakes, large birds, and various mammals. Heavy egg mortality occurs at high water levels during flooding (Plummer, 1976). In Kansas, people are the chief predators of full-grown Smooth Softshells. Capron (1987) expressed concern over the destruction of nesting habitat by offroad vehicles that damaged sandbars along the lower Arkansas River.
Occurrence Activity:
 Number of Unique Obervations (=days): 130; Range: 28 Feb to 13 Dec
Remarks:
 The Smooth Softshell was first reported from Kansas by Cragin (1880) where E. A. Popenoe observed it in the Blue and Kansas rivers in the vicinity of Manhattan. The earliest known specimen (MCZ 4843) was collected at Manhattan, Riley County, by Francis W. Cragin on 16 September 1880 (as determined from the MCZ catalog).
This species exhibits a timid and gentle disposition when handled rarely attempting to bite.
 Most Kansas specimens were collected from the Kansas River below the low water dam at Lawrence, in association with the doctoral research of Dr. Michael Plummer (Fitch and Plummer, 1975; Plummer, 1975, 1977, 1977) and most of our information on the natural history of this species are due to his efforts.
The remaining known occurrences are widely scattered across the state. It is not a turtle that is observed (with confidence) without considerable work.
Cornelius Rogers took this species on a sandbar at the junction of a small creek and Medicine River, a little less than 5 miles southeast of Lake City, Barber County, Kansas, on August 30, 1934. Another was taken on a bank of Salt River just south of Aetna in the same county on April 21, 1934. On May 25, 1934, an example was secured 6 miles east of Turon, Reno County, Kansas, in a shallow sand-bottomed, algae-filled pasture streamlet (Burt, 1935).
Smooth Softshells may be taken year-round. The daily creel limit is eight turtles, single species or in combination (with Spiny Softshells and/or Snapping Turtles). The possession limit is three creel limits. A valid fishing license is required (unless exempt [e.g. < 16 years of age]). Legal equipment: hand, hook and line, setline, hand dip net, seine, turtle trap, or gig.
The Smooth Softshell can remain submerged in water for long periods due to its ability to remove oxygen from water through the membranes of its mouth.
Bibliography:
1857 Agassiz, Louis. Contributions to the Natural History of the United States of America. Volume 1. Little, Brown & Company, Boston, Massachusets. 452pp.
Original description of Cistudo triunguis p. 445.
Discusses the regional faunas and includes Kansas in the "Western Fauna" pp. 450-451, with such characteristic species as Apalone mutica, Apalone spinifera, Chelydra serpentina, Chrysemys picta, Graptemys geographica, Graptemys pseudogeographica, Kinosternon subrubrum, Pseudemys concinna, Sternotherus odoratus, and Trachemys scripta, though none are listed as definitively occurring in Kansas.
1880 Cragin, Francis W. A preliminary catalogue of Kansas reptiles and batrachians Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 7():112-123
Also listed the Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea) [=Ophibolus doliatus var. coccineus] and Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) [=Spelerpes ruber] from Kansas.
1916 Householder, Victor H. The Lizards and Turtles of Kansas with Notes on Their Distribution and Habitat. Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence. 100pp.
1927 Burt, Charles E. An annotated list of the amphibians and reptiles of Riley County, Kansas. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (189):12
Accounts on forty species known from the vicinity of Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas. There have been several scientific names changes since publication, which is understandable... however, some usages cannot be explained by subsequent taxonomic reappraisals(e.g.  Gastrophryne carolinensis for Gastrophryne olivacea). The writer lists Eumeces (=Plestiodon) obsoletus and E. guttulatus yet correctly reasoning that the latter is the young of the former. Within the account of Tantilla gracilis (a common form) the writer mentions that T. nigriceps was reported from Riley County by Branson (1904) but that the specimens at Kansas State were absent at the time of publication. The Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) was first reported from Riley County by Branson (1904) and is reported by the writer based on a specimen in the museum at Kansas State University by Professor E. A. Popenoe. The Prairie Rattlesnake is not currently native to Riley County, and closest reliable localities are 150 to the west.
1933 Stejneger, Leonhard H. and Thomas Barbour. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 3rd Edition. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. pp.
Reference to Kansas is the listed range of several species.
1933 Taylor, Edward H. Observations on the courtship of turtles. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 21(6):269-271
1935 Burt, Charles E. Further records of the ecology and distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the middle west. American Midland Naturalist 16(3):311-366
1936 Brumwell, Malcolm J. Distributional records of the reptilia and amphibians of Kansas. Privately printed, . 22pp.
County dot maps of the Kansas herpetofauna. This work has been attributed to have been written around 1933, but that may be in error. 
Hypsiglena jani was not known from Kansas until Claude W. Hibbard collected three specimens on the Stevenson Ranch in north-central Clark County (above Clark State Lake) during June 1936 (Hibbard, 1937). Brumwell plotted this locality, which leads me to believe that the 1936 would have been the earliest date this manuscript could have been written.
1942 Hudson, G. E. The amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Nebraska Conservation Bulletin 24():1-146
1947 Elliott, Alice A preliminary survey and ecological study of the fishes of the South Ninnescah and Spring creek. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan. pp.
1947 Smith, Hobart M. Kyphosis and other variations in soft-shelled turtles. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History 1(6):117-124
1950 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous Publication (2):336
The first modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table and text say 97 on p. 10) and 13 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies.
1951 Brumwell, Malcolm J. An ecological survey of the Fort Leavenworth Military Reservation American Midland Naturalist 45(1):187-231
Published posthumously. Lieutenant Brumwell died December 14, 1941, as a result of injuries incurred during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This paper is a condensed version of his thesis for the Master's degree.
1956 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. Second edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (9):1-356
Hobart M. Smith's updated second edition of his first (1950) modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table says 97 on p. 10; text says 98 on p. 10) and 11 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies. The second edition has updated taxonomy, added Plestiodon laticeps, and removed Eurycea tynerensis.
1956 Clarke, Robert F. Turtles in Kansas. Kansas School Naturalist 2(4):1-15
1956 Clarke, Robert F. Identification of Kansas turtles. Kansas School Naturalist 2(4):1-3
1962 Gish, Charles D. The Herpetofauna of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 34pp.
1962 Webb, Robert G. North American recent soft-shelled turtles (family Trionychidae). University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History 13(10):429-611
1967 Choate, Jerry R. Wildlife in the Wakarusa Watershed of Northeastern Kansas. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 46pp.
1973 Webb, Robert G. Trionyx muticus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (139):1-2
1974 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (1):283 pp
Joseph T. Collins first Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Smith 1956)>
1974 Dawson, Mary E. New turtle exhibit at Topeka Zoo. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (3):4-5
Info on A. mutica in Kansas.
1974 Karns, Daryl, Ray E. Ashton, Jr., and Thomas Swearingen. Illustrated Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas: An Identification Manual. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History Public Education Series(2):viii + 18
1975 Rundquist, Eric M. Amphibians and Reptiles of Kingman County, Kansas. Privately Printed, Lawrence, Kansas. 3pp.
Short accounts for twenty-nine recognized amphibians and reptiles from Kingman County, Kansas. With habitat descriptions and for some species, estimates of population density.
1975 Rundquist, Eric M. First KHS field trip yields three county records. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (7):1-3
Narration of the activities and species found during the KHS field trip to Kingman County, Kansas. From the title of the article, there were three county records were obtained, however, only Plestiodon septentrionalis is indicated as being 'new'.
1975 Plummer, Michael V. and Hampton W. Shirer. Movement patterns in a river population of the soft-shell turtle, Trionyx muticus. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History, The University of Kansas (43):1-26
1975 Fitch, Henry S. and Michael V. Plummer. A preliminary ecological study of the softshelled turtle Trionyx muticus in the Kansas River. Israel Journal of Zoology 24():28-42
1976 Rundquist, Eric M. Field checklist (of) amphibians and reptiles of Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society, Lawrence. pp.
1976 Plummer, Michael V. Population ecology of the softshell turtle, Trionyx muticus Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 173pp.
1976 Plummer, Michael V. Some aspects of nesting success in the turtle, Trionyx muticus. Herpetologica 32(4):353-359
1977 Trott, Gene. Chikaskia River wildlife study. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (19):2-3
1977 Plummer, Michael V. Notes on the courtship and mating behavior of the softshell turtle, Trionyx muticus (Reptilia, Testudines, Trionychidae). Journal of Herpetology 11(1):90-92
1977 Plummer, Michael V. Activity, habitat and population structure in the turtle, Trionyx muticus. Copeia 1977(3):431-440
1977 Plummer, Michael V. Reproduction and growth in the turtle, Trionyx muticus. Copeia 1977(3):440-447
1978 Curl, Richard L. Final Environmental Statement: Milford Lake Kansas operation and maintenance. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 158pp.
Notable mentions: Spotted Salamander, Smooth Green Snake
1978 Warner, M. and R. Wencel. Chikaskia River study held near Caldwell. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (25):15-16
1978 Kern, Anita, Leslie Rice, and Michelle Warner. The turtles of Sumner County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (27):10-11
1980 Clarke, Robert F. Herptiles and fishes of the western Arkansas River in Kansas. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 55pp.
A summary of known information on the amphibian, reptile, and fish faunas of the Arkansas River above Great Bend. The report details associated field activities for procuring fish, however no new surveys for amphibians and reptiles were undertaken. Information on herps from Finney County was provided by Michael Rush (FHSU) and thus made available before the publication of his thesis (Rush, 1981). The western Arkansas River drainage had experienced little attention by herpetologists before this study, and the species accounts reflect that paucity of data. Additionally, the report omits several older records (e.g. for Anaxyrus debilis, Thamnophis cyrtopsis, and Lampropeltis calligaster) from the westernmost reaches of the Arkansas River drainage in Kansas.
1981 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1980. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 10():7-19
1981 Bovee, E. C. New epizoic suctorea (Protozoa) of the Smooth Softshell Turtle, Trionyx muticus, in northeastern Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 84():98-104
1982 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. 2nd edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (8):
Joseph T. Collins second Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1974)>
1983 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1982 . Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 13():9-21
1984 Brown, Kenneth L. Pomona: A plains village variant in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 519pp.
1984 Heinrich, Mark L. Herpetofauna of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in the Flint Hills region of Kansas with respect to habitat selection. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 57pp.
1984 Secor, Stephen M. and Charles C. Carpenter. Distribution maps of Oklahoma reptiles. Oklahoma Herpetological Society Special Publication (3):1-57
1984 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1983. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (56):15-26
Invalidated the specimens of Thamnophis sirtalis from Hamilton County (reidentified as T. cyrtopsis; KU 2088) and Wallace County mapped in Collins, 1982.
1985 Lynch, John D. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Science 13():33-57
1986 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1986. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (66):9-16
1987 Capron, Marty B. Selected observations on south-central Kansas turtles Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (67):13-15
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Results of second Kansas herp count held during April-May 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):10-12
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Maximum size records for Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):13-17
1991 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1992 Edds, David R. Population status and incidence of anatomical abnormalities in semiaquatic turtles of the Walnut and lower Arkansas river basins. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 58pp.
1992 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1991. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (87):12-17
1992 Taggart, Travis W. KHS field trips. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (91):3
1993 Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. Third Edition. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Lawrence. 397pp.
Joseph T. Collins third Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1982)>
1994 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1993. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):15-19
1994 Plummer, Michael V., Craig E. Shadrix, and R. C. Cox. Thermal limits of incubation in embryos of softshell turtles (Apalone mutica). Chelonian Conservation and Biology 1():141-144
1995 Anderson, Lewis, Mark Shaw, Jeff Blodig, and Tom Walker. Report to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks: Herps encountered during REmap project, summer 1994. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (99):10-17
1996 Rakestraw, J. Spring herp counts: A Kansas tradition. Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (March-April):75-80
1996 Doody, J. Sean. Summers with softshells. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 31(7):132-133
1997 Collins, Joseph T. A report on the KHS fall field trip to the Marais des Cygnes wildlife refuges. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (110):2-3
1998 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1998 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians & Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 131pp.
1998 Gamble, Jerre. Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hartford, Kansas. 91pp.
1998 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1997. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (111):12-14
2001 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 2000. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):6-8
2002 Kingsbury, Bruce and Joanna Gibson. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Publication of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Address not given. 152pp.
2002 Fogell, Daniel D. Occurrence and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. Interim Report. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 6pp.
2002 Ellis, Mark R. Fall 2002 KHS field trip to Washington County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (2):4-5
2003 Suleiman, G. Fort Riley herpetofaunal count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):11-12
2003 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2003 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):3-4
2006 Taggart, Travis W. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106pp.
2008 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2008 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (25):2-3
2010 Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400pp.
Joseph T. Collins fourth Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1993)>
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to be held in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7
2012 Rohweder, Megan R. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151pp.
2012 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152pp.
2013 Zimmer, Stephanie A. Implications of commercial harvest of river turtles in Missouri. Thesis. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. 96pp.
2013 Bass, Neil. The Missouri River Fish and Wildlife Mitigation Project: For the river, for you, and for herps. Collinsorum 2(1/2):10-11
2015 Rohweder, Megan R. Kansas Wildlife Action Plan. Ecological Services Section, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism in cooperation with the Kansas Biological Survey. 176pp.
2015 Seim, Jeffery. Population Structure and Habitat Association of Aquatic Testudines in Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 66pp.
2015 Bass, Neil. Herpetological (Frog and Turtle) Inventories along the Missouri River in Kansas. Collinsorum 4(1):5-9
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Summer Field Trip In The Harvey County Sandhills. Collinsorum 4(3):3
2016 Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494pp.
2017 Taggart, Travis W. and J. Daren Riedle. A Pocket Guide to Kansas Amphibians, Turtles and Lizards. Great Plains Nature Center, Wichita, Kansas. 69pp.
2017 Crother, Brian I. (editor) Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102
2018 Houck, Mike. Herp Count: Fort Riley Military Installation Collinsorum 7(1):17
2019 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192pp.
2019 Johnson, Hunter. Geographic distribution: Apalone mutica: Colorado. Herpetological Review 50():522
2020 Mahr, Michael S. Distributions and statuses of map turtles (Graptemys sp.) in Kansas. Thesis. Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas.. 131pp.
2020 Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86pp.
2020 Riedle, J. Daren. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data: Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16
2020 Maloney, Max. Geographic distribution: Apalone mutica mutica: Colorado. Herpetological Review 51(2):270
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
2021 Johnson, Hunter D. and Sean M. McMullen. Geographic Distribution: Apalone mutica: USA: Colorado: Prowers Co. Herpetological Review 52(3):572
Mentions nearest record to the east in Kearney County, Kansas.
2021 Plummer, Michael V. Natural History Notes: Apalone mutica: Predatory escape. Herpetological Review 52(3):624-5
2021 Thomson, Robert C., Phillip Q. Spinks, and H. Bradley Shaffer. A global phylogeny of turtles reveals a burst of climate-associated diversification on continental margins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 118(7):1-10
2022 Powell, Alexis F. L. A. and Greg Sievert. New distributional records of turtles in eastern Kansas and western Missouri, USA. Herpetological Review 53(2):265–271
Account Last Updated:
 8/2/2023 8:37:53 AM - page took 0.9990549 seconds to load.


Travis W. Taggart © 1999-2025 — w/ Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University