New records and distribution extensions of three species of Mesoclemmys Gray, 1863 (Testudines: Chelidae) in Mato Grosso state, Brazil, with observations on terrestrial movements

Abstract

Distribution patterns of most of the 20 Neotropical freshwater turtles belonging to the family Chelidae are usually based on few locality records. We here report on vouchered records of three species of the chelid genus Mesoclemmys in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Presence of M. vanderhaegei is confirmed for the Amazon River Basin, and M. gibba and M. raniceps are recorded in Mato Grosso for the first time.

Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei (Bour 1973) – Vanderhaege’s Toad-headed Turtle, Karumbé-hy.

“…It inhabits water bodies in northern Argentina (Formosa, Corrientes, Misiones, and Santa Fé provinces; Waller and Chebez, 1987;Iverson 1992;Cabrera 1998;Baldo and Krauczuk 2000;Yanosky et al 2000;Baldo et al 2007), Paraguay (Departments of Amambay, Caaguazú, Canindeyú, Central, Cordillera, Paraguarí, and San Pedro; Müller and Hellmich 1936;Bour 1973;Bour and Pauler 1987;McDiarmid and Foster 1987;Iverson 1992;Metrailler 2005a;Vinke et al 2013a,b), and Brazil (Distrito Federal, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Tocantins states ;Iverson 1992;Villaça 1999;Strüssmann et al 2000;Brandão et al 2002;Souza 2005;Vaz-Silva et al 2007;Brito et al 2009a;Silveira 2009;Brito et al 2012;Marques et al 2013). Gonzáles and Reichle (2002) first reported the species for extreme southeastern Bolivia, publishing photographs of a living adult.…”

“…-Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei utilizes a wide variety of habitat types, such as rivers, lagoons, small streams with forest cover, oligotrophic streams and ponds with dense aquatic vegetation (Brandão et al 2002;Baldo et al 2007;Rueda-Almonacid et al 2007;Brito et al 2009a). The species also occurs in urban and anthropogenic environments (Rueda-Almonacid et al 2007;Brito et al 2012;Marques et al 2013). Most records of the species are associated with Cerrado formation, but it can also be found in Atlantic Forest and Chaco formations (Cabrera 1998Brandão et al 2002;Brito et al 2012;Marques et al 2013).…”

“…The species also occurs in urban and anthropogenic environments (Rueda-Almonacid et al 2007;Brito et al 2012;Marques et al 2013). Most records of the species are associated with Cerrado formation, but it can also be found in Atlantic Forest and Chaco formations (Cabrera 1998Brandão et al 2002;Brito et al 2012;Marques et al 2013). In Vinke et al (2013a), a thorough pictorial overview of utilized habitats is provided.…”

“…Souza (2004) points to the lack of basic information about the biology of this species in his review on activity patterns, reproduction, and feeding of Brazilian chelid freshwater turtles. Few studies have been conducted on M. vanderhaegei since that review (Corazza and Molina 2004;Métrailler 2005a;Baldo et al 2007;Brito et al 2009a,b;Silveira 2009;Ávila et al 2010;Pinheiro et al 2010;Brito et al 2012;Marques et al 2013, Vinke et al 2013a, with most of them reporting geographic distribution extensions.…”

“…Individuals are easier to observe during the night. Its ability to migrate terrestrially may have facilitated its wide geographical distribution in different watersheds (Brito et al 2012). The need for terrestrial movements often appears to be related to barriers in water bodies; spool trailing of adults suggested frequent movements in and out of water in order to avoid riverine obstacles such as the waterfalls with height level differences of up to 3 m (Brito, unpubl.…”