{{Short description|Species of turtle}} {{Speciesbox | image = | status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group |year=1996 |title=''Pelusios rhodesianus'' |errata=2016 |volume=1996 |article-number=e.T16530A97385824|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T16530A6002069.en|access-date=19 November 2024}}</ref> | taxon = Pelusios rhodesianus | authority = Hewitt, 1927 | synonyms = ''Pelusios nigricans rhodesianus'' <small>Hewitt, 1927</small> | synonyms_ref = }}
The '''variable mud turtle''' ('''''Pelusios rhodesianus'''''), also known as '''Rhodesian mud turtle''', '''Mashona hinged terrapin''' or '''variable hinged terrapin''', is a species of turtle in the family Pelomedusidae. It is widely distributed in Central, East, and Southern Africa.<ref name=IUCN/><ref name=RDB/> The species was officially described by John Hewitt in 1927 and had to be broken into subspecies due to color variations on the heads of the turtles acrost the regions.<ref name="Chelonian Research Foundation">{{Cite book |url=http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/cbftt/ |title=Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises |chapter=Pelusios rhodesianus Hewitt 1927 – Variable Mud Turtle, Variable Hinged Terrapin |date=2008-05-15 |publisher=Chelonian Research Foundation |editor-last=Rhodin |editor-first=Anders |edition=First |series=Chelonian Research Monographs |volume=5 |pages=004.1–004.3 |doi=10.3854/crm.5.004.rhodesianus.v1.2008 |editor-last2=Pritchard |editor-first2=Peter |editor-last3=van Dijk |editor-first3=Peter Paul |editor-last4=Saumure |editor-first4=Raymond}}</ref>
==Distribution== This species is found in the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, and South Africa.<ref name=IUCN/> The variable mud turtle can generally be found in or around water sources or areas such as lagoons or swampy areas.<ref name="Chelonian Research Foundation"/>
== Conservation status == The variable mud turtle (''Pelusios rhodesianus'') is currently listed as of least concern by conservationists, but a reduction in population has been noticed between the variable mud turtle and species in the same family. As it would turn out, destruction of water sources (such as damming) has caused an impact on this family of turtles. One of these species (''Pelusios seychellensis'') has actually recently became extinct for these same reasons.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rhodin |first1=Anders G.J. |last2=Stanford |first2=Craig B. |last3=Dijk |first3=Peter Paul Van |last4=Eisemberg |first4=Carla |last5=Luiselli |first5=Luca |last6=Mittermeier |first6=Russell A. |last7=Hudson |first7=Rick |last8=Horne |first8=Brian D. |last9=Goode |first9=Eric V. |last10=Kuchling |first10=Gerald |last11=Walde |first11=Andrew |date=2018-12-18 |title=Global Conservation Status of Turtles and Tortoises (Order Testudines) |url=https://bioone.org/journals/chelonian-conservation-and-biology/volume-17/issue-2/CCB-1348.1/Global-Conservation-Status-of-Turtles-and-Tortoises-Order-Testudines/10.2744/CCB-1348.1.full |journal=Chelonian Conservation and Biology |volume=17 |issue=2 |page=135 |doi=10.2744/CCB-1348.1 |s2cid=91937716 |issn=1071-8443|url-access=subscription |doi-access=free }}</ref> This family along with the family ''Pelomedusa'' is actually are the last two surviving families of an even larger group of turtles called the ''Pelomedusoides.''<ref name="Fritz 115–125">{{Cite journal |last1=Fritz |first1=Uwe |last2=Branch |first2=William R. |last3=Hofmeyr |first3=Margaretha D. |last4=Maran |first4=Jérôme |last5=Prokop |first5=Hynek |last6=Schleicher |first6=Alfred |last7=Š iroký |first7=Pavel |last8=Stuckas |first8=Heiko |last9=Vargas-Ramírez |first9=Mario |last10=Vences |first10=Miguel |last11=Hundsdörfer |first11=Anna K. |date=March 2011 |title=Molecular phylogeny of African hinged and helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelusios and Pelomedusa ) |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1463-6409.2010.00464.x |journal=Zoologica Scripta |language=en |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=115–125 |doi=10.1111/j.1463-6409.2010.00464.x |s2cid=54882383 |issn=0300-3256|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
== Facts ==
* All of the species in this family are very aquatic.<ref name="Fritz 115–125"/> * "A hinge between hypoplastral and mesoplastral bones allows a more or less complete closure of the anterior part of the shell."<ref name="Fritz 115–125"/> * You can often find these turtles with burn marks on the shells caused from brush fires.<ref name="Chelonian Research Foundation"/>
==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name=RDB>{{NRDB species |genus=Pelusios |species=rhodesianus |accessdate=11 April 2021}}</ref> }}
{{Pleurodira}} {{Taxonbar|from=Q2044080}}
variable mud turtle Category:Turtles of Africa Category:Reptiles of Angola Category:Reptiles of Botswana Category:Vertebrates of Burundi Category:Reptiles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Category:Reptiles of Malawi Category:Reptiles of Mozambique Category:Reptiles of Namibia Category:Reptiles of the Republic of the Congo Category:Vertebrates of Rwanda Category:Reptiles of South Africa Category:Reptiles of Tanzania Category:Reptiles of Uganda Category:Reptiles of Zambia Category:Reptiles of Zimbabwe variable mud turtle Category:Taxa named by John Hewitt (herpetologist) Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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