PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION U, S. NATIONAL MUSEUM Vol. 90 Washington : 1941 No. 31 15 NOTES ON MEXICAN TURTLES OF THE GENUS KINOSTERNON By Leonhard Stejneger When changes of nornenclature become necessary it is desirable that the painful operation be performed as soon as possible; hence the preparation of this paper. At the same time the opportunity is taken to publish the description of a hitherto unnamed geographic race of a long-recognized species, the result of a study of the genus Kinosternon Spix still in progress. KiNOSTERNON ACUTUM Gray 1831. Kinosternon scorpioides a acuta Gray, Synopsis reptilium, p. 34 (pi. 7, fig. 1) (no locality; type in British Museum); Cat. Tort. Brit. Mus., 1844, p. 33 (Central America); Cat. Shield Rept. Brit. Mus., pt. 1, March 8, 1856, p. 44 (Central America); Hand-list Shield Rept. Brit. Mus., 1873, p. 61 (Central America). 1865. Cinosternum berendtianum Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1865, p. 189 (type locality. Tabasco, Mexico; cotypes, U.S.N. M. No. 6517; C, H. Berendt, collector). 1869. Swanka macnlata Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1869, p. 162 (type locality, Cosamaloapam, Veracruz, Mexico; cotype in British Museum; Mr. Sall^, collector) (in part). 1873. Cinosternon effeldtii Peters, Monatsb. Berlin Akad. Wiss., 1873, p. 603, pi. 5, figs. 1-3 (type locality, "angeblich" Mexico, Veracruz; type in Berlin Mus.). 1885. Cinosternum leucostomvm Gitnther, Biol. Centr.-Amer., Rept., p. 17 (part) pi. 16 (Cosamaloaiiam, Veracruz, Mexico; Guatemala) (not of Dum^ril) . In 1831 J. E. Gray listed a Kinosternon specimen in the British Museum under the varietal name acuta, giving as a character "Stcrno postico acuto integro," without mentioning any locality. In tlie 322222—11 457
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