NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Intermediate Musk Turtle
Sternotherus intermedius Scott, Glenn & Rissler, 2017
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
This turtle was crawling along a riverbed.
MH Herpetology · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Sternotherus intermedius is a species of small turtle native to Alabama, United States. It is also known as the aliflora musk turtle or intermediate musk turtle due to its intermediate patterns on the shell. For a long time, it was thought to be a hybrid between the two subspecies of the loggerhead musk turtle (the loggerhead and striped-neck musk turtle), but in 2017, it was declared a new species based on DNA research. It is endemic to the Choctawhatchee River and Conecuh River basins.
Wikipedia contributors, Intermediate musk turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:51:22.535337+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sternotherus intermedius Scott, Glenn & Rissler, 2017
- Name authority
- Scott, Glenn & Rissler, 2017
- Common name
- Intermediate Musk Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Kinosternidae
- Genus
- Sternotherus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyChelydroidea
- familyKinosternidae
- genusSternotherus
- speciesSternotherus intermedius Scott, Glenn & Rissler, 2017
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sternotherus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Razorback Musk TurtleSternotherus carinatus (Gray, 1856) | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Loggerhead Musk TurtleSternotherus minor (Agassiz, 1857) | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Common Musk TurtleSternotherus odoratus (Latreille, 1802) | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Flattened Musk TurtleSternotherus depressus Tinkle & Webb, 1955 | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Stripeneck Musk TurtleSternotherus peltifer Smith & Glass, 1947 | KinosternidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Sternotherus&species=intermedius Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:8H69W. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.