Amid many problems facing Puerto Vallarta as the Mexican resort city celebrates its 100th anniversary—erratic garbage disposal, unreliable public transportation and runaway urban development, to name three—comes bittersweet environmental news: discovery of a new but threatened turtle species.   Called casquito de Vallarta, the small mud turtle thus far only has been found near freshwater streams and ponds in developed areas says Fabio Cupul, researcher for the University of Guadalajara’s Puerto Vallarta branch (CUC) and co-author of a scientific paper on the turtle that was published this spring. The turtle was given the scientific name Kinosternon vogti sp. nov., in honor of Richard Carl Vogt, a legendary U.S.-born herpetologist and turtle conservationist who has worked extensively in the United States, Mexico... [Log in to read more]