Spotted softshell turtle

The spotted softshell turtle (Pelodiscus variegatus) is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. It is found in Indochina, where it is largely restricted to most of Vietnam; isolated populations belonging to Pelodiscus have been discovered in Hainan Island, some of which are considered spotted softshell turtles. Aside from genetic differences, this species can be most readily distinguished from other Pelodiscus by the large blotches on its plastron, which also gave it its name. Due to its restricted geographic range and the heavy level of exploitation it receives, it has been proposed that this species be classified as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List.

Species of turtle

Spotted softshell turtle
Conservation status
CITES Appendix II [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Trionychidae
Genus:	Pelodiscus
Species:	P. variegatus
Binomial name
Pelodiscus variegatus Farkas et al., 2019

The spotted softshell turtle (Pelodiscus variegatus) is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. It is found in Indochina, where it is largely restricted to most of Vietnam; isolated populations belonging to Pelodiscus have been discovered in Hainan Island, some of which are considered spotted softshell turtles.^[2] Aside from genetic differences, this species can be most readily distinguished from other Pelodiscus by the large blotches on its plastron, which also gave it its name. Due to its restricted geographic range and the heavy level of exploitation it receives, it has been proposed that this species be classified as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List.^[3][4]

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References

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1. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
2. ^ Rhodin, Anders G.J. (2021-11-15). Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.). Chelonian Research Monographs. Vol. 8. Chelonian Research Foundation and Turtle Conservancy. doi:10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021. ISBN 978-0-9910368-3-7.
3. ^ Farkas, Balázs; Ziegler, Thomas; Pham, Cuong The; Ong, An Vinh; Fritz, Uwe (2019-02-13). "A new species of Pelodiscus from northeastern Indochina (Testudines, Trionychidae)". ZooKeys (824): 71–86. Bibcode:2019ZooK..824...71F. doi:10.3897/zookeys.824.31376. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 6382751. PMID 30799973.
4. ^ "Newly discovered turtle species is facing extinction". phys.org. Retrieved 2019-02-15.

External links

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• Carolyn Cowan (4 April 2024). "Spotted softshell turtle release boosts reptile conservation in Vietnam". Mongabay.

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