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; however, an isolated population is also known from Hainan Island, where it is sympatric with the related lesser Chinese softshell turtle (P. parviformis). 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.[1][2]
| Spotted softshell turtle | |
|---|---|
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 | |
References
- 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. doi:10.3897/zookeys.824.31376. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 6382751. PMID 30799973.
- "Newly discovered turtle species is facing extinction". phys.org. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
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