Amur softshell turtle

Not to be confused with the Chinese softshell turtle or the lesser Chinese softshell turtle.

Pelodiscus maackii, commonly known as the Amur softshell turtle^[3] or the northern Chinese softshell turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is found in the Russian Far East, northeastern China, Korea, and Japan.^[4] It is possible that the Japanese populations are the result of ancient introductions by humans.^[4] This aquatic species may attain a straight carapace length of 32.5 cm (1.1 ft).^[5]

Amur softshell turtle
Conservation status
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Trionychidae
Genus:	Pelodiscus
Species:	P. maackii
Binomial name
Pelodiscus maackii (Brandt, 1857)
Synonyms [2]
Trionyx maackii Brandt, 1857 Amyda maackii — Stejneger, 1907 Trionyx maachii Stanley, 1914 (ex errore) Trionyx maaki Chkhikvadze, 1987 (ex errore) Pelodiscus maackii — David, 1994

Breeding

In China specifically the breeding of the closely-related Chinese softshell turtle has been done for over 2400 years and the production has come^[6] to 340,000 Annually due to the demand.

Etymology

The specific name, maackii, is in honor of Russian naturalist Richard Maack.^[3]

References

1. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
2. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 318–319. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. ISSN 1864-5755.
3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Pelodiscus maackii, p. 164).
4. Rhodin, A. G. J.; Iverson, J. B.; Bour, R.; Fritz, U.; Georges, A.; Shaffer, H. B.; van Dijk, P. P. (Turtle Taxonomy Working Group) (2017). Rhodin, A.G.J.; Iverson, J.B.; van Dijk, P.P.; Saumure, R.A.; Buhlmann, K.A.; Pritchard, P.C.H.; Mittermeier, R.A. (eds.). "Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. 7 (8 ed.): 1–292. doi:10.3854/crm.7.checklist.atlas.v8.2017. ISBN 9781532350269. S2CID 89826255. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-13.
5. "Chinese Soft-shell Turtle". Ecology Asia. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
6. Gong, Shiping; Vamberger, Melita; Auer, Markus; Praschag, Peter; Fritz, Uwe (2018-05-04). "Millennium-old farm breeding of Chinese softshell turtles (Pelodiscus spp.) results in massive erosion of biodiversity". The Science of Nature. 105 (5): 34. Bibcode:2018SciNa.105...34G. doi:10.1007/s00114-018-1558-9. ISSN 1432-1904. PMID 29728774. S2CID 13681962.

Further reading

• Brandt JF (1857). "Observationes quaedam ad generis Trionychum species duas novas spectantes ". Bulletin de la Classe Physico-Mathématique de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences de Saint-Pétersbourg 16: 110–111. (Trionyx maackii, new species). (in Latin).
• Stejneger L (1907). Herpetology of Japan and Adjacent Territory. Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum Bulletin 58. Washington, District of Columbia: Government Printing Office. xx + 577 pp. (Amyda maackii, p. 529).