''Pelodiscus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Trionychidae The Trionychidae are a taxonomic family of a number of turtle genera, commonly known as softshell turtles. The family was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can a ...

, the softshells. Based on genetic and morphological analysis there are seven valid species. They are native to Eastern Asia, ranging from the

Amur The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China ( Inner Manchuria). The Amur proper is long, ...

region, south through China and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, as far south as

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. Populations in Japan are thought to likely originate from historic human introductions.

Phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

studies have recovered a high diversity of ''Pelodiscus'' genotypes in China, some of which may correspond to distinct species. However, the millennia-old practice of farming ''Pelodiscus'' for consumption, especially in large-scale

turtle farm Turtle farming is the practice of raising turtles and tortoises of various species commercially. Raised animals are sold for use as gourmet food, traditional medicine ingredients, or as pets. Some farms also sell young animals to other farms, e ...

s since the late 20th century, is thought to threaten these lineages due to hybridization with farmed individuals.

Species

*'' Pelodiscus axenaria'' — Hunan softshell turtle *'' Pelodiscus huangshanensis'' — Huangshan softshell turtle, horse-hoof softshell turtle *'' Pelodiscus maackii'' — Amur softshell turtle, northern Chinese softshell turtle *'' Pelodiscus parviformis'' — lesser Chinese softshell turtle *'' Pelodiscus shipian'' ''—'' Chinese stone slab softshell turtle *'' Pelodiscus sinensis'' — Chinese softshell turtle *'' Pelodiscus variegatus'' — spotted softshell turtle ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': In the above list, a binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Pelodiscus''.

Species

References

Further reading