African softshell turtle

The African softshell turtle or Nile softshell turtle (Trionyx triunguis) is a large species of turtle from fresh-water and brackish habitats in Africa (larger parts of East, West and Middle Africa) and the Near East (Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey).[1] It is the only extant species from the genus Trionyx, but in the past many other softshell turtles were placed in this genus; they have now been moved to various other genera.[1] Despite the name "African softshell turtle", it is not the only species or genus of softshell turtle in Africa (the genera Cyclanorbis and Cycloderma are also African).[1] It is a very large species of softshell turtle, with sizes that range from 85 to 94 cm, a weight of 40 kg, and an unconfirmed max size of 120 cm. They are omnivores in diet, consuming small fish, crustaceans, and also palm seeds and fallen leaves.

African softshell turtle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Trionychidae
Genus: Trionyx
Species:
T. triunguis
Binomial name
Trionyx triunguis
(Forskål, 1775)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Testudo triunguis Forsskål, 1775
  • Testudo striata Suckow, 1798
  • Trionyx egyptiacus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809
  • Trionyx aegyptiacus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809
  • Amyda triunguis Oken, 1816
  • Aspidonectes aegyptiacus Wagler, 1830
  • Trionyx niloticus Gray, 1831
  • Gymnopodus aegyptiacus Duméril & Bibron, 1835
  • Trionyx (Pelodiscus) labiatus Fitzinger, 1835
  • Tyrse nilotica Gray, 1844
  • Trionyx mortoni Hallowell, 1844
  • Aspidonectes aspilus Cope, 1860
  • Fordia africana Gray, 1869
  • Trionyx triunguis Peters, 1876
  • Gymnopus aspilus Rochebrune, 1884
  • Gymnopus aegyptiacus Boulenger, 1889
  • Pelodiscus triunguis Baur, 1893
  • Aspidonectes triunguis Hay, 1904
  • Pelodiscus labiatus Hay, 1904
  • Tyrse triunguis Hay, 1904
  • Trionyx triunguis rudolfianus Deraniyagala, 1948
  • Amyda triunguis rudolfianus Mertens & Wermuth, 1955
  • Amyda triunguis triunguis Mertens & Wermuth, 1955
  • Trionyx aegypticus Młynarski, 1969 (ex errore)
  • Trionyx triungus Gosławski & Hryniewicz, 1993 (ex errore)
  • Trionix triunguis Richard, 1999

Trionyx triunguis was listed on Appendix II by CITES in 2016 the population in Ghana was also included in CITES Appendix III from 1976 to 2007. The Mediterranean subpopulation of the Nile soft-shelled turtle was listed by “Red List of Threatened Species” as in the IUCN as critically endangered. They are under threat because of large use of their habitats with fishing activities, and irrigation, destruction of their nesting places, destruction of boats, and water pollution

A captive African softshell turtle

References
  1. Rhodin, Anders G. J.; Peter Paul van Dijk, John B. Inverson & Bradley H. Shaffer (December 14, 2010). "Turtles of the World 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution and Conservation Status" (PDF). p. 000.128. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 15, 2010. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  2. Fritz, Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 322–323. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-06-22.

Further reading
  • van Dijk, P.P., Diagne, T., Luiselli, L., Baker, P.J., Turkozan, O. & Taskavak, E. 2017. Trionyxtriunguis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T62256A96894956
  • Güçlü, Özgür, et al. “Development and Characterization of New Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci for Trionyx Triunguis (Testudines: Trionychidae) in the Mediterranean Basin.” Amphibia-Reptilia, vol. 36, no. 3, July 2015, pp. 318–324. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1163/15685381-00003003
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