Lesser Chinese softshell turtle

The lesser Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus parviformis) is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae.[2] It is endemic to China, largely in the Guangxi and Hunan provinces, but with isolated populations in Zhejiang and Hainan Island. Populations of this species in Vietnam, as well as certain populations in Hainan, are now considered to belong to a separate species, the spotted softshell turtle (P. variegatus).[3] There is some controversy within researchers over whether or not P. parviformis is a valid species, but a study in 2015 reaffirmed it as such.[4]

Lesser Chinese softshell turtle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Trionychidae
Genus: Pelodiscus
Species:
P. parviformis
Binomial name
Pelodiscus parviformis
Tang, 1997[1]

It has been proposed that this species be considered as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to its restricted range and the heavy level of exploitation it receives.[3]

References
  1. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter. (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 319. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  2. "Pelodiscus parviformis". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  3. Fritz, Uwe; Ong, An Vinh; Pham, Cuong The; Ziegler, Thomas; Farkas, Balázs (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.
  4. "Validity of Pelodiscus parviformis (Testudines: Trionychidae) Inferred from Molecular and Morphological Analyses". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
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