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 adapt to living in highly brackish areas. Members of this family occur in Africa, Asia, and North America, with extinct species known from Australia. Most species have traditionally been included in the genus Trionyx, but the vast majority have since been moved to other genera. Among these are the North American Apalone softshells that were placed in Trionyx until 1987.
The brown roofed turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to South Asia. Two subspecies are recognized.
Staurotypus is a genus of aquatic turtles, commonly known as giant musk turtles, Mexican musk turtles, or three-keeled musk turtles, in the family Kinosternidae. The genus contains two recognized species, which are endemic to Mexico and Central America. Both species are sold and bred as pets.
Apalone is a genus of turtles in the family Trionychidae. The three species of Apalone are native to freshwater habitats in North America; they are the only living softshell turtles from the Americas.
The spiny softshell turtle is a species of softshell turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Both the common name, spiny softshell, and the specific name, spinifera (spine-bearing), refer to the spiny, cone-like projections on the leading edge of the carapace, which are not scutes (scales).
The pallid spiny softshell turtle is a subspecies of spiny softshell turtle native to the U.S. states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas. It was first described by Robert G. Webb in 1962.
The northern spiny softshell turtle is a subspecies of soft-shelled turtle in the family Trionychidae. The subspecies is native to the United States and can be found from Montana at the western edge of its range to Vermont and Quebec on the eastern edge. Introduced populations have also been found in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Arizona, and Virginia.
The Texas spiny softshell turtle is a subspecies of the spiny softshell turtle in the family Trionychidae. The subspecies is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northeastern Mexico.
The Gulf Coast spiny softshell turtle, a subspecies in the Trionychidae family of softshell turtles, is endemic to the south-eastern United States.
The Florida softshell turtle is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is native to the Southeastern United States.
Norman Edouard "Kibe" Hartweg was an American herpetologist, Curator of Herpetology for the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan, and president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. He was a specialist in the taxonomy and distribution of turtles, and is honored by having a subspecies of turtle named after him: the western spiny softshell turtle, Apalone spinifera hartwegi. He is also credited with having described several new species, including the Big Bend slider, Trachemys gaigeae, the Oaxacan patchnose snake, Salvadora intermedia, and Dunn's hognose pit viper, Porthidium dunni.
The Cuatro Ciénegas softshell, also called the black spiny softshell, is a subspecies of the spiny softshell turtle in the family Trionychidae. It is found only in the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin in the Mexican state of Coahuila and it is considered critically endangered by the IUCN. The subspecies, along with its parent species, was formerly classified in the genus Trionyx.
The Mexican musk turtle, also known commonly as the giant musk turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species occurs in Central America and Mexico.
The smooth softshell turtle is a species of softshell turtle of the family Trionychidae. This freshwater turtle is endemic to the United States where it inhabits the Mississippi River system and other river basins emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Staurotypinae are a subfamily of the family Kinosternidae of aquatic turtles, which contains the genera Claudius and Staurotypus.
