Trionychia

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Trionychia
Temporal range: Late Jurassic to recent, 161.2–0  Ma
Apalone spinifera.jpg
The spiny softshell turtle (Trionychidae)
Carettochelys insculpta 01.JPG
The pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelyidae)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Clade: Polycryptodira
Superfamily: Trionychia
Hummel, 1929 [1]
Families

Carettochelyidae
Trionychidae
and see text

Synonyms
  • Trionychoidea

Trionychia is a superfamily of turtles which encompasses the species that are commonly referred to as softshelled turtles as well as some others. The group contains two families, Carettochelyidae, which has only one living species, the pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) native to New Guinea and Northern Australia, and Trionychidae, the softshelled turtles, containing numerous species native to Asia, North America and Africa. These families likely diverged during the late Jurassic. [2] The oldest known stem-trionychian is Sinaspideretes from the Late Jurassic of China. [3] [4]

Systematics

Except for those not assigned to a family, only living genera are listed here.

The eastern mud turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum) is a primitive relative of the true softshells which still has a typical hard turtle shell Kinosternon subrubrum.jpg
The eastern mud turtle ( Kinosternon subrubrum ) is a primitive relative of the true softshells which still has a typical hard turtle shell

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoemydidae</span> Family of turtles

The Geoemydidae are one of the largest and most diverse families in the order Testudines (turtles), with about 70 species. The family includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles. Members of this family are commonly called Leaf turtle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emydidae</span> Family of turtles

Emydidae is a family of testudines (turtles) that includes close to 50 species in 10 genera. Members of this family are commonly called terrapins, pond turtles, or marsh turtles. Several species of Asian box turtles were formerly classified in the family; however, revised taxonomy has separated them to a different family (Geoemydidae). As currently defined, the Emydidae are entirely a Western Hemisphere family, with the exception of two species of pond turtle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carettochelyidae</span> Family of turtles

Carettochelyidae is a family of cryptodiran turtles belonging to the Trionychia. It contains only a single living species, the pig-nosed turtle native to New Guinea and Northern Australia. Stem-group carettochelyids are known from the Cretaceous of Asia, with the family being widely distributed across North America, Europe and Asia during the Paleogene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trionychidae</span> Family of turtles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pig-nosed turtle</span> Species of turtle

The pig-nosed turtle, also known as the pitted-shelled turtle or Fly River turtle, is a species of turtle native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is the only living member of the family Carettochelyidae, which are related to softshell turtles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryptodira</span> Suborder of reptiles

The Cryptodira are a suborder of Testudines that includes most living tortoises and turtles. Cryptodira differ from Pleurodira in that they lower their necks and pull the heads straight back into the shells, instead of folding their necks sideways along the body under the shells' marginals. They include among their species freshwater turtles, snapping turtles, tortoises, softshell turtles, and sea turtles.

<i>Chitra</i> (genus) Genus of turtles

Chitra is a genus of turtles in the family Trionychidae.

<i>Lissemys</i> Genus of turtles

Lissemys is a genus of softshell turtles in the subfamily Cyclanorbinae of the family Trionychidae. The genus is indigenous to southern Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattle-necked softshell turtle</span> Species of turtle

The wattle-necked softshell turtle, also commonly known as Steindachner's soft-shelled turtle, is an endangered Asian species of softshell turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is the only member of the genus Palea.

<i>Pelochelys</i> Genus of turtles

Pelochelys is a genus of very large softshell turtles in the family Trionychidae. They are found from peninsular India northeast to southern China, and south to Southeast Asia and New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese softshell turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Chinese softshell turtle is a species of softshell turtle that is native to China and Taiwan, with records of escapees—some of which have established introduced populations—in a wide range of other Asian countries, as well as Spain, Brazil and Hawaii.

<i>Amyda</i> Genus of turtles

Amyda is a genus of softshell turtles in the family Trionychidae. It contains two extant species:

<i>Cycloderma</i> Genus of turtles

Cycloderma is a genus of softshell turtles in the subfamily Cyclanorbinae of the family Trionychidae. The genus is endemic to Africa.

<i>Nilssonia</i> (turtle) Genus of turtles

Nilssonia is a genus of softshell turtles from rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes in South Asia and Burma. In many treatments, it is monotypic, with the single species Burmese peacock softshell. However, the supposed other genus of peacock softshells, Aspideretes, is more closely related to N. formosa than had been believed. They differ only in the neural plates between the first pleural scale pair of the bony carapace, which are fused into one in N. formosa and unfused in the others.

The southern New Guinea giant softshell turtle is a species of softshell turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is endemic to the lowlands of southern New Guinea with occasional vagrant individuals sighted off the coast of northern Australia. P. bibroni is referred to by the Suki people as kiya eise, a reference to its flexible shell. In the Arammba language, it is called sokrere, meaning "earthquake". It is sometimes hunted by local villages for its meat and/or eggs, leading to some cases of chelonitoxism.

<i>Sinaspideretes</i> Extinct genus of turtles

Sinaspideretes is an extinct genus of turtle from the Late Jurassic of China, probably from the Shaximiao Formation. It is considered the earliest and most basal representative of the Trionychia, and is possibly the oldest known member of Cryptodira. In 2013, it was proposed that this animal and the genus Yehguia are infact one and the same.

<i>Pelodiscus</i> Genus of turtles

Pelodiscus is a genus of turtles in the family Trionychidae, the softshells. Based on genetic and morphological analysis there are seven valid species. They are native to Eastern Asia, ranging from the Amur region, south through China and Korea, as far south as Vietnam. Populations in Japan are thought to likely originate from historic human introductions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclanorbinae</span> Subfamily of turtles

Cyclanorbinae, also known commonly as the flapshell turtles, is a subfamily of softshell turtles in the family Trionychidae. The subfamily is native to Africa and Asia.

The lesser Chinese softshell turtle is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. It is endemic to China, where it inhabits a small range in Guangxi and Hunan provinces. Populations of this species in Vietnam and Hainan are now considered to belong to a separate species, the spotted softshell turtle. 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.

The Huangshan softshell turtle or horse-hoof softshell turtle is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. It is endemic to China, where it is found only in southern Anhui Province, in the Huangshan range.

References

  1. Rhodin 2011, p. 000.204
  2. Pereira, Anieli G.; Sterli, Juliana; Moreira, Filipe R.R.; Schrago, Carlos G. (August 2017). "Multilocus phylogeny and statistical biogeography clarify the evolutionary history of major lineages of turtles". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 113: 59–66. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.05.008. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   28501611.
  3. Ouyang, Hui; Li, Lu; Tong, Haiyan (July 2014). "A revision of Sinaspideretes wimani Young & Chow, 1953 (Testudines: Cryptodira: Trionychoidae) from the Jurassic of the Sichuan Basin, China". Geological Magazine. 151 (4): 600–610. Bibcode:2014GeoM..151..600T. doi:10.1017/S0016756813000575. ISSN   0016-7568. S2CID   128423062.
  4. Evers, Serjoscha W.; Benson, Roger B. J. (January 2019). Smith, Andrew (ed.). "A new phylogenetic hypothesis of turtles with implications for the timing and number of evolutionary transitions to marine lifestyles in the group". Palaeontology. 62 (1): 93–134. doi:10.1111/pala.12384. S2CID   134736808.
  5. One or more basal lineages formerly believed to be a distinct family
Bibliography