Pelodiscus is a genus of turtles in the familyTrionychidae, the softshells.[2] Based on genetic and morphological analysis there are seven valid species.[3] They are native to Eastern Asia, ranging from the Amur region, south through China and Korea, as far south as Vietnam.[4] Populations in Japan are thought to likely originate from historic human introductions.[3]
Phylogenetic studies have recovered a high diversity of Pelodiscusgenotypes 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 farms since the late 20th century, is thought to threaten these lineages due to hybridization with farmed individuals.[5]
Nota bene: In the above list, a binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Pelodiscus.
↑Rhodin, Anders D. J.; Iverson, John B.; Fritz, Uwe; Gallego-Garcia, Natalia; Georges, Arthur; Shaffer, H. Bradley; van Dijk, Peter Paul (September 2025). Turtles of the World: Checklist and Atlas (10th Ed.)(PDF). IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group.
↑Gong, Shiping; Fritz, Uwe; Vamberger, Melita; Gao, Yangchun; Farkas, Balázs (2022). "Disentangling the Pelodiscus axenaria complex, with the description of a new Chinese species and neotype designation for P. axenaria (Zhou, Zhang & Fang, 1991)". Zootaxa. 5125 (2): 131–143. ISSN1175-5334.
Further reading
Fitzinger, L. (1835). "Entwurf einer systematischen Anordnung der Schildkröten nach den Grundsätzen der natürlichen Methode ". Annalen des Wiener Museums der Naturgeschichte. 1: 105–128. (Pelodiscus, new genus, p. 120). (in German and Latin).