Pelodiscus is a genus of turtles in the familyTrionychidae, the softshells.[1] 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.
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).
