Apalone

Apalone
	Spiny softshell turtle, Apalone spinifera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Trionychidae
Subfamily:	Trionychinae
Genus:	Apalone; Rafinesque, 1832
Species
	3 recognized species, see article.
Synonyms
	Mesodeca Rafinesque, 1832; Platypeltis Fitzinger, 1835; Glalypeltis Cope, 1860 (ex errore); Callinia Gray, 1869; Euamyda Stejneger, 1944; Platyrettis Kirsch, 1944 (ex errore)

Apalone is a genus of turtles in the family Trionychidae. Species of Apalone are native to North America.

Geographic range

Most Apalone species are restricted to the United States, though the range of the spiny softshell, A. spinifera, extends into southern Canada and northern Mexico.

Taxonomy

Apalone is a fairly new classification, resurrected by Meylan in 1987,^[2] assigned to North American species of the genus Trionyx, though they are still listed as Trionyx in some texts. (Trionyx now refers specifically to certain softshell species found mainly in Africa.)

Sexual dimorphism

Turtles of the genus Apalone exhibit marked sexual dimorphism. In carapace length, females grow to about twice the size of males. In males, the claws on the front feet are longer than those on the back feet, but in females, the claws on the back feet are longer. In males, the stout tail extends well beyond the posterior edge of the carapace, but in females, the relatively thinner tail barely reaches the edge of the carapace.^[3]

Behavior

Apalone turtles are fast swimmers that chase down their prey in water. They feed mainly on fish. They also like the comfort of sand as their bedding.

Species

The following three species are recognized as being valid.^[4]

Apalone ferox (Schneider, 1783) – Florida softshell turtle - South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama
Apalone mutica (Lesueur, 1827) – smooth softshell turtle - United States, east of the Rocky Mountains
Apalone spinifera (Lesueur, 1827) – spiny softshell turtle - Canada (southern Ontario and Quebec), most of the United States, and northeastern Mexico.

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Apalone.

References

^ Fritz, Uwe, and Havaš, Peter. 2007. Checklist of Chelonians of the World. Dresden: Museum für Tierkunde Dresden.
^ Meylan, P.A. 1987. The phylogenetic relationships of soft-shelled turtles (family Trionychidae). Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. 186: 1-101.
^ Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982. Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3. (SOFTSHELL TURTLES—family Trionychidae, p. 30).
^ "Apalone ". The Reptile Database. www.reptil-database.org.

External links

Genus Apolone at The Reptile Database
Tortoise.org Apalone entry
Spiny Softshell Turtle - Apalone spinifera Species account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide

This article about a turtle is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Fritz, Uwe, and Havaš, Peter. 2007. Checklist of Chelonians of the World. Dresden: Museum für Tierkunde Dresden.

[2] Meylan, P.A. 1987. The phylogenetic relationships of soft-shelled turtles (family Trionychidae). Bull. American Mus. Nat. Hist. 186: 1-101.

[3] Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982. Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3. (SOFTSHELL TURTLES—family Trionychidae, p. 30).

[4] "Apalone ". The Reptile Database. www.reptil-database.org.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]