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Pelochelys cantorii GRAY, 1864

IUCN Red List - Pelochelys cantorii - Endangered, EN
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Higher TaxaTrionychidae (Trionychinae), Trionychoidea, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Asian Giant soft-shelled Turtle
G: Riesenweichschildkröte
Chinese: 鼋 
SynonymPelochelys cantorii GRAY 1864
Pelochelys cantoris — BOULENGER 1889 (nomen subst. pro P. cantorii)
Pelochelys cantoris — BAUR 1891: 446
Pelochelys cantori — DE ROOIJ 1915: 331
Pelochelys cantorii — SCHMIDT 1927
Pelochelys cantorii — COX et al. 1998: 136
Pelochelys cantorii — MCCORD & JOSEPH-OUNI 2003
Pelochelys cantorii — TTWG 2014
Pelochelys cantorii — TTWG 2021 
DistributionIndia (coastal drainages of peninsular India, mainly Kerala, but also Tamil Nadu); coastal Bangladesh; Myanmar (= Burma), Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, China (Yunnan, Guangdong, as far east as the vicinity of Fuzhou, Hainan, Fujian), Philippines (east from Luzon). Indonesia (Sumatra, Borneo, W Java), Papua New Guinea (into the Memberamo and Sepik reiver basins), (fide MCCORD & JOSEPH-OUNI 2003).

Type locality: Malacca.  
Reproductionoviparous. 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1947.3.6.21-22, originally 60.4.19.1444, "Malacca" (= Melaka, 02º 12'N; 102º 15'E; in West Malaysia). 
Diagnosis 
CommentWebb (1995) restricted the type locality of Pelochelys bibroni to New Guinea, and showed that P. cantorii Gray, 1864 is available for the populations further west.

Type species: Pelochelys cantorii GRAY 1864 is the type species of the genus Pelochelys GRAY 1864: 89.

Synonymy: WERMUTH & MERTENS 1977 listed Pelochelys cantorii as synonym of Pelochelys bibroni.

Habitat: freshwater (rivers and tributaries), enters brackish waters. 
EtymologyNamed after Dr. Theodore Edward Cantor (1809-1860), an amateur zoologist and Superintendent Physician of the European Asylum, Bhowanipur, Calcutta.  
References
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  • Webb, Robert G. 2002. Observations on the Giant Softshell Turtle, Pelochelys cantorii, with description of a new species. Hamadryad 27 (1): 99-107 - get paper here
  • Xiao, Chen; Zhiming, Zhou; Xin, Peng; Xiaolin, Huang; Zhijian, Chen 2013. Complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered Asian giant softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii (Testudinata: Trionychidae). Mitochondrial DNA 24 (2): 111-113 - get paper here
  • Xiaoyou, Hong; Cai Xiaodan, Chen Chen, Liu Xiaoli, Zhao Jian, Qiu Quanbo & Zhu Xinping 2019. Conservation Status of the Asian Giant Softshell Turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) in China. Chelonian Conservation and Biology Jun 2019 Vol. 18, No. 1: 68-74 - get paper here
  • Xinping, Zhu; Hong Xiaoyou, Zhao Jian, Liang Jianhua, and Feng Zicheng 2015. Reproduction of Captive Asian Giant Softshell Turtles, Pelochelys cantorii. Chelonian Conservation and Biology Dec 2015, Vol. 14, No. 2: 143-147. - get paper here
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