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Apalone ferox (SCHNEIDER, 1783)

IUCN Red List - Apalone ferox - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaTrionychidae (Trionychinae), Trionychoidea, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Florida Softshell Turtle
G: Florida-Weichschildkröte 
SynonymTestudo ferox SCHNEIDER 1783: 330
Testudo mollis LACÉPÈDE 1788
Testudo ferox verrucosa SCHOEPFF 1795
Testudo bartrami DAUDIN 1802 (nomen subst. pro T. ferox verrucosa)
Trionyx carinatus GEOFFROY 1809
Trionyx georgianus GEOFFROY 1809 (nomen subst. pro T. ferox SCHNEIDER)
Trionyx georgicus GEOFFROY 1809 (nomen subst. pro T. ferox SCHNEIDER)
Trionyx ferox — SCHWEIGGER 1812
Trionyx brogniarti SCHWEIGGER 1812
Aspidonectes ferox — WAGLER 1830
Aspidonectes carinatus — WAGLER 1830
Testudo ferox — CUVIER 1831: 19
Trionyx harlani BELL 1835 (in HARLAN)
Trionyx ferox— SCHLEGEL et al. 1838: 30
Platypeltis ferox — FITZINGER 1843
Platypeltis brogniarti — FITZINGER 1843
Platypeltis ferox — LOENNBERG 1894
Amyda ferox — ALLEN 1932
Trionyx ferox — WEBB 1973
Apalone ferox — MEYLAN 1987
Trionyx ferox — ALDERTON 1988
Apalone ferox — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989
Apalone ferox — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 82
Apalone ferox — CROTHER 2000
Trionyx ferox — HALLMEN 2005
Apalone ferox — TTWG 2014
Apalone ferox — TTWG 2021 
DistributionUSA (SW South Carolina, S Georgia, Florida, S Alabama)

Type locality: Savannah River (at Savannah), Georgia  
Reproductionoviparous. Apalone ferox and A. spinifera hybridize (LOVE 2009). Clutch size: ca. 17 (Ballinger 1978) 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1947.3.6.17 (formerly 53A) 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (1663 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentType species: Testudo ferox is the type species of Platypeltis FITZINGER.

Distribution: records from Louisiana may be introductions (Selman et al. 2016).

Habitat: freshwater (rivers and tributaries, lakes) 
EtymologyNamed after Latin ferox = wild, savage — referring to the ferocious disposition attributed to the species. 
References
  • Akeret, B. 2009. Unter und über Wasser durch die Karstgewässer Floridas. Draco 10 (37): 24-29 - get paper here
  • Alderton, D. 1988. Turtles and tortoises of the world. Facts on File, New York.
  • Allen, Morrow J. 1932. A survey of the Amphibians and reptiles of Harrison County, Mississippi. American Museum Novitates (542): 1-20 - get paper here
  • Aresco, Matthew J.; Joseph Travis, and Pamela S. D. MacRae 2015. Trophic Interactions of Turtles in a North Florida Lake Food Web: Prevalence of Omnivory. Copeia 2015 (2): 343-356. - get paper here
  • Ballinger, R.E. 1978. Variation in and evolution of clutch and litter size. in: Jones, R.E. (ed.), The vertebrate ovary, Plenum Publishing
  • Barone, ; S. 2005. Die Florida-Weichschildkröte (Apalone ferox). Reptilia (Münster) 10 (55): 68-72 - get paper here
  • Barone, S. 2005. Apalone ferox - The florida Softshell. Reptilia (GB) (39): 47-50 - get paper here
  • Böhme, W. 2005. Der “Savannah River Ecology Site” und seine herpetologischen Highlights. Herpetofauna 25 (142): 13-21 - get paper here
  • Bonin, F., Devaux, B. & Dupré, A. 2006. Turtles of the World. English translation by P.C.H. Pritchard. Johns Hopkins University Press, 416 pp.
  • Bour, R. 2008. Global diversity of turtles (Chelonii; Reptilia) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia 595:593–598 - get paper here
  • Brown, M K & Tuberville, T D; 2019. Apalone ferox (Florida Softshell Turtle) Behavior. Herpetological Review 50 (2): 345-347 - get paper here
  • Camper, Jeffrey D. 2019. The Reptiles of South Carolina. University of South Carolina Press, 288 pp. [review in Copeia 107 (3): 590, 2019] - get paper here
  • Conant,R. & Collins,J.T. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern/Central North America, 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin (Boston/New York), xx + 450 p.
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  • Cuvier, G. 1831. The Animal Kingdom arranged in conformity with its organization, by the Baron Cuvier, ... with additional descriptions of all the species hitherto named, and of many not before noticed, by Edward Griffith... and others. Vol. 9. Whittaker, Treacher and Co., London, 481 pp. - get paper here
  • Donini, J 2018. Apalone ferox (Florida Softshell Turtle) Deformity/Healed Injury. Herpetological Review 49 (2): 314-315 - get paper here
  • DOODY, J. S., S. SULLIVAN, AND J. DONINI 2020. Apalone ferox (Florida Softshell Turtle). Nesting Behavior. Herpetological Review 51: 105.
  • Ernst, Carl H.; Lovich, Jeffrey E. 2009. Turtles of the United States and Canada, 2nd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 827 pp. - get paper here
  • Ernst,C.H. and Barbour,R.W. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. - London
  • Flaherty, James P. and Josh Friers. 2013. Apalone ferox (Florida softshell) diet. Herpetological Review 44 (3): 500 - get paper here
  • Hallmen, M. 2005. Farb- und Zeichnungszuchten in der Terraristik. Reptilia (Münster) 10 (55): 16-22 - get paper here
  • Hallmen, M. 2006. Selective Breeding for color and pattern. Reptilia (GB) (44): 12-18 - get paper here
  • Heaton, A J & Moreno, N A; 2019. Apalone ferox (Florida Softshell) Diet. Herpetological Review 50 (1): 115-116 - get paper here
  • Heaton, A.J. & Moreno, N.A. 2017. Geographic Distribution: Apalone ferox (Florida Softshell). Herpetological Review 48 (4): 808-809 - get paper here
  • Hennig, A. S. 2015. Immer wieder gelbe Streifen …<br>Hinweise zur Bestimmung häufig gehaltener Wasserschildkrötenarten. Reptilia (Münster) 20 (116): 26-31 - get paper here
  • Holt, Brian D. and Ashton Den Dekker. 2016. Geographic Distribution: Apalone ferox (Florida Softshell). Herpetological Review 47 (1): 79 - get paper here
  • HOWELL, H. J 2020. Apalone ferox (Florida Softshell). Predation. Herpetological Review 51: 574.
  • Iverson, J.B. & P.E. Moler 1997. The Female Reproductive Cycle of the Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox) Journal of Herpetology 31 (3): 399-409. - get paper here
  • Jensen, John B.; Carlos D. Camp, Whit Gibbons, & Matt J. Elliott 2008. Amphibians and reptiles of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, 575 pp.
  • Joyce, Walter G.; James F. Parham , Tyler R. Lyson , Rachel C. M. Warnock and Philip C. J. Donoghue 2013. A Divergence Dating Analysis of Turtles Using Fossil Calibrations: An Example of Best Practices. Journal of Paleontology, 87(4):612-634 - get paper here
  • Krysko, K.K.; Enge, K.M.; Donlan, E.M.; Golden, E.Z.; Burgess, J.P. & Larson, K.W. 2009. THE NON-MARINE HERPETOFAUNA OF KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA. Herp. Cons. Biol. 5 (1):132-142 - get paper here
  • Li, H., Liu, J., Xiong, L., Zhang, H., Zhou, H., Yin, H., Jing, W., Li, J., Shi, Q., Wang, Y., Liu, J. and Nie, L. 2017. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence dates of softshell turtles (Testudines: Trionychidae) inferred from complete mitochondrial genomes. J. Evol. Biol., doi:10.1111/jeb.13070 - get paper here
  • Lönnberg, Einar 1894. Notes on reptiles and batrachians collected in Florida in 1892 and 1893. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 17 (1003): 317-339 - get paper here
  • Lourenço, João M.; Julien Claude, Nicolas Galtier, Ylenia Chiari 2011. Dating cryptodiran nodes: Origin and diversification of the turtle superfamily Testudinoidea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62 (1): - get paper here
  • Love, B. 2009. Die „Krise“ der Florida-Weichschildkröte. Reptilia (Münster) 14 (75): 14-15 - get paper here
  • McCord, W.P. & Joseph-Ouni, M. 2005. Chelonian Illustrations #19: American softshell turtles. Reptilia (GB) (38): 78-81 - get paper here
  • Meylan, P.A. 1987. The phylogenetic relationships of soft-shelled turtles (Family Trionychidae). Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 186 (1):1-101. - get paper here
  • Meylan, P.A., R. Schuler & P. Moler 2002. Spermatogenic Cycle of the Florida Softshell Turtle, Apalone ferox Copeia 2002 (3): 779-786. - get paper here
  • Mitchell, Joseph C. and Gerald R. Johnston. 2014. Apalone ferox (Florida softshell) tolerance to fire ants. Herpetological Review 45 (2): 308-309 - get paper here
  • Munscher, Eric C., Nicole Salvatico, Brian Hauge and Iren Gaz. 2016. Geographic Distribution: Apalone ferox (Florida Softshell). Herpetological Review 47 (2): 251 - get paper here
  • Munscher, Eric C.; Andrew D. Walde, J. Daren Riedle, Emily H. Kuhns, Andrew S. Weber, and J. Brian Hauge 2015. Population Structure of the Florida Softshell Turtle, Apalone ferox, in a Protected Ecosystem, Wekiwa Springs State Park, Florida. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 14 (1): 34-42. - get paper here
  • Munscher, Eric; Andrew D. Walde, Elizabeth M. Walton, Nicole Salvatico, Brian P. Butterfield, Wayne Osborne, Collin McAvinchey, J. Brian Hauge 2017. Turtle survey of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park reveals more than mermaid. Herpetology Notes 10: 601-609 - get paper here
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  • Wagler, Jean G. 1830. Natürliches System der Amphibien, mit vorangehender Classification der Säugetiere und Vögel. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. 1.0. Cotta, München, Stuttgart, and Tübingen, 354 pp. [1830-1832] - get paper here
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  • Webb, Robert G. 1973. Trionyx ferox. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (138): 1-3 - get paper here
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  • ZAPPALORTI, ROBERT T.; LIN HWA-CHING, VINCENT CHEN & CHUN-FU CHEN. 2021. APALONE FEROX (Florida Softshell). PREDATION. Herpetological Review 52 (2): 384–385. - get paper here
 
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