Pelodiscus sinensis
(Wiegmann, 1835)
PEL-oh-DIS-kus — sih-NEN-sis
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
Native to eastern Asia. It was introduced to Maryland (Kraus, 2009, Alien Reptiles and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and Analysis. SpringerVerlag, Heidelberg, Germany) and is established on O'ahu and Kaua'i, Hawai'i (Brock, 1947, Copeia 1947: 142; McKeown and Webb, 1982, Journal of Herpetology 16: 107–111; McKeown,1996, Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Incorporated, Los Osos, California; Dong et al., 2016, Conservation Genetics 17: 207–220).
(Krysko, Kenneth and Travis W. Taggart. 2025. Established Exotic Species. Pages 64-87 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)
Errata/Changes: Page 87: The (Kraus, 2009) reference should be "Kraus, 2009, Alien Reptiles and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and Analysis. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands". — (06/11/2025)
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.09.05.07.54.56)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.02 MB
Province/State Distribution:
United States: Hawaii
Taxonomic Etymology:
A softshell turtle native to China.
Pelodiscus — From Greek pelos (πηλός), “mud,” and Latin discus, “disc.” Refers to the flattened, disc-like shape and mud-dwelling habits of the turtle—“mud disc.”
sinensis — Latinized form of Sina, “China.” Means “from China” or “Chinese.”
First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1834
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Wiegmann, Arend Friedrich August. Beiträge zur Zoologie, gesammelt auf einer Reise um die Erde, von Dr. F. J. F. Meyen, M. d. A. d. N.. Siebente Abhandlung. Amphibien. [Contributions to zoology, collected on a trip around the world, by Dr. F. J. F. Meyen, M. d. A. d. N.. Seventh treatise. Amphibians.] Nova acta physico-medica Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum [ New physico-medical proceedings of the Academia Caesarea Leopoldino-Carolina Naturae Curiosorum] 17(1):183-268
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1947
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Brock, Vernon E. The establishment of Trionyx sinensis in Hawaii. Copeia 1947(2):142
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1982
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McKeown, Sean, and Robert G. Webb. Softshell turtles in Hawaii. Journal of Herpetology 16(2):107-111
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1996
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McKeown, Sean. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Inc., Los Osos, California. pp.
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2009
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Kraus, Fred. Alien Reptiles and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and Analysis. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 563pp.
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2016
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Dong, Caroline M., Tag N. Engstrom, and Robert C. Thomson. Origins of softshell turtles in Hawaii with implications
for conservation. Conservation Genetics 17:207-220
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