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Nubian flapshell turtle

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Nubian flapshell turtle
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Trionychidae
Genus: Cyclanorbis
Species:
C. elegans
Binomial name
Cyclanorbis elegans
(Gray, 1869)
Synonyms[3][4]
  • Baikiea elegans Gray, 1869
  • Cyclanorbis elegans – Boulenger, 1889
  • Cyclanorbis oligotylus Siebenrock, 1902

The Nubian flapshell turtle[1] or Nubian soft-shelled turtle[4] (Cyclanorbis elegans) is one of two species of softshell turtle in the genus Cyclanorbis of the Trionychidae family. It is thought to have ranged from West Africa east through Central Africa to South Sudan, although it has been extirpated from the vast majority of its range.

Distribution

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Historically, Cyclanorbis elegans was found over a wide range, spanning from West Africa (Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo) east through Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia and Sudan. In 2017, a lone population was found in the White Nile wetlands of South Sudan by Prof. Luca Luiselli and his team; this discovery was publicized in a 2019 paper.[5][6] In 2021, another population was found along the same wetlands, but in northern Uganda (near the border with South Sudan); the species had not previously been recorded in this area.[7]

On the biodiversity database iNaturalist, several "research-grade" sightings—i.e., with clear photographic evidence and GPS coordinates—of C. elegans have been documented between April 2022 and May 2024;[8] the bulk of these observations took place in and around Salamat, Chad,[9] while others have occurred in West Gonja, Ghana, and Tangúieta, Benin.[8]

Description

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The Nubian flapshell turtle can reach a length of up to 70 cm (27.5 in).[5]

Conservation

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The Nubian flapshell turtle's habitat is often located in very politically-hostile and tumultuous areas, which results in habitat loss due to situations surrounding local skirmishes, land mines and a greater need for water by local armed forces and civilians. In addition, especially during times of war, the turtles may be hunted as bushmeat.[6] Some Chinese expatriates in Africa are known to offer rather large sums of money to poorer fishermen in exchange for catching these turtles, as they are valued for both food and Chinese medicine. Some of the captured turtles are then further exported to Asia for "fresh" availability.[10] Bari fishermen, in South Sudan, have extensive cultural knowledge of the Nubian flapshell turtle, including natural history, lifestyle and reproductive patterns, and nesting sites, which may prove useful in future and ongoing conservation efforts of the species.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b Baker, P.J.; Luiselli, L.; Diagne, T. (2016). "Cyclanorbis elegans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T6004A3086539. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T6004A3086539.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 313. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. ISSN 1864-5755.
  4. ^ a b Cyclanorbis elegans at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 1 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Nubische Klappen-Weichschildkröte". Turtle Island (in German). Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  6. ^ a b Demaya, Gift Simon; Benansio, John Sebit; Lado, Thomas Francis; Diagne, Tomas; Dendi, Daniele; Luiselli, Luca (June 12, 2019). "Rediscovery of the Nubian Flapshell Turtle (Cyclanorbis elegans) in South Sudan". Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 18 (1): 62–67. doi:10.2744/18.1.62. ISSN 1071-8443. S2CID 198305659.
  7. ^ Luiselli, Luca; Demaya, Gift Simon; Benansio, John Sebit; Lado, Thomas Francis; Jubarah, Salah (January 2022). "Nubian flapshell turtle found in northern Uganda". Oryx. 56 (1): 10. doi:10.1017/S0030605321001332. ISSN 0030-6053. S2CID 245681001.
  8. ^ a b "Observations • iNaturalist". 29 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Observations • iNaturalist". 29 July 2024.
  10. ^ Luiselli, Luca; Dendi, Daniele; Benansio, John Sebit; Demaya, Gift Simon; Stanford, Craig B. (July 6, 2021). "An additional threat to the recently rediscovered Nubian flapshell turtle in South Sudan". Oryx. 55 (4): 490. doi:10.1017/S0030605321000430. ISSN 0030-6053. S2CID 235736006.
  11. ^ Demaya, Gift Simon; Benansio, John Sebit; Lado, Thomas Francis; Jubarah, Salah Khatir; Ladu, John Leju Celestino; Luiselli, Luca (2019-10-18). "Local Ecological Knowledge in South Sudan Can Help Conservation and Management of Cyclanorbis elegans". Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 18 (2): 259–264. doi:10.2744/CCB-1377.1. ISSN 1071-8443. S2CID 208567334.
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