Aubry's flapshell turtle

Aubry's flapshell turtle
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix II
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Trionychidae
Genus:	Cycloderma
Species:	C. aubryi
Binomial name
Cycloderma aubryi (A.H.A. Duméril, 1856)
Synonyms
Cryptopus aubryi A.H.A. Duméril, 1856 Cryptopodus aubryi — A.H.A. Duméril, 1856 Cycloderma aubryi — A.H.A. Duméril, 1860 Heptathyra aubryi — Cope, 1860

Aubry's flapshell turtle (Cycloderma aubryi) is a species of softshell turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is endemic to Central Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, aubryi, is in honor of Charles Eugène Aubry-Lecomte (1821–1879), who was a French civil servant and an amateur naturalist.

Geographic range

C. aubryi is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, the Cabinda Province of Angola and likely in the Central African Republic.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of C. aubryi are forest and freshwater wetlands, at altitudes up to 500 m (1,600 ft).

Diet

Adults of C. aubryi prey upon crabs, crayfish, and fish. Juveniles may also eat insects.

Conservation status

In 2017, the IUCN listed C. aubryi as vulnerable.

References

Further reading

• Bour R (2008). "The holotypes of Pentonyx gabonensis A. Duméril, 1856 and Cryptopodus aubryi A. Duméril, 1856". Emys 15 (3): 41–44.
• Broadley DG (1998). "The reptilian fauna of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa)". In: Schmidt KP, Noble GK (1998). Contributions to the Herpetology of the Belgian Congo... [reprint of the 1919 and 1923 papers]. SSAR Facsimile reprints in Herpetology, pp. 780.
• Chirio, Laurent; Ineich, Ivan (2006). "Biogeography of the reptiles of the Central African Republic". African Journal of Herpetology 55 (1): 23–59.
• Duméril AHA (1856). "Note sur les reptiles du Gabon ". Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée, Paris [Second Series] 8 : 369–377, 417–424, 460–470, 553–562. (in French).
• Ernst CH, Barbour RW (1989). Turtles of the World. London and Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian Institution Press.
• Gramentz, Dieter (1998). "Zur Morphologie und Merkmalsvariation von Cycloderma aubryi. (Duméril, 1856) ". Salamandra 34 (4): 333–348. (in German).
• Gray JE (1860). "On the African Trionyces with hidden feet (Emyda)". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 6 (3): 440–441.
• Günther A (1896). "Report on a collection of reptiles and fishes made by Miss M. H. Kingsley during her travels on the Ogowe river and in Old Calabar". Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 17 (6): 261–267.
• McCord WP, Joseph-Ouni M (2003). "Chelonian Illustrations #6. Flapshell and Giant Asian Softshell Turtles". Reptilia (Great Britain) (26): 59–64.
• Meylan PA(1987). "The phylogenetic relationships of soft-shelled turtles (Family Trionychidae)". Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 186 (1): 1–101.
• Nieden F (1910). "Die Reptilien (ausser der Schlangen) und Amphibien ". In: Die Fauna der deutschen Kolonien. Reihe 1. Kamerun Heft 2. Berlin. pp. 75. (in German).
• Pauwels OSG, Vandeweghe JP (2008). Les reptiles du Gabon. Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian Institution. 272 pp. (in French).
• Pauwels OSG; Branch, William R.; Burger, Marius (2004). "Reptiles of Loango National Park, OGOOUÉ-MARITIME PROVINCE, SOUTH-WESTERN GABON". Hamadryad 29 (1): 115–127.
• Tornier G (1902). "Die Crocodile, Schildkröten und Eidechsen in Kamerun ". Zool. Jahrb., Abt. Syst. 15 (6): 663–677. (in German).
• Valverde J (2007). "Weichschildkröten ". Reptilia (Münster) 12 (6): 16–23. (in German).

External links

• Photo at Chelonia.org
• Photos at Australian freshwater turtles.com.au