A New Species of the Genus Pelodiscus (Testudines, Trionychia) from Jiangxi China

Abstract

A new species of softshell turtle (Pelodiscus jiangxiensis sp. nov.) is described based on five specimens from Jiangxi, China. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial sequences indicated that the new species is the sister lineage to a Pelodiscus clade that includes two currently recognized species, namely P. axenaria from Hunan and P. huangshanensis Gong, et al. from Anhui. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to P. axenaria but can be distinguished by its plain, yellowish white plastron, the absence of the single dark gray central figure, and a distinct carapace pattern. The description of this species increases the number of recognized Pelodiscus species to seven, of which six are distributed in China and four are endemic.