Apalone

Apalone is a genus of turtles in the family Trionychidae. The three species of Apalone are native to freshwater habitats in North America; they are the only living softshell turtles from the Americas (other American softshell turtles are only known from fossil remains).

Apalone is a genus of turtles in the family Trionychidae. The three species of Apalone are native to freshwater habitats in North America; they are the only living softshell turtles from the Americas (other American softshell turtles are only known from fossil remains). ==Geographic range== Most Apalone species are restricted to the United States, though the range of the spiny softshell, A. spinifera, extends into southern Canada and northern Mexico. Fossil evidence suggests that Apalone may have reached as far south as Costa Rica during the Pliocene. ==Taxonomy== Apalone is a fairly new classification, resurrected by Meylan in 1987, assigned to North American species of the genus Trionyx. They are still listed as Trionyx in some texts. (Trionyx now refers specifically to certain softshell species found mainly in Africa.) Molecular phylogenetic studies generally suggest that Apalone is most closely related to the highly endangered Asian genus Rafetus, with the two genera most likely diverging during the Late Eocene. The ancestral Apalone most likely crossed from Asia into North America via Beringia, taking advantage of the warm climate during the Eocene. ==Sexual dimorphism== Turtles of the genus Apalone exhibit marked sexual dimorphism. In carapace length, females grow to about twice the size of males. In males, the claws on the front feet are longer than those on the back feet, but in females, the claws on the back feet are longer. In males, the stout tail extends well beyond the posterior edge of the carapace, but in females, the relatively thinner tail barely reaches the edge of the carapace. ==Behavior== Apalone turtles are fast swimmers that chase down their prey in water. They feed mainly on fish. They also like the comfort of sand as their bedding. ==References== ==Further reading== Rafinesque CS (1832). "Description of two new genera of Soft Shell Turtles of North America". Atlantic Journal and Friend of Knowledge 1: 64–65. (Apalone, new genus, p. 64). ==External links== Tortoise.org Apalone entry Spiny Softshell Turtle - Apalone spinifera Species account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1354645279 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.