Aubry's flapshell turtle (''Cycloderma aubryi'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

softshell turtle The Trionychidae are a taxonomic family of a number of turtle genera, commonly known as softshell turtles. The family was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can a ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Trionychidae The Trionychidae are a taxonomic family of a number of turtle genera, commonly known as softshell turtles. The family was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826. Softshells include some of the world's largest freshwater turtles, though many can a ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo ...

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 The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

, the Cabinda Province of

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

and likely in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

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Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of ''C. aubryi'' are

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

and freshwater wetlands, at altitudes up to .

Diet

Adults of ''C. aubryi''

prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

upon crabs, crayfish, and

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

. Juveniles may also eat

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

Conservation status

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

References

* 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''... eprint 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'' econd Series8 : 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.orgPhotos at Australian freshwater turtles.com.au
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2476966 Reptiles described in 1854 Taxa named by Auguste Duméril Cycloderma