NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Shanghai Softshell Turtle
Rafetus swinhoei (Gray, 1873)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), also commonly known as the Red River giant softshell turtle, the Shanghai softshell turtle, the speckled softshell turtle, and Swinhoe's softshell turtle, is a critically endangered species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. It is one of the largest living freshwater turtle species. Native to eastern and southern China and northern Vietnam, the species has a known population of only two individuals, and the absence of fertile females has rendered it functionally extinct.
Wikipedia contributors, Yangtze giant softshell turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:25:47.511630+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rafetus swinhoei (Gray, 1873)
- Name authority
- (Gray, 1873)
- Common name
- Shanghai Softshell Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Trionychidae
- Genus
- Rafetus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyTrionychoidea
- familyTrionychidae
- genusRafetus
- speciesRafetus swinhoei (Gray, 1873)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rafetus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Euphrates Soft-shelled TurtleRafetus euphraticus (Daudin, 1801) | TrionychidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Pelochelys taihuensis Zang Zang | synonym |
| Yuen maculatus Heude Heude | synonym |
| Oscaria swinhoei Gray, 1873 Gray, 1873 | ambiguous synonym |
| Rafetus leloii HÀ Dình Dúc, 2000 HÀ Dình Dúc, 2000 | synonym |
| Rafetus vietnamensis LE et al., 2010 LE et al., 2010 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Rafetus&species=swinhoei Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:793TZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.