| Nubian flapshell turtle | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Testudines |
| Suborder: | Cryptodira |
| Family: | Trionychidae |
| Genus: | Cyclanorbis |
| Species: | C. elegans |
| Binomial name | |
| Cyclanorbis elegans (Gray, 1869) | |
| Synonyms[3][4] | |
| |
TheNubian flapshell turtle[1] orNubian soft-shelled turtle[4] (Cyclanorbis elegans) is one of twospecies ofsoftshell turtle in the genusCyclanorbis of theTrionychidae family. It is thought to have ranged fromWest Africa east throughCentral Africa toSouth Sudan, although it has been extirpated from the vast majority of its range.
Historically,Cyclanorbis elegans was found over a wide range, spanning fromWest Africa (Benin,Ghana,Nigeria,Togo) east throughCentral African Republic,Chad,Ethiopia andSudan. In 2017, a lone population was found in theWhite Nile wetlands ofSouth Sudan by Prof. Luca Luiselli and his team; this discovery was publicized in a 2019 paper.[5][6] In 2021, another population was found along the same wetlands, but in northernUganda (near the border with South Sudan); the species had not previously been recorded in this area.[7]
On thebiodiversity databaseiNaturalist, several "research-grade" sightings—i.e., with clear photographic evidence andGPS coordinates—ofC. elegans have been documented between April 2022 and May 2024;[8] the bulk of these observations took place in and aroundSalamat, Chad,[9] while others have occurred inWest Gonja, Ghana, andTangúieta, Benin.[8]
The Nubian flapshell turtle can reach a length of up to 70 cm (27.5 in).[5]
The Nubian flapshell turtle's habitat is often located in very politically-hostile and tumultuous areas, which results in habitat loss due to situations surrounding local skirmishes,land mines and a greater need for water by local armed forces andcivilians. In addition, especially during times of war, the turtles may be hunted asbushmeat.[6] SomeChinese expatriates in Africa are known to offer rather large sums of money to poorer fishermen in exchange for catching these turtles, as they are valued for both food andChinese medicine. Some of the captured turtles are then further exported to Asia for "fresh" availability.[10]Bari fishermen, in South Sudan, have extensive cultural knowledge of the Nubian flapshell turtle, including natural history, lifestyle and reproductive patterns, and nesting sites, which may prove useful in future and ongoing conservation efforts of the species.[11]