(A-B), R. swinhoei (C-D), R. euphraticus'' (E-F)
Evolution Phylogenetic evidence largely suggests that
Rafetus is most closely related to the widespread North American genus
Apalone. The two genera appear to have diverged during the
Late Eocene, likely when the ancestors of
Apalone dispersed into North America via
Beringia.
Species According to most
taxonomists, the genus
Rafetus contains the following two extant
species. •
Rafetus euphraticus –
Euphrates softshell turtle;
Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers in
Iraq,
Syria,
Turkey, and
Khūzestān Province of
Iran.
IUCN:
Endangered. •
Rafetus swinhoei –
Yangtze giant softshell turtle; Only three known living individuals, one in
Suzhou Zoo (China) and two in two lakes in
northern Vietnam, Dong Mo lake and Xuan Khanh lake. IUCN:
Critically endangered. A possible third species,
Rafetus leloii (
synonym R. vietnamensis ), known
commonly as the
Hoan Kiem turtle, has been proposed as a species. It is considered a
junior synonym of
Rafetus swinhoei by most authorities, but some Vietnamese scientists insist the two forms are not identical. The last known individual at Hoan Kiem Lake was found dead on 19 January 2016. An extinct species
R. bohemicus from the
Burdigalian age of the
Early Miocene (about 17.5 million years ago) lived in what is today the
Czech Republic. Cladogram as drawn by Walter G. Joyce, Ariel Revan, Tyler R. Lyson, and Igor G. Danilov (2009) }} ==References==