Southern New Guinea giant softshell turtle

Southern New Guinea giant softshell turtle
CITES Appendix II (CITES)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Trionychidae
Genus: Pelochelys
Species:
P. bibroni
Binomial name
Pelochelys bibroni
(Owen, 1853)
Synonyms
  • Trionyx (Gymnopus) bibroni
    Owen, 1853
  • Pelochelys bibronii [sic]
    Gray, 1864
    (ex errore)
  • Pelochelys bibroni
    M.A. Smith, 1930
  • Triinyx bibroni
    — M.A. Smith, 1930

The southern New Guinea giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys bibroni) is a species of softshell turtle in the family Trionychidae. The species is endemic to the lowlands of southern New Guinea with occasional vagrant individuals sighted off the coast of northern Australia. There is no confirmed Australian record. P. bibroni is referred to by the Suki people as kiya eise, a reference to its flexible shell. In the Arammba language, it is called sokrere, meaning "earthquake". It is sometimes hunted by local villages for its meat and/or eggs, leading to some cases of chelonitoxism.