View source for Gulf Coast spiny softshell turtle

{{Short description|Subspecies of turtle}}
{{subspeciesbox
| name = Gulf Coast spiny softshell turtle
| image = Apalone spinifera ssp. aspera.jpg
| status = T5
| status_system = TNC
|status_ref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101521/Apalone_spinifera_aspera|title=''Apalone spinifera aspera''|website=NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer|author=NatureServe|publisher=NatureServe|location=Arlington, Virginia|date=1 December 2023|access-date=24 December 2023}}</ref>
| genus = Apalone
| species = spinifera
| species_link = Spiny softshell turtle
| subspecies = aspera
| authority = [[Louis Agassiz|Agassiz]], 1857
| synonyms_ref =<ref name="Fritz07">{{Harnvb|Fritz|2007|pp=306–310}}</ref>
| synonyms = 
* ''Aspidonectes asper'' <small>Agassiz, 1857</small>
* ''Platypeltis agassizii'' <small>[[Georg Baur|Baur]], 1888</small>
* ''Trionyx agassizii'' <small>&ndash; [[Oliver Perry Hay|O.P. Hay]], 1892</small>
* ''Pelodiscus agassizii'' <small>&ndash; Baur, 1893</small>
* ''Platypeltis asper'' <small>&ndash; Baur, 1893</small>
* ''Aspidonectes agassizi'' <small>&ndash; Jordan, 1899</small> ''([[ex errore]])''
* ''Trionyx spiniferus agassizii'' <small>&ndash; [[Friedrich Siebenrock|Siebenrock]], 1924</small>
* ''Amyda agassizii'' <small>&ndash; [[Leonhard Hess Stejneger|Stejneger]] & [[Thomas Barbour|Barbour]], 1939</small>
* ''Amyda spinifera aspera'' <small>&ndash; Stejneger & Barbour, 1939</small>
* ''Amyda ferox agassizii'' <small>&ndash; [[Wilfred T. Neill|Neill]], 1951</small>
* ''Amyda ferox aspera'' <small>Neill, 1951</small>
* ''Trionyx ferox agassizi'' <small>&ndash; [[Karl Patterson Schmidt|Schmidt]], 1953</small>
* ''Trionyx ferox aspera'' <small>&ndash; Schmidt, 1953</small>
* ''Trionyx spinifer asper'' <small>&ndash; Schwartz, 1956</small>
* ''Trionyx spiniferus asper'' <small>&ndash; Wermuth & [[Robert Mertens|Mertens]], 1961</small>
* ''Trionyx spiniferus asperus'' <small>&ndash; Zappalorti, 1976</small>
* ''Trionyx spiniferous asperus'' <small>&ndash; Anderson, 1985</small>
* ''Apalone spinifera asper'' <small>&ndash; Ernst & Barbour, 1989</small>
* ''Apalone spinifera asper'' <small>&ndash; Stubbs, 1989</small>
* ''Apalone spinifera aspera'' <small>&ndash; Iverson, Meylan, Pritchard, Seidel & Ward, 1990</small>
}}

The '''Gulf Coast spiny softshell turtle''' ('''''Apalone spinifera aspera'''''), a [[subspecies]] in the [[Trionychidae]] family of softshell [[turtle]]s, is [[Endemism|endemic]] to the south-eastern United States.

==Geographic range==
Gulf coast spiny soft shell turtles are found along the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and the Atlantic coast from [[North Carolina]] to [[Mississippi]]. They live in temperate climates in freshwater biomes.<ref>Harding, J. 1997. ''Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region''. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.  {{isbn|0472066285}}</ref>

==Description==
''Apalone spinifera aspera'' differs from other [[subspecies]] of ''Apalone spinifera'' in having two or more black lines running along the posterior border of the carapace. It also has scattered ocelli or ring-shaped spots on the carapace, which may be obscure in adult females.<ref>[[Hobart Muir Smith|Smith, H.M.]] and E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982. ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification'' Golden Press. New York. 240 pp. (''Trionyx spiniferus asperus'', pp. 32-33.)</ref> The edges of the carapace are soft with small spines. The head and neck usually have yellow and brown stripes and spot-like markings that lead up to a long upward pointed nose. The underbelly is whitish or yellow with bones visible underneath. The body is olive or tan with black speckles and a dark rim around the edge of their shell. Adult males have olive and yellow coloration on their carapaces, with black "eyespots", and a thicker tail than females. Males are also smaller than females, with a shell length of 12.7 to 24&nbsp;cm. Females are 24 to 48&nbsp;cm in length, with a dark carapace and a small tail that doesn't go beyond the edge of their carapace. Their feet are webbed for swimming, with their toes ending in claws. Large females can live upwards of 50 years.

==Habitat==
Gulf coast spiny soft shell turtles inhabit various freshwater sources such as rivers, lakes, marshes, farm ponds, as well as bays of larger lakes. They prefer open habitats with a small amount of vegetation and a sandy or muddy bottom. They require sandy raised nesting areas close to water.<ref>Behler, J., F. King. 1998. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.</ref>

==Behavior==
These turtles are [[Diurnal cycle|diurnal]] animals, spending most of the day basking in the sun and foraging for food. They are often seen sunning themselves on logs, river banks, or lake shores. If disturbed, they will quickly retreat into the water and bury themselves in sand, leaving only their heads visible. Like most turtles, they are able to breathe underwater for extended periods of time. They will spend the colder months underwater, buried in the mud or sand in a state of dormancy.<ref>Spiny Softshell. http://www.herpsofnc.org/herps_of_NC/turtles/Apaspi/apaspi.html</ref> When bothered, spiny softshell turtles will extend their long necks and snap viciously at their attacker, inflicting a painful bite.

==Diet==
Spiny softshell turtles are [[carnivores]] preying mostly on invertebrates, such as, [[crayfish]] and aquatic insects. When they are large enough they will occasionally prey upon small fish. They find their food underneath rocks, logs, branches, along the floor of lakes, rivers, and streams, and in vegetation. They will sometimes hide in the floor substrate and ambush prey as it swims by.

===Predators===
Spiny softshell turtles have few natural predators including, large predatory fish, [[raccoons]], [[herons]], [[skunks]], [[red foxes]], and occasionally humans. Their nests are often destroyed by raccoons, skunks, and foxes. Young softshell turtles are eaten by raccoons, herons, and large fish; adults, on the other hand, are killed and eaten only by humans. Being shy creatures they will quickly dive and hide under mud and sand to avoid predators.<ref>Conant, R., J. Collins. 1998. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians; Eastern and Central North America. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}
*{{EMBL species|genus=Apalone|species=spinifera}}

===Bibliography===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091026223332/http://geocities.com/turtlestevesplace/turtle/guide/ts.html Turtle Field Guide: Spiny Softshell Subspecies]
*{{Anchor|CITEREFRhodin2011}}{{cite journal |url=http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Accounts/crm_5_000_checklist_v4_2011.pdf |title=Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status |journal=Chelonian Research Monographs |volume=5 |date=2011-12-31 |author1=Rhodin, Anders G.J. |author2=van Dijk, Peter Paul |author3=Inverson, John B. |author4=Shaffer, H. Bradley |author5=Roger, Bour |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131102839/http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Accounts/crm_5_000_checklist_v4_2011.pdf |archivedate=2012-01-31 |url-status=dead }}
*{{Anchor|CITEREFFritz2007}}{{cite journal | journal = Vertebrate Zoology | title = Checklist of Chelonians of the World | year = 2007 | first = Uwe | last = Fritz | author2 = Havaš, Peter | volume = 57 | issue = 2 | pages = 149–368 | doi = 10.3897/vz.57.e30895 | s2cid = 87809001 | doi-access = free }}

{{Trionychidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q5617471}}

[[Category:Apalone]]
[[Category:Turtles of North America]]
[[Category:Reptiles of the Caribbean]]
[[Category:Reptiles of the United States]]
[[Category:Biota of the Gulf of Mexico]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Southeastern United States]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast of the United States]]
[[Category:Endemic reptiles of the United States]]
[[Category:Least concern biota of the United States]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Louis Agassiz]]