Hoan Kiem turtle

Hoan Kiem turtle
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Trionychidae
Genus: Rafetus
Species:
R. leloii
Binomial name
Rafetus leloii
Đức, 2000
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Rafetus vietnamensis (Lê Trần Bình 2010)
  • Rafetus leloii Hà Đình Đức, 2000

The Hoàn Kiếm turtle, also Rafetus leloii, was an obsolete or controversial taxon of turtle from Southeast Asia, based on specimens from Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, Vietnam. Most experts classify this turtle as synonymous with the rare Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), although some Vietnamese biologists asserted that R. leloii is a distinct species.[3] If the two taxa are to be considered distinct, R. leloii may be considered extinct.

The last known turtle, affectionately known to locals as "Cụ Rùa", meaning “great grandfather turtle” in Vietnamese, was reported dead on 19 January 2016.[4][5] A local man saw the body of the turtle floating in the water and reported it to the authorities. The last time the turtle was spotted alive was on 21 December 2015.[4]

  1. ^ Lê Trần Bình và ctv., 2010, So sánh hình thái và phân tích ADN mẫu rùa lớn mai mềm nước ngọt của Việt Nam gần với rùa hồ Hoàn Kiếm (vừa mới chết sáng nay)o(Comparative morphological and DNA analysis of specimens of giant freshwater soft-shelled turtle in Vietnam related to Hoan Kiem turtle), Tạp chí Công nghệ Sinh học, 8(3A):949-954, song ngữ Anh-Việt.
  2. ^ "Rafetus vietnamensis LE et al., 2010 trên The Reptile Database". Archived from the original on July 2, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  3. ^ Farkas, B and Webb, R.G. 2003. Rafetus leloii Hà Dinh Dúc, 2000—an invalid species of softshell turtle from Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam (Reptilia, Testudines, Trionychidae). Zool. Abhandl. (Dresden), 53: 107-112.
  4. ^ a b "'Cụ' rùa Hồ Gươm đã chết". Pháp luật - tin pháp luật đời sống mới nhất 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-01-21. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  5. ^ Ives, Mike (January 22, 2016). "Vietnam's Sacred Turtle Dies at an Awkward, Some Say Ominous, Time". The New York Times. Retrieved January 23, 2016.