lesser Chinese softshell turtle

{{Short description|Species of turtle}}

{{Speciesbox

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| status = CITES_A2

| status_system = CITES

| status_ref = {{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}

| genus = Pelodiscus

| species = parviformis

| authority = Tang, 1997{{Cite journal|journal=Vertebrate Zoology |title=Checklist of Chelonians of the World |year=2007 |author=Fritz, Uwe |author2=Havaš, Peter. |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=319 |doi=10.3897/vz.57.e30895 |doi-access=free |issn=1864-5755 }}

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The lesser Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus parviformis) is a species of turtle in the family Trionychidae. It is endemic to China, where it inhabits a small range in Guangxi and Hunan provinces. Populations of this species in Vietnam and Hainan are now considered to belong to a separate species, the spotted softshell turtle (P. variegatus).{{Cite book |last=Rhodin |first=Anders G.J. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021 |title=Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.). |date=2021-11-15 |publisher=Chelonian Research Foundation and Turtle Conservancy |isbn=978-0-9910368-3-7 |series=Chelonian Research Monographs|volume=8 |doi=10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021 |s2cid=244279960 }}

There is some controversy within researchers over whether or not P. parviformis is a valid species. Yang et al. (2011) deemed it a valid species. Reptile Database commented that due to a lack of a revised diagnosis in this study, this species is still somewhat of unclear status.

It has been proposed that this species be considered as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to its restricted range and the heavy level of exploitation it receives.{{Cite journal|last1=Fritz|first1=Uwe|last2=Ong|first2=An Vinh|last3=Pham|first3=Cuong The|last4=Ziegler|first4=Thomas|last5=Farkas|first5=Balázs|date=2019-02-13|title=A new species of Pelodiscus from northeastern Indochina (Testudines, Trionychidae)|url=https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/31376/|journal=ZooKeys|language=en|issue=824|pages=71–86|doi=10.3897/zookeys.824.31376|pmid=30799973|issn=1313-2970|pmc=6382751|doi-access=free|bibcode=2019ZooK..824...71F }}