Florida Softshell Turtle, Apalone ferox, hand-colored lithograph
Date 1842
Source North American herpetology; or, A description of the reptiles inhabiting the United States
Author John Edwards Holbrook, 1794-1871
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apalone_feroxHolbrookV2P01A.jpg

The Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox) is a species of softshell turtle native to the Southeastern United States. There are two other species of softshell turtles in Florida, the smooth softshell (Apalone mutica) and the spiny softshell (Apalone spinifera) which are restricted to the Panhandle.

Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Trionychidae
Genus: Apalone
Species: Apalone ferox (Schneider, 1783)
Synonyms
Testudo ferox Schneider, 1783
Testudo mollis Lacépède, 1788
Testudo bartrami Daudin, 1801
Emydes ferox — Brongniart, 1805
Chelys bartramii Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809
Trionyx carinatus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809
Trionyx georgianus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809
Trionyx georgicus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809
Trionyx brongniarti Schweigger, 1812
Trionyx ferox — Schweigger, 1812
Amyda ferox — Oken, 1816
Trionix ferox — Gray, 1825
Aspidonectes carinatus — Wagler, 1830
Aspidonectes ferox — Wagler, 1830
Trionyx bartrami — LeConte, 1830
Testudo brongniartii Gray, 1831 (ex errore)
Mesodeca bartrami — Rafinesque, 1832
Testudo bartramii — A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1835
Trionyx brongnartii A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1835 (ex errore)
Trionyx harlani Bell, 1835
Platypeltis ferox — Fitzinger, 1843
Aspenodectes ferox — LeConte, 1854
Platypeltis brongnartii — O.P. Hay, 1903
Platypeltis erox O.P. Hay, 1903 (ex errore)
Amyda ferox ferox — Neill, 1951
Trionyx ferox ferox — Schmidt, 1953
Apalone ferox — Meylan, 1987
Trionix feroz Richard, 1999 (ex errore)