Hoan Kiem Turtle - Classification

Classification

Through work by Farkas et al., most authorities classify leloii as a junior synonym of the Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle. However, some Vietnamese biologists, such as Ha Dinh Duc, who first described leloii, and Le Tran Binh insist that the two turtles are not the same species. Le points out genetic differences as well as differences in morphology. However, Farkas et al. repeated their 2003 conclusion in 2011, citing that differences between specimens may be due to age and that the genetic sequences used were never sent to GenBank. They also criticized the fact that Le et al. violated ICZN Code by renaming the species from leloii to vietnamensis on the grounds of "appropriateness." Another genetic test was done in 2011 when the turtle was rescued and cleaned, which allegedly showed it to be female and distinct from the swinhoei of China and Dong Mo, Vietnam. However, the results were not formally announced, and some are skeptical of these results, given the difficulty of sexing turtles and the lack of the claimed genetic proof.

Duc has also hypothesized that Emperor Thái Tổ of the Lê Dynasty brought the turtles from Thanh Hóa Province and released them in Hoan Kiem Lake. Recently, Duc and some researchers found skeletons of giant turtles in Yen Bai, Phu Tho and Hoa Binh Provinces.