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Apalone spinifera (LeSueur, 1827) - Northern Spiny Softshell

Maps

Locality Map

Locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

County Map

County map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
County map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Historical Locality Map

Historical locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Historical locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell). Black circles ( ) represent records after 1986, blue squares ( ) represent records between 1966 and 1986, orange triangles ( ) represent records prior to 1966. Note that more recent records might conceal underlying older records.
Map created 15 April 2026.

Historical County Map

Historical county map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Historical county map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell). Black circles ( ) represent records after 1986, blue squares ( ) represent records between 1966 and 1986, orange triangles ( ) represent records prior to 1966. Note that only the most recent county record for each county is shown.
Map created 15 April 2026.

Ecological Drainage Locality Map

Ecological Drainage Units map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Ecological Drainage Units locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Natural Divisions Locality Map

Natural Divisions locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Natural Divisions and Sections locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Major Watersheds Locality Map

Major watersheds map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Major Watersheds locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level I Ecoregion Locality Map

Level I Ecoregions map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Level I Ecoregion locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level II Ecoregion Locality Map

Level II Ecoregions map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Level II Ecoregion locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level III Ecoregion Locality Map

Level III Ecoregions map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Level III Ecoregion locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Level IV Ecoregion Locality Map

Level IV Ecoregions map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell)
Level IV Ecoregion locality map for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell).
Map created 15 April 2026.

Native Status

Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell) is native to Missouri.

Collection Summary

Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell) has a total of 227 valid, non-duplicated collections representing 82 counties and 188 localities. There are a total of 106 collectors and 152 collection dates for the species. This results in a total of 163 expeditions for the species, a measure of unique date / collector(s) combinations. The earliest collection year for the species in Missouri is 1907 and its most recent collection year is 2025. The earliest and latest collection dates (independent of earliest and most recent collection years) are March 18 and October 12, respectively. If you have a new record to report, read the New Records section of the FAQ.

Collection Summary by County

Collection summary for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell) by county. Some values are unavailable since some records are represented solely by historical literature reports, which sometimes lack complete collecting data. Click on a county name to view more information about that county. Click on column headings to sort by that column.
County Localities Collections Collectors Dates Expeditions Earliest Year Latest Year
Adair 1 1 1 1 1 2017 2017
Audrain 2 2 1 2 2 2000 2024
Barton 6 6 1 5 5 2016 2022
Bollinger 1 2 2 1 1 2019 2019
Boone 5 5 4 4 5 1994 2007
Butler 1 1 1 1 1 2007 2007
Callaway 3 4 2 3 3 2000 2023
Camden 4 5 2 3 3 1979 1996
Cape Girardeau 4 4 5 4 4 1961 2020
Carroll 1 1 1 1 1 2006 2006
Carter 1 1 2 1 1 2002 2002
Chariton 5 5 4 4 4 1948 2014
Clark 1 1 1 1 1 2013 2013
Clay 2 2 2 2 2 1986 2021
Cole 1 1 2 1 1 2010 2010
Cooper 1 1 1 1 1 2006 2006
Crawford 3 3 6 3 3 1965 2008
Dade 1 1 1 1 1 2016 2016
Dallas 2 2 4 2 2 1987 2001
Dent 5 6 6 5 5 1909 1976
Dunklin 5 5 3 4 4 1961 1978
Franklin 2 3 2 2 2 1911 1911
Gasconade 1 1 2 1 1 1941 1941
Gentry 2 2 5 2 2 1993 2009
Greene 4 4 3 4 4 1961 2025
Harrison 1 1 1 1 1 1993 1993
Henry 1 1 1 1 1 2025 2025
Hickory 1 1 1 1 1 1992 1992
Holt 1 1 1 1 1
Howard 2 2 1 2 2 2002 2005
Howell 1 1 1 1 1 1960 1960
Jackson 4 4 2 4 4 1962 1987
Jasper 2 2 2 2 2 1964 2015
Jefferson 4 4 3 3 3 1932 2006
Johnson 3 3 3 3 3 1954 1960
Knox 3 4 1 2 2 2004 2004
Laclede 1 1 1 1 1 2006 2006
Lewis 2 3 2 2 2 1996 1996
Lincoln 3 3 2 3 3 1985 2020
Livingston 1 1 2 1 1 1991 1991
Macon 1 1 2 1 1 2013 2013
Madison 1 1 3 1 1 2003 2003
Maries 1 2 1 1 1 2000 2000
Marion 1 1 1 1 1 2006 2006
McDonald 1 1 1 1 1 1990 1990
Miller 2 2 8 2 2 1940 1997
Mississippi 3 3 2 3 3 1962 2007
Monroe 2 2 2 2 2 1996 2009
Montgomery 2 3 1 2 2 2004 2021
Morgan 1 1 1 1 1 1966 1966
Newton 2 2 5 2 2 1935 2015
Oregon 1 1 5 1 1 2020 2020
Osage 2 2 5 2 2 2006 2006
Ozark 1 1 1 1 1 1969 1969
Pemiscot 1 1 1 1 1 1962 1962
Perry 1 1 2 1 1 2011 2011
Pettis 1 1 1 1 1 2022 2022
Phelps 3 3 7 3 3 1941 1999
Pike 3 4 4 3 3 1931 2020
Platte 1 1 2 1 1 2006 2006
Pulaski 3 5 3 4 4 1954 2002
Randolph 2 2 1 2 2 2001 2022
Reynolds 2 2 2 2 2 1911 1940
Ripley 1 1 1 1 1 1941 1941
Saint Charles 1 6 1 1 1 1931 1931
Saint Clair 3 3 1 1 1
Saint Francois 1 1 1 1 1 2007 2007
Saint Louis 2 4 1 4 4 1907 1913
Saline 2 2 1 1 1
Schuyler 1 1 1 1 1 2019 2019
Scott 2 2 4 2 2 2001 2020
Shannon 11 11 11 9 9 1950 2025
Shelby 1 1 1 1 1 1997 1997
Stoddard 3 5 5 4 4 2001 2025
Stone 7 7 9 6 6 1908 2025
Sullivan 1 1 1 1 1 2005 2005
Taney 1 1 1 1 1 1982 1982
Texas 5 9 8 5 6 1988 2016
Vernon 1 2 1 1 1
Washington 3 10 3 6 7 1909 1983
Wayne 1 1 1 1 1 1950 1950
Worth 1 1 1 1 1 1986 1986

Potential County Records

Potential counties for Apalone spinifera (Northern Spiny Softshell). Counties are listed in descending order of their likelihood of having this species. Click on a county to view more information about that county. Click on column headings to sort by that column.
Likelihood County Rationale Ecoregion / Watershed
2 Barry Same watershed, within 5 miles Spring
2 Barry Same watershed, within 5 miles James
2 Benton Same watershed, within 5 miles Niangua
2 Benton Same watershed, within 5 miles Lamine
2 Buchanan Same watershed, within 5 miles Platte
2 Cedar Same watershed, within 5 miles Sac
2 Christian Same watershed, within 5 miles James
2 Clinton Same watershed, within 5 miles Platte
2 Iron Same watershed, within 5 miles Upper Black
2 Iron Same watershed, within 5 miles Upper St. Francis
2 Lawrence Same watershed, within 5 miles Spring
2 Moniteau Same watershed, within 5 miles Lower Missouri-Moreau
2 New Madrid Same watershed, within 5 miles Town of Madrid-Saint Johns Bayou
2 Polk Same watershed, within 5 miles Sac
2 Putnam Same watershed, within 5 miles Lower Chariton
2 Putnam Same watershed, within 5 miles Upper Chariton
2 Ralls Same watershed, within 5 miles Salt
2 Warren Same watershed, within 5 miles Lower Missouri
4 Andrew Same watershed, within 10 miles Tarkio-Wolf
4 Atchison Same watershed, within 10 miles Tarkio-Wolf
4 Caldwell Same watershed, within 10 miles Upper Grand
4 Cass Same watershed, within 10 miles Lower Missouri-Crooked
4 Daviess Same watershed, within 10 miles Upper Grand
4 Linn Same watershed, within 10 miles Lower Grand
4 Nodaway Same watershed, within 10 miles Upper Grand
4 Nodaway Same watershed, within 10 miles Tarkio-Wolf
4 Ray Same watershed, within 10 miles Lower Missouri-Crooked
4 Sainte Genevieve Same watershed, within 10 miles Big
4 Sainte Genevieve Same watershed, within 10 miles Whitewater
6 Bates Same watershed, within 20 miles Harry S. Truman Reservoir
6 Bates Same watershed, within 20 miles South Grand
6 De Kalb Same watershed, within 20 miles Platte
6 De Kalb Same watershed, within 20 miles Upper Grand
6 Douglas Same watershed, within 20 miles North Fork White
6 Douglas Same watershed, within 20 miles Bull Shoals Lake
6 Grundy Same watershed, within 20 miles Upper Grand
6 Lafayette Same watershed, within 20 miles Blackwater
6 Lafayette Same watershed, within 20 miles Lower Missouri-Crooked
6 Scotland Same watershed, within 20 miles South Fabius
6 Scotland Same watershed, within 20 miles North Fabius
6 Webster Same watershed, within 20 miles James
6 Webster Same watershed, within 20 miles Niangua
8 Wright Same watershed, within 30 miles Upper Gasconade
10 Mercer Adjacent county, same watershed Lower Grand

Linnaean Classification

Kingdom:
Animalia - Animals
Phylum:
Chordata - Chordates
Subphylum:
Vertebrata - Vertebrates
Class:
Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 - Reptiles
Order:
Testudines Batsch, 1788 - Turtles
Family:
Trionychidae Bell, 1828 - Softshells
Genus:
Apalone Rafinesque, 1832 - North American Softshells
Species:
Apalone spinifera (LeSueur, 1827) - Northern Spiny Softshell

Recent Taxonomic Synonyms

(none)