Asian box turtle

Asian box turtle

Amboina box turtle, Cuora amboinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Geoemydidae
Subfamily:	Geoemydinae
Genus:	Cuora Gray, 1856
Species
about 12
Synonyms
Cistoclemmys Pyxiclemmys

Asian box turtles are turtles of the genus Cuora in the family Geoemydidae. There are about 12 species.^[1] The keeled box turtle (Pyxidea mouhotii syn. Cuora mouhotii) is often included in this genus, or separated in the monotypic genus Pyxidea. Genus Cuora is distributed from China to Indonesia and the Philippines.^[1]

Description

Cuora species are characterized by a low (e.g. Cuora pani) to high (e.g. Cuora picturata) domed shell, which usually has three keels on the carapace. They are reddish, yellowish, brown, grey, and/or black in color. Some species have bright yellow, black, orange, or white stripes down the length of their keels. Their body color is highly variable, but usually very intense. Most species show stripes of variable color down either side of their heads, which usually meet at the nose.

Behavior

Asian box turtles are terrestrial, semiaquatic or mainly aquatic, most spending much of their time on the edge of shallow swamps, streams or pond that are dense with vegetation. Most are omnivorous, but carnivores do occur.

Head portrait of the different Cuora species, subspecies and varieties (from left to right/top to bottom):
Cuora amboinensis amboinensis (Sulawesi), Cuora amboinensis kamaroma (Thailand), Cuora amboinensis ssp. (unknown), Cuora amboinensis ssp. (Philippines); Cuora trifasciata (Guangdong, China), Cuora aurocapitata (Anhui, China), Cuora pani pani (Shaanxi, China), Cuora yunnanensis (Yunnan, China); Cuora cyclornata cyclornata (Annam, central Vietnam), Cuora cyclornata meieri (north Vietnam), Cuora mccordi (Guangxi, China), Cuora zhoui (unknown); Cuora flavomarginata sinensis (Sichuan, China), Cuora flavomarginata evelynae (Ryukyu Islands, Japan), Cuora flavomarginata flavomarginata (Taiwan), Cuora picturata (southern Annam, south Vietnam); Cuora galbinifrons galbinifrons (north Vietnam), Cuora galbinifrons galbinifrons (Hainan, China); Cuora bourreti (Annam, central Vietnam), Cuora bourreti (Laos); Cuora cyclornata cyclornata × Cuora amboinensis kamaroma hybrid, Cuora cyclornata × Pyxidea mouhotii, Cuora trifasciata × Pyxidea mouhotii, Cuora galbinifrons × Pyxidea mouhotii = "Cuora serrata"

Taxonomy and systematics

Listed alphabetically by binomial name.^[2] Cuora]. The Reptile Database

Amboina box turtle, C. amboinensis (four subspecies)
- Amboina box turtle, C. a. amboinensis
- Javanese box turtle, C. a. couro
- Malayan box turtle, C. a. kamaroma
- Lineated amboina box turtle, C. a. lineata
Yellow-headed or golden-headed box turtle, Cuora aurocapitata or C. (pani) aurocapitata^{[Note 1]}
Bourret's box turtle, C. bourreti
Ryukyu yellow-margined box turtle, C. evelynae
Chinese box turtle, yellow-margined box turtle, or snake-eating turtle, C. flavomarginata (two subspecies)
Indochinese box turtle or Indochinese flowerback box turtle, C. galbinifrons
McCord's box turtle, C. mccordi
Keeled box turtle, C. mouhotii
Pan's box turtle, C. pani = "C. chriskarannarum"
Southern Vietnamese box turtle, C. picturata
Golden coin turtle or Chinese three-striped box turtle, C. trifasciata
Yunnan box turtle, C. yunnanensis - rediscovered in 2004, verified in 2007.
Zhou's box turtle, C. zhoui = "C. pallidicephala"

Cuora serrata, originally described as C. galbinifrons serrata by Iverson & Mccord^[5] and later considered a distinct species^[6] are hybrids of the keeled box turtle and taxa of the Indochinese box turtle complex as shown by the genetic studies of Parham et al.^[7] and Stuart & Parham (2004). A single specimen of C. serrata has been found in the wild,^[8] lending credence to the possibility that other specimens arose through natural hybridization or even from wild populations. No Chinese turtle farm is known to produce C. serrata-like specimens.^[9] The occurrence of wild hybrids is often regarded as "evolution in progress", a terminology and point of view that is not always accepted. It has yet to be confirmed, whether all C. serrata from the wild have originated by direct hybridization of C. mouhotii and C. galbinifrons, or also by "hybridisation" of C. serrata × C. serrata.

Unnamed hybrids of several other Cuora taxa are also known,^{[Note 2]} as are intergeneric hybrids such as Mauremys iversoni,^[10] a hybrid between Cuora trifasciata and Mauremys mutica which are intentionally produced in Chinese turtle farms.^[7]

In captivity

Wild-caught C. amboinensis specimens were frequently available in the exotic animal trade, but are getting rarer now; other species are rare to commercially extinct.

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cuora.

↑ Placed into subspecies status by Artner^[3] and Blanck & Tang.^[4]
↑ See Vetter & Van Dijk (2006).

References

1 2 Spinks, P. Q., et al. (2012). Species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships in the critically endangered Asian box turtle genus Cuora. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 63(3), 656-67.
↑ [http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?genus=Cuora&exact%5B0%5D=genus&submit=Search
↑ H. Artner (2004). "Haltung und Nachzucht von Pans Scharnierschildkröte Cuora pani pani Song, 1984 und der Goldkopf-Scharnierschildkröte Cuora pani aurocapitata Luo & Zong, 1988". Emys 11 (1): 4–21.
↑ T. Blanck & M. Tang (2005). "Ein neuer Fundort von Cuora pani Song, 1984 mit Diskussion über den taxonomischen Status von Cuora pani und Cuora aurocapitata". Sacalia 7 (3): 16–37.
↑ J. B. Iverson & W. P. McCord (1992). "A new subspecies of Cuora galbinifrons (Testudines: Batagurinae) from Hainan Island, China". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 105: 433–439.
↑ F. J. Obst & U. Fritz (1997). "Zum taxonomischen Status von Cuora galbinifrons serrata Iverson & McCord, 1992 und Pyxidea mouhotii (Gray, 1862)". Zoologische Abhandlungen (Museum für Tierkunde Dresden) 49 (2): 261–279.
1 2 James Ford Parham, W. Brian Simison, Kenneth H. Kozak, Chris R. Feldman & Haitao Shi (2001). "New Chinese turtles: endangered or invalid? A reassessment of two species using mitochondrial DNA, allozyme electrophoresis and known-locality specimens". Animal Conservation 4 (4): 357–367. doi:10.1017/S1367943001001421. "Erratum". Animal Conservation 5 (1): 86. doi:10.1017/S1367943002001117.
↑ H. Shi, J. F. Parham, W. B. Simison, J. Wang, S. Gong & B. Fu (2005). "A report on the hybridization between two species of threatened Asian box turtles (Testudines: Cuora) in the wild on Hainan Island (China) with comments on the origin of C. serrata-like turtles". Amphibia-Reptilia 26 (3): 377–381. doi:10.1163/156853805774408487.
↑ Zhou et al. (2008)
↑ Peter C. H. Pritchard & William P. McCord (1991). "A new emydid turtle from China". Herpetologica 47 (2): 138–147. JSTOR 3892730.

Turtle family Geoemydidae

Genus	Species of the family Geoemydidae

Batagur	Burmese roofed turtle Northern river terrapin Painted terrapin Red-crowned roofed turtle Southern river terrapin Three-striped roofed turtle

Cuora	Amboina box turtle Bourret's box turtle Indochinese box turtle McCord's box turtle Keeled box turtle Pan's box turtle Southern Vietnamese box turtle Chinese three-striped box turtle Yellow-headed box turtle Yellow-margined box turtle Yunnan box turtle Zhou's box turtle

Cyclemys	Asian leaf turtle Assam leaf turtle Eastern black-bridged leaf turtle Enigmatic leaf turtle Myanmar brown leaf turtle Oldham's leaf turtle Western black-bridged leaf turtle

Geoclemys	Black pond turtle

Geoemyda	Black-breasted leaf turtle Ryukyu black-breasted leaf turtle

Hardella	Brahminy river turtle

Heosemys	Arakan forest turtle Giant Asian pond turtle Spiny turtle Yellow-headed temple turtle

Leucocephalon	Sulawesi forest turtle

Malayemys	Malayan snail-eating turtle Mekong snail-eating turtle

Mauremys	Balkan pond turtle Caspian turtle Chinese pond turtle Chinese stripe-necked turtle Japanese pond turtle Red-necked pond turtle Spanish pond turtle Vietnamese pond turtle Yellow pond turtle

Melanochelys	Indian black turtle Tricarinate hill turtle

Morenia	Burmese eyed turtle Indian eyed turtle

Notochelys	Malayan flat-shelled turtle

Orlitia	Malaysian giant turtle

Pangshura	Assam roofed turtle Brown roofed turtle Indian roofed turtle Indian tent turtle

Rhinoclemmys	Black river turtle Brown wood turtle Colombian wood turtle Furrowed wood turtle Large-nosed wood turtle Maracaibo wood turtle Mexican spotted wood turtle Painted wood turtle Spot-legged turtle

Sacalia	Beal's eyed turtle Four-eyed turtle

Siebenrockiella	Black marsh turtle Philippine forest turtle

Vijayachelys	Cane turtle

Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2011 update: annotated checklist.

Extant turtle taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Subclass: Anapsida
Order: Chelonii or Testudines

Suborder

Superfamily

Family

Subfamily	Genus

Cryptodira

Chelydridae

	Chelydra Macrochelys

Chelonioidea

Cheloniidae

Carettinae	Caretta Lepidochelys

Cheloniinae	Chelonia Eretmochelys Natator

Dermochelyidae

	Dermochelys

Kinosternoidea

Dermatemydidae

	Dermatemys

Kinosternidae

Kinosterninae	Kinosternon Sternotherus

Staurotypinae	Claudius Staurotypus

Testudinoidea

Emydidae

Deirochelyinae	Chrysemys Deirochelys Graptemys Malaclemys Pseudemys Trachemys

Emydinae	Clemmys Emys Glyptemys Terrapene

Geoemydidae

Geoemydinae	Batagur Cuora Cyclemys Geoclemys Geoemyda Hardella Heosemys Leucocephalon Malayemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Notochelys Orlitia Pangshura Sacalia Siebenrockiella Vijayachelys

Rhinoclemmydinae	Rhinoclemmys

Platysternidae

	Platysternon

Testudinidae

	Aldabrachelys Astrochelys Chelonoidis Chersina Cylindraspis Geochelone Gopherus Homopus Indotestudo Kinixys Malacochersus Manouria Psammobates Pyxis Stigmochelys Testudo

Trionychia

Carettochelyidae

	Carettochelys

Trionychidae

Cyclanorbinae	Cyclanorbis Cycloderma Lissemys

Trionychinae	Amyda Apalone Chitra Dogania Nilssonia Palea Pelochelys Pelodiscus Rafetus Trionyx

Pleurodira

Chelidae

Chelinae	Acanthochelys Chelus Mesoclemmys Phrynops Platemys Rhinemys

Chelodininae	Chelodina Elseya Elusor Emydura Flaviemys Myuchelys Pseudemydura Rheodytes

Hydromedusinae	Hydromedusa

Pelomedusidae

	Pelomedusa Pelusios

Podocnemididae

	Erymnochelys Peltocephalus Podocnemis

Phylogenetic arrangement based on turtles of the world 2012 update: annotated checklist. Extinct turtles not included.

Portal Book See also List of Testudines families

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