Cuora

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iCuora

Indo-Chinese box turtle Cuora galbinifrons

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Cuora Gray, 1856

Species

9, see article.

Cuora is a genus of Asian box turtle comprising 9 species with 9 subspecies.

1 Description
2 Behaviour
3 Taxonomy
4 Distribution
5 In captivity
6 Similar genera
7 References

[edit] Description

Cuora species are characterized by a domed shell, which has three keels on the carapace. They are brown or black in color. Some species have bright yellow or white stripes down the length of the keels. Their body color is generally the same color as the shell. C. amboinensis can have yellow stripes down either side of the head, which meet at the nose, and yellow on the chin.

[edit] Behaviour

Asian box turtles are semi-aquatic, spending much of their time on the edge of shallow swamps that are dense with vegetation. They are omnivorous, but their diet in the wild predominantly consists of aquatic plants, with the occasional invertebrate, fish or even carrion.

[edit] Taxonomy

Amboina Box Turtle, Cuora amboinensis (Suckow, 1798)
- Cuora amboinensis amboinensis (Daudin, 1802)
- Cuora amboinensis couro (Schweigger, 1812)
- Cuora amboinensis kamaroma (Rummler & Fritz, 1991)
- Cuora amboinensis lineata (McCord & Philippen, 1998)
Yellow-headed Box Turtle, Cuora aurocapitata (Luo & Zong, 1988)
Snake-eating Turtle, Cuora flavomarginata (Gray, 1863)
- Cuora flavomarginata evelynae (Ernst & Lovich, 1990)
- Cuora flavomarginata flavomarginata (Gray, 1863)
Indochinese Box Turtle, Cuora galbinifrons (Bourret, 1939)
- Cuora galbinifrons bourreti (Obst & Reimann, 1994)
- Cuora galbinifrons galbinifrons (Bourret, 1939)
- Cuora galbinifrons picturata (Lehr, Fritz & Obst, 1998)
McCord's Box Turtle, Cuora mccordi (Ernst, 1988)
Pan's Box Turtle, Cuora pani (Song, 1987)
Three-banded Box Turtle, Cuora trifasciata (Bell, 1825)
Yunnan Box Turtle, Cuora yunnanensis (Boulenger, 1906)
Zhou's Box Turtle, Cuora zhoui (Zhao, 1990)

[edit] Distribution

C. amboinensis - India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia
C. aurocapitata, C. mccordi, C. pani, C. yunnanensis, C. zhoui - China
C. flavomarginata - China, Taiwan, and Japan.
C. galbinifrons - China and Vietnam.
C. trifasciata - China, Vietnam, and Laos.

[edit] In captivity

Wild caught C. amboinensis are frequently available in the exotic animal trade, other species are not as readily found. They are not often captive bred, but can make hardy captives. Their need for a semi-aquatic environment can make them a challenge to house properly.