Pyxidea mouhotii
Encyclopedia
The Keeled box turtle (Pyxidea mouhotii or Cuora mouhotii) is a species
of the turtle family
Geoemydidae
found in China
(Hainan
& southwestern Guangxi
and possibly southern Yunnan
), northern and Central Vietnam
, Laos
, northern Cambodia
, Thailand
, Myanmar
and Assam
in India
.
It is considered an endangered species
by the IUCN and in its native range hunted for use in folk medicine
.
Taxonomically, the species is either the only species within the genus
Pyxidea, or is part of the main genus of Asian box turtles, Cuora
(as Cuora mouhotii). Genetic analyses have shown, that this species is very closely related to the genus Cuora.
, with a distinctive keel running lengthwise down the center of it, and a yellowish, orange, red, brown or black head and limbs. It is not as aquatic as the typical species of Cuora but rather terrestrial, preferring only moderately moist habitats
with plenty of vegetation and ground litter for cover. They grow to approximately 7 inches in length and are mainly carnivorous, some accepting fruits in captivity.
Females of the Indochinese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons) complex hybridize – apparently in the wild – with Keeled box turtle males to produce the turtles once considered a separate species or subspecies Cuora (galbinifrons) serrata (see the Cuora
article for more information).
One subspecies has been described so far:
The populations from Myanmar and India might represent another yet undescribed subspecies.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the turtle family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
Geoemydidae
Geoemydidae
Geoemydidae is the largest and most diverse family in the order Testudines with about 70 species. It includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles.-Characteristics:...
found in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
& southwestern Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
and possibly southern Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
), northern and Central Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, northern Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
and Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
It is considered an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
by the IUCN and in its native range hunted for use in folk medicine
Folk medicine
-Description:Refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology and health preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience.All cultures and societies...
.
Taxonomically, the species is either the only species within the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Pyxidea, or is part of the main genus of Asian box turtles, Cuora
Cuora
Asian box turtles are turtles of the genus Cuora in the family Geoemydidae comprising 10–11 species with about the same number of subspecies. The keeled box turtle is often included in this genus but is also often placed in its own genus...
(as Cuora mouhotii). Genetic analyses have shown, that this species is very closely related to the genus Cuora.
Description
This turtle is characterized by a yellowish brown- to dark brown- or even black-colored carapaceCarapace
A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
, with a distinctive keel running lengthwise down the center of it, and a yellowish, orange, red, brown or black head and limbs. It is not as aquatic as the typical species of Cuora but rather terrestrial, preferring only moderately moist habitats
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
with plenty of vegetation and ground litter for cover. They grow to approximately 7 inches in length and are mainly carnivorous, some accepting fruits in captivity.
Females of the Indochinese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons) complex hybridize – apparently in the wild – with Keeled box turtle males to produce the turtles once considered a separate species or subspecies Cuora (galbinifrons) serrata (see the Cuora
Cuora
Asian box turtles are turtles of the genus Cuora in the family Geoemydidae comprising 10–11 species with about the same number of subspecies. The keeled box turtle is often included in this genus but is also often placed in its own genus...
article for more information).
One subspecies has been described so far:
- Pyxidea mouhotii obsti (Fritz, Andreas & Lehr, 1998) – Annam mountain range in central Vietnam.
- Distinguished from the nominate subspecies by its rounder shell, an reticulated head pattern and a distinct plastral pattern with more black pigments (forming larger black blotches).
The populations from Myanmar and India might represent another yet undescribed subspecies.