The Amboina box turtle or Southeast Asian box turtle (''Cuora amboinensis'') is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
Asian box turtle
Asian box turtles are turtles of the genus ''Cuora'' in the family Geoemydidae. About 12 extant species are recognized.Spinks, P. Q., et al. (2012)Species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships in the critically endangered Asian box turtle gen ...
.
It is found in the
Nicobar Islands
The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian s ...
, eastern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
(
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
),
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, central and southern
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, west
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
(
Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
,
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
,
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
,
Samar
Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
,
Negros
Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...
,
Panay
Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...
, etc.),
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
(
Sulawesi
Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...
,
Ambon Island
Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon, Maluku, Ambon to the south and various districts ('' ...
,
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
,
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
,
East Malaysia,
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
,
Nias
Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, ...
,
Enggano
Enggano Island is about 100 km (60 mi) southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is one of the 92 officially listed outlying islands of Indonesia, though it can also be considered a barrier island of Sumatra.
Enggano is about long from e ...
,
Simeulue,
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
,
Sumbawa,
Halmahera
Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia, and Sofifi, the capital of the province, is located on the west coast of the island.
Hal ...
,
Ceram,
Seram,
Buru,
East Timor
East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...
,
Bali
Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...
,
Palawan
Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...
and
Maluku), and possibly
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
(
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
and
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
) and
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
The
type locality is "Amboine" (or "Amboina") Island, today Ambon Island in Indonesia.
Description
These turtles have blackish-brown to olive-brown colored shells that are not as ornate as many other box turtles. All have a blackish olive head with three yellow stripes on the side. The male can be identified by the slightly concave shape to its
plastron. There is no specific pattern to what the underbellies may look like, for either sex. The only true way of telling age is to guess by the texture of the shell, as growth rings form irregularly.
There are four subspecies that are primarily differentiated by differences in the color and shape of the carapace:
* ''Cuora amboinensis amboinensis'' (Wallacean box turtle) – eastern Indonesian islands: Ambon Island, Sulawesi, the
Moluccas, Buru, Seram, and East Timor and smaller islands in the region.
:Has a quite flat shell with flared marginal scutes. The plastron has bigger black spots, and it possesses a bigger head; well adapted for an aquatic lifestyle. For individuals suspected to be of this subspecies: Ratio of carapace length / height: 3.08. Average ratio dimensions of plastron spots: 1.21 (almost circular)
* ''Cuora amboinensis couro'' (West Indonesian box turtle)
( Schweigger, 1812)[''Cuora amboinensis'']
The Reptile Database – south Indonesian islands: Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sumbawa.
:Moderately domed carapace, some individuals possess flared marginal scutes. The plastron shows black markings on every plastral scute. Darker in coloration, more oval black spots on the plastron.
* ''Cuora amboinensis kamaroma'' (Malayan box turtle or domed Malayan box turtle)
Rummler & Fritz, 1991[ Mainland ]Indochina
Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
(South and Central Vietnam, southern Laos and Cambodia), Thailand ( Phang Nga Province etc.), Singapore and mainland Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and Borneo.
:High domed carapace and smaller, more elongated plastron with less black spots than the other subspecies. It has a smaller and shorter tail compared to the other subspecies and does not have any flares in the marginal scutes. Average ratio of carapace length / height: 2.82. Average ratio dimensions of plastron spots: 2.14 (small and elongated)
* ''Cuora amboinensis lineata'' (Burmese box turtle) McCord & Philippen, 1998[ – Myanmar.
:Resembles ''Cuora amboinensis kamaroma'', but in the carapace there is a bright colored mid-dorsal line, and sometimes a bright colored lateral line. The plastral scutes possess large black spots similar to ''Cuora amboinensis couro''.
Several distinct populations are believed to represent up to four more subspecies, or at least striking varieties.][Vetter & Van Dijk (2006)]
* the Nicobar Islands
* eastern India (Assam), Bangladesh, and possibly Sri Lanka
* Borneo, the Malaysian islands, Brunei, and Palawan
* the Philippines (Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Samar, Negros, Panay, etc.)
amboinensis5.jpg, ''C. a. kamaroma'' from Thailand
amboinensis1.jpg, Plastron of ''C. a. kamaroma''
ambonensis4.jpg, ''C. a. lineata'' from Myanmar
Cuora amboinensis 3 male.jpg, ''C. amboinensis'' "Philippines population" from Leyte
''C. a. kamaroma'' has hybridized in captivity with the Vietnamese pond turtle
The Vietnamese pond turtle or Annam leaf turtle (''Mauremys annamensis'') is a species of turtle in the family (biology), family Geoemydidae.
It can be distinguished from its relatives by its color pattern: the head is dark with three or four ye ...
– a species nearly extinct
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
in the wild – and with males of the Chinese pond turtle
''Mauremys reevesii'', commonly known as the Chinese pond turtle, the Chinese three-keeled pond turtle, or Reeves' turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae, a family which was formerly called Bataguridae. The species is native t ...
(''Chinemys reevesii''). Other hybrids are known, like ''C. amboinensis'' × ''Cuora trifasciata
__NOTOC__
The golden coin turtle or Chinese three-striped box turtle (''Cuora trifasciata'') is a species of turtle endemic to southern China.
Distribution
The species is distributed in China, but only on the island of Hainan (it is extirpated fr ...
''.
Ecology and status
They are omnivorous, with younger turtles tending towards more meat consumption and older turtles eating a more herbivorous diet.[
Although ''Cuora amboinensis'' is classified as endangered by the ]IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
, they are able to thrive in some areas of the world. For example, they can be found in the storm drains of Brunei. These are seriously polluted, and yet seem to be extremely popular habitat for these turtles and other animals that can withstand eutrophication
Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...
. In some places, this species is hunted for use in folk medicine.[da Nóbrega Alves et al. (2008)]
''Cuora amboinensis'' can be quite difficult to breed in captivity, compared with other box turtles. These turtles have a mating ritual very similar to that of other box turtles. No courtship occurs, the male simply climbs upon the female. He then snaps at her head, so that she closes the front half of her shell, opening the back.
''Cuora amboinensis'' is one of the most heavily traded species in Southeast Asia, captured from the wild in huge numbers to supply demand for pets, meat and for use in traditional medicines. Indonesia is the greatest source of this species and while there are quotas in place, these quotas are regularly exceeded.
Pet care
Any individual considering a turtle as a pet should thoroughly research both general care and the care of the particular species in which they are interested. Individuals considering a ''Cuora amboinensis'' as a pet should keep in mind that it is a tropical, non-hibernating species who needs much warmer water (about 82 °F) than many other semi-aquatic species. The adult ''Cuora amboinensis'' is smaller in comparison to more well-known species such as the red-eared slider or cooter, but a fully grown adult will generally need at least a 55-gallon tank and this habitat should be semi-aquatic, not terrestrial.
''Cuora amboinensis'' is far more aquatic than many other box turtle species. Unfortunately, this has often led to pet ''Cuoras'' being incorrectly housed in terrestrial habitats. Although they are clumsy swimmers and need shallower water than other semi-aquatic turtles that are stronger swimmers, (e.g., sliders, cooters, and painteds), they tend to vastly prefer being in the water to on land. In the wild, they will often live in almost entirely in water only emerging to bask and to lay eggs. They can even mate in the water.
References
*
* (2008): Reptiles used in traditional folk medicine: conservation implications. ''Biodiversity and Conservation'' 17 (8): 2037–2049. (HTML abstract, PDF first page)
* (1997): ''Cuora amboinensis'' la tortuga caja del sudeste asiático y sus subespecies ''C. amboinensis'', the southeast Asian box turtle, and its subspecies" ''Reptilia'' 13: 43–47 rticle in Spanish
* (2002): Ein Gattungsbastard zweier südostasiatischer Schildkröten: ''Cuora amboinensis kamaroma'' Rummler & Fritz 1991 × ''Mauremys annamensis'' (Siebenrock 1903) An intergeneric hybrid of two Southeast Asian turtles: ''C. a. kamaroma × M. annamensis''" ''Salamandra
''Salamandra'' is a genus of seven species of salamanders localized in central and southern Europe, Northern Africa, and western Asia.
List of species
References
External links
Salamandraat Fauna Europaea
*
Salamandraat Animal Diversity W ...
'' 38 (3): 129–134 rticle in German
* (2002): Captive bred hybrids between ''Chinemys reevesii'' (Gray, 1831) and ''Cuora amboinensis kamaroma'' Rummler & Fritz, 1991. ''Herpetozoa'' 15 (3/4): 137–148.
*
* (1991): Geographische Variabilität der Amboina-Scharnierschildkröte ''Cuora amboinensis'' (Daudin, 1802), mit Beschreibung einer neuen Unterart, ''C. a. kamaroma'' subsp. nov. Geographic variation of ''C. amboinensis'' with description of a new subspecies, ''C. a. kamaroma''" ''Salamandra
''Salamandra'' is a genus of seven species of salamanders localized in central and southern Europe, Northern Africa, and western Asia.
List of species
References
External links
Salamandraat Fauna Europaea
*
Salamandraat Animal Diversity W ...
'' 27 (1/2): 17–45 rticle in German
*
*
* (2006): ''Turtles of the World'' (Vol. 4: East and South Asia) – ''Schildkröten der Welt'' (Band 4: Ost- und Südasien). Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.
Further reading
''Cuora amboinensis kamaroma'', Rui Pessoa, May 2007, Lisbon, Portugal
* (1999): Ergänzende Bemerkungen zur Haltung und zur Nachzucht von ''Cuora flavomarginata'' (Gray 1863) Additional remarks on captive care and breeding of ''C. flavomarginata''" ''Elaphe'' 7 (3): 2–10 rticle in German
* (1988): ''Cuora mccordi'', a new Chinese box turtle from Guangxi Province. ''Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington'' 101: 466–470.
* (1980): Die Schildkrötengattung ''Cuora'' The turtle genus ''Curoa''" ''Herpetofauna'' 2 (6): 15–18 rticle in German
* (1985): Langjährige Erfahrungen bei der Pflege von ''Cuora amboinensis'' (Daudin) Long-term experiences in captive care of ''C. amboinensis''" ''Herpetofauna'' 7 (36): 6–14 rticle in German!-- check for English abstract -->.
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Cuora
Turtles of Asia
Reptiles of India
Reptiles of the Philippines
Reptiles of Thailand
Reptiles of Indonesia
Reptiles described in 1802