The southern Vietnamese box turtle (''Cuora picturata'') is endemic to the southern mountainous regions of Vietnam, and possibly also occurring in extreme eastern Cambodia and southern Laos. It is known only from Khanh Hoa and southern

Phu Yen Phu or ''variation'', may refer to: Places *Phủ, prefecture in 15th–19th century Vietnam People Given name *Phu Dorjee (died 1987), first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen *Phu Dorjee Sherpa (died 1969), first Nepali to climb Mount ...

provinces, but may also occur in eastern

Dak Lak DAK is the Deutsches Afrika Korps, a German World War II unit. DAK, Dak, dak, or ''variation'', may also refer to: Places * Dak, Kerman, Kerman Province, Iran * Dak, Sistan and Baluchestan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran * Dakhla Oasis Ai ...

and northern Ninh Thuan provinces. This species was initially described as a subspecies of ''

Cuora galbinifrons The Indochinese box turtle, Vietnamese box turtle, or flowerback box turtle (''Cuora galbinifrons'') is a species of Asian box turtles from China (Hainan and Guangxi), northern and central Vietnam, Laos, and possibly northeastern Cambodia. It i ...

'', but was shown to be genetically distinct. This is the same for '' Cuora galbinifrons bourreti'', which is much closely related to ''

'', though, in osteology, genetics and morphology than is ''Cuora picturata'' to either one. Thus, this variety probably truly deserves species status. This species has the highest-domed carapace of all ''Cuora species'', the shape resembling a

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...

helmet. While the head coloration of ''Cuora galbinifrons'' subspecies is highly variable even in different populations, this is not the case with ''C. picturata'', whose head is always yellow with a fine, greyish reticulation. They are commonly found in tropical, moist, and broadleaf evergreen forests.

References

* Lehr, E.; Fritz, U. & Obst, F. J. (1998)." Die Unterarten von ''Cuora galbinifrons'' Bourret, 1939". ''Zoologische Abhandlungen aus dem staatlichen Museum für Tierkunde in Dresden''. 50: 77–97. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2157282 Cuora Reptiles described in 1998