The keeled box turtle (''Cuora mouhotii''; syn. ''Pyxidea mouhotii'') 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 ...

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Geoemydidae The Geoemydidae (formerly known as Bataguridae) are one of the largest and most diverse families in the order Testudines (turtles), with about 70 species. The family includes the Eurasian pond and river turtles and Neotropical wood turtles. Mem ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

Geographic range

''C. mouhotii'' occurs in

Burma 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 Wells explai ...

, China,

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 ...

, Laos, and

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 ...

,Asian Turtle Trade Working Group (2000)
"''Cuora mouhotii'' ".
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Downloaded on 20 October 2013. and also in

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

and

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 b ...

.''Cuora mouhotii''.
The Reptile Database.

Common names

Other common names for ''C. mouhotii'' include keel-backed terrapin, jagged-shelled turtle, and Mouhot's turtle.

Etymology

The specific name, ''mouhotii'', is in honor of Alexandre Henri Mouhot, a French naturalist and

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Cuora mouhotii'', p. 183; ''C. m. obsti'', p. 193). The

subspecific name In zoological nomenclature, a subspecific name is the third part of a trinomen. In zoology there is only one rank below that of species, namely "subspecies". In botanical nomenclature, there are several levels of subspecific names, such as ''var ...

, ''obsti'', is in honor of Fritz Jürgen Obst (1939–2018), a German herpetologist.

Taxonomy

''C. mouhotii'' is sometimes treated as the sole species of the

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

''Pyxidea''.

Phylogenetic analysis In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

using mitochondrial DNA has provided evidence that the species is part of the "''Cuora'' group", a monophyletic group 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 ...

s, and the name ''Pyxidea'' should probably be synonymized with ''Cuora'', making the keeled box turtle part of that genus. Other phylogenetic studies of ''Cuora'' support this conclusion.Stuart BL, Parham JF (2004)
"Molecular phylogeny of the critically endangered Indochinese box turtle (''Cuora galbinifrons'')".
''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 31 (1): 164–777. In addition, its

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

is not distinct enough from that of ''Cuora'' species to keep it separate, and it is known to hybridize with '' Cuora galbinifrons''.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies which are recognized as being valid. *''Cuora mouhotii mouhotii'' *''Cuora mouhotii obsti'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Cuora''.

Hybridization

The southern Vietnamese population of ''Cuora mouhotii'' lives alongside ''Cuora picturata''. Since ''Cuora mouhotii'' is known to hybridize with the closest living relatives of ''Cuora picturata'' ('' Cuora galbinifrons'' and '' Cuora bourreti'' ) there is a possibility of hybridization in the wild between these two populations.

Description

The keeled box turtle's upper shell ( carapace) has three large, raised ridges and is serrated on the back end. The lower shell ( plastron) is different variations of brown in color, ranging from light brown to dark brown. The upper jaw is strong, while the snout is short and curved. The feet are only partially webbed, which suggest a

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

lifestyle as opposed to an aquatic one. Male and female keeled box turtles can be distinguished by the color of their eyes as well as their nails. A male generally has longer and thicker nails than a female, and eyes that are either black or brown. A female generally has shorter, thinner nails, and eyes that are orange or red.

Biology

The biology of ''C. mouhotii'' is not well known.Ji-Chao W, et al. (2011)
"Reproduction and nesting of the endangered keeled box turtle (''Cuora mouhotii'') on Hainan Island, China".
''Chelonian Conservation and Biology'' 10 (2): 159–164. In one survey, males and females had an average straight carapace length around . The breeding season is in May through September. The average

clutch size __NOTOC__ A clutch of egg (biology), eggs is the group of eggs produced by birds, amphibians, or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest. In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators (or removal by humans, for exam ...

was four eggs, which are smooth, white, and about long. On average they typically lay two clutches in a breeding season. Like many other turtles the keeled box turtle does not care for its young. Females have been noted to dig nests with their rear legs and cover the clutches with soil, and also to lay eggs under fallen leaves. The male keeled box turtle is very aggressive during the act of mating. In some instances the male turtle will chase and injure a female. The male will often persist until the female allows its advances.

Diet

The keeled box turtle is herbivorous, and eats a wide variety of vegetation in the natural environment, with a preference for wild fallen fruits. It will also occasionally eat worms, snails, and other meat.

Habitat

The keeled box turtle is a terrestrial species, and can be frequently found in small caves and rock crevices. It can also be found in forests, in deep layers of leaves.

Conservation status

''C. mouhotii'' is listed as an endangered species by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 nat ...

(IUCN). The population of the keeled box turtle has been on a steep decline in some areas, particularly Vietnam. This can be attributed to people capturing it for food and pets, as well as Vietnam legally exporting large numbers. Although there are other possible reasons behind this population decline,

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

and

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

have proven to be a major threat to this turtle especially. Threats include habitat destruction and degradation during

. In parts of its range it is threatened by overexploitation as it is collected from the wild, especially for food.Inclusion of ''Pyxidea mouhotii'' in Appendix II in accordance with Article II 2(a) of the Convention, and satisfying Resolution Conf. 9.24, Annex 2a, Criteria A and Bi).
Proposal 28. CITES. Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Santiago, Chile, 3–15 November 2002. It is also used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

.da Nóbrega Alves RR, et al. (2008)
"Reptiles used in traditional folk medicine: conservation implications".
''Biodiversity and Conservation'' 17 (8): 2037–2049. It is consumed locally and traded internationally for the food market and the pet trade. In China the species is bred in captivity on a small scale for the pet trade.

Gallery

File:Pyxidea mouhotii mouhotii female plastral view.jpg, ''C. m. mouhotii'', plastron. File:Pyxidea mouhotii obsti Male ventral.jpg, ''C. m. obsti'', plastron. File:Pyxidea mouhotii obsti Male.jpg, Male ''C. m. obsti''.

References

External links

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

JE (1862)
"Notice of a new Species of ''Cyclemys'' from the Lao Mountains, in Siam".
''Journal of Natural History, Third Series'' 10: 157. (''Cyclemys mouhotii'', new species). *Gray JE (1863)
"Observations on the Box Tortoises, with the Descriptions of Three New Asiatic Species".
''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1863: 173-179. *Parham JF, et al. (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.

World Chelonian Trust. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2391815 Geoemydidae Reptiles of South Asia Reptiles described in 1862 Taxa named by John Edward Gray Reptiles of Southeast Asia Reptiles of China