Zhou's box turtle

Last updated

Zhou's box turtle
Cuora zhoui.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Geoemydidae
Genus: Cuora
Species:
C. zhoui
Binomial name
Cuora zhoui
Zhao, 1990
Synonyms [2]

Zhou's box turtle (Cuora zhoui) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae (formerly Bataguridae). The species is apparently endemic to China.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, zhoui, is in honor of Chinese herpetologist Zhou Jiufa. [3]

Geographic range

C. zhoui is only known from Chinese food market specimens, and from a relatively small number of individuals that are part of captive breeding programs in China, Germany (notably the Münster Zoo), and the United States. [4] In December 2018, the known captive population numbered about 140 individuals, including 80 hatched at the Münster Zoo. [5] It may be found in the forests of southeastern Yunnan or western Guangxi, although it has never been recorded in the wild. [4]

Conservation Status

The over-collection of turtles in Asia for food, medicinal purposes, and the pet trade industry are the primary causes of the decimation of this turtle's population. As of 2012, this species is considered to be critically endangered and in the middle of a conservation crisis.

Female Zhoui3.jpg
Female
Plastron Zhoui2.jpg
Plastron

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burmese star tortoise</span> Species of tortoise

The Burmese star tortoise is a critically endangered tortoise species, native to the dry, deciduous forests of Myanmar (Burma). It is close to extinction in Myanmar, as it is eaten by the native Burmese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keeled box turtle</span> Species of turtle

The keeled box turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amboina box turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Amboina box turtle or Southeast Asian box turtle is a species of Asian box turtle widely distributed across Southeast Asia. It is native to the Asian mainland from northeast India, through Bangladesh, Burma and Thailand, across Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia. It is also found on the archipelagos of Indonesia and the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden coin turtle</span> Species of turtle

The golden coin turtle, also known commonly as the Chinese three-banded box turtle and the Chinese three-striped box turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is native to southern China. There are two recognized subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian box turtle</span> Genus of turtles

Asian box turtles are turtles of the genus Cuora in the family Geoemydidae. About 12 extant species are recognized. The keeled box turtle is often included in this genus, or separated in the monotypic genus Pyxidea. Genus Cuora is distributed from China to Indonesia and the Philippines, throughout mainland Southeast Asia, and into northern India and Bhutan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indochinese box turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Indochinese box turtle, Vietnamese box turtle, or flowerback box turtle is a species of Asian box turtles from China, northern and central Vietnam, Laos, and possibly northeastern Cambodia. It is found in high altitude woodland where it tends to hide in the undergrowth. There is considerable confusion as to the taxonomy of this species with several subspecies being recognised by some authorities. and not by others. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese box turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Chinese box turtle, also known as the yellow-margined box turtle, or golden-headed turtle, is a species of Asian box turtle. Taxonomically, it is called Cuora flavomarginata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted terrapin</span> Species of turtle

The painted terrapin, painted batagur, or saw-jawed turtle is a species of turtles in the family Geoemydidae. It was formerly in its own genus, Callagur, but has been reclassified to the genus, Batagur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-headed box turtle</span> Species of turtle

The yellow-headed box turtle or golden-headed box turtle is a proposed species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of Pan's box turtle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan's box turtle</span> Species of turtle

Pan's box turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The yellow-headed box turtle is sometimes included herein as a subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yunnan box turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Yunnan box turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. It is believed to be endemic to Yunnan, China and was suspected to be extinct since the early 20th century; the last verified specimen was collected in 1940.

The Fujian pond turtle is a possibly also naturally occurring intergeneric hybrid turtle in the family Geoemydidae produced in larger numbers by Chinese turtle farms as a "copy" of the golden coin turtle Cuora trifasciata. It appears to occur in China and Vietnam. Before its actual origin became known, it was listed as data deficient in the IUCN Red List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow pond turtle</span> Species of turtle

The yellow pond turtle, is a medium-sized, semiaquatic turtle in the family Geoemydidae. This species has a characteristic broad yellow stripe extending behind the eye and down the neck; the carapace ranges in color from grayish brown to brown, and the plastron is yellow or orange with black blotches along the outer edges. It is native to East Asia, ranging from central Vietnam and Laos, north through the coastal provinces of south and central China, with insular populations known from Taiwan, Hainan and the Ryukyu Islands. Although populations in the southern Ryukyus are thought to be native, populations in the northern and central Ryukyus, as well as central Japan, are believed to have been introduced as a result of imports from Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black marsh turtle</span> Species of turtle

Siebenrockiella crassicollis is a freshwater turtle endemic to Southeast Asia. It is one of two species classified under the genus Siebenrockiella in the family Geoemydidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourret's box turtle</span> Species of turtle

Bourret's box turtle, also known commonly as the central Vietnamese flowerback box turtle and the Indochinese box turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vietnamese three-striped box turtle</span> Species of turtle

The Vietnamese three-striped box turtle or green rice turtle is a species of the Southeast Asian genus Cuora. It is distributed from the extreme southern part of the Chinese Guangxi province southwards to central Vietnam and central Laos. This species reaches up to 30 cm straight carapace length and is thus the largest Cuora species. Due to demand of traditional Chinese medicine, this species is nearly extinct in the wild, but is readily bred on Chinese turtle farms. Extremely high prices are paid for this species in China. It can be distinguished from Cuora trifasciata by its larger size and generally more oval or rounder shell, which is usually also flatter, a white, pink, or orange chin, and head coloration with an orange-brownish-olive dorsal head pattern and less black pigment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCord's box turtle</span> Species of turtle

McCord's box turtle is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is native to China.

John L. Behler was an American naturalist, herpetologist, author, and activist known for his work in conserving endangered species of turtles, snakes, and other reptiles. He served as curator of herpetology at the Bronx Zoo, part of the Wildlife Conservation Society from 1976 to 2006. He co-chaired the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, and was a founding member of the Turtle Survival Alliance, which co-present the Behler Turtle Conservation Award with the Turtle Conservancy and Turtle Conservation Fund. The Behler Turtle Conservation Award is a major annual award to honor leadership in the field of freshwater turtle and tortoise conservation. The Turtle Conservancy named its captive breeding center, the Behler Chelonian Center, in his honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box turtle</span> Common name for several species of turtle

Box turtle is the common name for several species of turtle. It may refer to those of the genus Cuora or Pyxidea, which are the Asian box turtles, or more commonly to species of the genus Terrapene, the North American box turtles. They are largely characterized by having a shell shaped like a dome, which is hinged at the bottom, allowing the animal to close its shell tightly to escape predators. Furthermore, the two genera are very different in habitat, behavior and appearance, and are not even classified in the same family. Even though box turtles became very popular pets, their needs in captivity are complex and the capture of turtles can have serious detrimental effects on the wild population.

References

  1. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  2. Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 219–220. doi: 10.3897/vz.57.e30895 .
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Cuora zhoui, p. 293).
  4. 1 2 "Searching for the elusive Zhou's box turtle | IUCN". Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  5. Zooborns (26 December 2018). Allwetterzoo Provides Haven for Endangered Turtles

Further reading