Bourret's box turtle (''Cuora bourreti''), also known commonly as the central Vietnamese flowerback box turtle and the Indochinese box turtle, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), 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 ...

of turtle 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 els ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Geographic range

''C. bourreti'' is found in central Vietnam and adjacent Laos.

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of ''C. bourreti'' is

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, at altitudes of .

Description

''C. bourreti'' may attain a straight-line

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) 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 und ...

length of . Adult females and adult males are about the same size. Hatchlings have a straight-line carapace length of .

Taxonomy

Although Stuart and Parham (2004) argued that ''C. bourreti'' was quite distinct, possibly enough to justify its elevation to a full species, osteologic studies have shown that it probably better remains as a subspecies of '' C. galbinifrons''. This is further substantiated by the finding of

intergradation In zoology, intergradation is the way in which two distinct subspecies are connected via areas where populations are found that have the characteristics of both. There are two types of intergradation: primary and secondary intergradation. Primar ...

zones in north-central Vietnam, where hybrid populations of ''C. g. galbinifrons'' and ''C. g. bourreti'' are known to exist.

Etymology

''C. bourreti'' is named in honor of French

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning " reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and r ...

René Léon Bourret.

In captivity

The Vietnamese press has reported successful breeding of ''C. bourreti'' at a

turtle farm Turtle farming is the practice of raising turtles and tortoises of various species commercially. Raised animals are sold for use as gourmet food, traditional medicine ingredients, or as pets. Some farms also sell young animals to other farms, e ...

in Dak Lak, Vietnam by a pharmacist who studied in France. Two Bourret's box turtles hatched at the National Zoo in the United States on 12 June 2017."Critically endangered Bourret's box turtles hatch at the Smithsonian's National Zoo"
National Zoo, 21 June 2017.

Gallery

Image:Bourreti2crop.jpg, Image:Bourreti3.jpg, Image:Bourreti4.jpg,

References

* Fritz U, Petzold A, Auer M (2006). "Osteology in the ''Cuora galbinifrons'' complex suggests conspecifity of ''C. bourreti'' and ''C. galbinifrons'', with notes on shell osteology and phalangeal formulae within the Geoemydidae". ''Amphibia- Reptilia'' 27 (2): 195–205. *Fritz U, Ziegler T, Herrmann H-W, Lehr E (2002). "Intergradation between subspecies of ''Cuora galbinifrons'' Bourret, 1939 and ''Pyxidea mouhotii'' (Gray, 1862) in southern North Vietnam". ''Faunistiche Abhandlungen Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde Dresden'' 23 (3): 59–74. * Obst FJ, Reimann M (1994). "''Bemerkenswerte Variabilität bei'' Cuora galbinifrons ''Bourret, 1939, mit Beschreibung einer neuen geographischen Unterart:'' Cuora galbinifrons bourreti ''subsp. nov.''" ''Zoologische Abhandlungen, Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde Dresden'' 48: 125–138. (''Cuora galbinifrons bourreti'', new subspecies). (in German). * Stuart BL, Parham JF (2004). "Molecular phylogeny of the critically endangered Indochinese box turtle (''Cuora galbinifrons'')". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 31: 164–177. (''Cuora bourreti'', new status).

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2488846 Cuora Turtles of Asia Reptiles of Laos Reptiles of Vietnam Reptiles described in 1994