Description
This turtle is characterized by a yellowish brown- to dark brown- or even black-colored carapace, with a distinctive keel running lengthwise down the center of it, and a yellowish, orange, red, brown or black head and limbs. It is not as aquatic as the typical species of Cuora but rather terrestrial, preferring only moderately moist habitats with plenty of vegetation and ground litter for cover. They grow to approximately 7 inches in length and are mainly carnivorous, some accepting fruits in captivity.
Females of the Indochinese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons) complex hybridize – apparently in the wild – with Keeled box turtle males to produce the turtles once considered a separate species or subspecies Cuora (galbinifrons) serrata (see the Cuora article for more information).
One subspecies has been described so far:
- Pyxidea mouhotii obsti – Annam mountain range in central Vietnam.
- Distinguished from the nominate subspecies by its rounder shell, a reticulated head pattern and a distinct plastral pattern with more black pigments (forming larger black blotches).
The populations from Myanmar and India might represent another yet undescribed subspecies.
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Plastron of nominate subspecies
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Plastron of P. m. obsti
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Male P. m. obsti
Read more about this topic: Keeled Box Turtle
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