Cuora cyclornata BLANCK, MCCORD & LE MINH, 2006
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Cuora cyclornata?
Cuora cyclornata
Find more photos by Google images search: 
| Higher Taxa | Geoemydidae (Geoemydinae), Testudinoidea, Testudines (turtles) |
| Subspecies | Cuora cyclornata cyclornata BLANCK, MCCORD & LE MINH 2006 Cuora cyclornata annamitica BLANCK, PROTIVA, ZHOU, LI, CROW & TIEDEMANN 2017 Cuora cyclornata meieri BLANCK, MCCORD & LE MINH 2006 |
| Common Names | E: Southern Vietnamese Three-striped Box Turtle [cyclornata] E: Central Vietnamese Three-striped Box Turtle [annamitica] E: Northern Vietnamese Three-striped Box Turtle [meieri] G: Dreistreifen-Scharnierschildkröte Chinese: 越南三线闭壳龟 |
| Synonym | Cuora cyclornata cyclornata BLANCK, MCCORD & LE MINH 2006 Cuora cyclornata — ZHOU et al. 2007 Cuora cyclornata — NGUYEN et al. 2009 Cuora cyclornata cyclornata — TTWG 2017 Cuora cyclornata cyclornata — TTWG 2021 Cuora cyclornata annamitica BLANCK, PROTIVA, ZHOU, LI, CROW & TIEDEMANN 2017: 378 Cuora cyclornata annamitica — WAGNER 2018 Cuora cyclornata annamitica — TTWG 2021 Cuora cyclornata meieri BLANCK, MCCORD & LE MINH 2006: 73 Cuora cyclornata meieri — TTWG 2017 Cuora cyclornata meieri — TTWG 2021 |
| Distribution | S China (Kwangsi, Kwangtung, Hong Kong), Vietnam annamitica: Vietnam, possibly Laos. Type locality: “Vietnam, Nghe An Province, Tan Ky district, near Ky Son Village.” cyclornata: N Vietnam (Vinh Phu), China (Guangxi); Type locality: “Phong Nha Ke bang, Vietnam” meieri: Vietnam (Vinh Phu), Type locality: Tam Dao, Vinh Phu Province, Vietnam |
| Reproduction | oviparous. |
| Types | Holotype: ZFMK 71348 (cyclornata) Holotype: VUP R. Em. 04 (= VUM = Vinh University Museum), sub-adult male [annamitica] Holotype: MHNT CHE 1992-11 (Toulouse, formerly LSN T 69) [meieri] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (central Vietnam and eastern Laos): (See Appendix II; diagnostic morphological characters) Carapace: Smooth (unkeeled), dorsally compressed and trapezoid in frontal view, while tricarinate, or smooth and rounded in other (A, B, C, E) populations; red-brown in color, while chestnut-brown, pale to yellow-brown or dark brown in others; round to mildly oval in shape, while oval-elongated, elongated or pear shaped in others; mildly arched carapace, more so in others; not posteriorly flared (mildly in males), while mildly to strongly flared in others. The costals descend at a gentler slope than in others. The posterior marginal scutes are serrated only in this population. CL : CW ratio 1 : 1.15–1.25 in females, 1 : 1.30–1.35 in males, and 1 : 1.15 in juveniles; this is higher in all others, pointing out the rounded carapace that helps to distinguish this population from Chinese and northern Vietnamese populations. Max. CW: at M5/6–M6/7 in females, 6/7–M7/8 in males and M6 in juveniles and thus situated more anteriorly than in specimens from all other localities. Females are more rounded in outline and slightly deeper-shelled (10%) than males, which may be slightly bodiced here, while males in all other populations are more bodiced. The vertebrals are flat dorsally, while convex to concave in others. The carapace is 15% wider (CW) in both sexes than in northern Vietnamese specimens (E) and more than 20% wider than in Cuora trifasciata sensu stricto (A, B and C), due to wider marginal scutes (50% wider than in A, B and C and 25% wider than in E). The vertebral and lateral stripes cover more than 20% of the respective scute widths, more than other populations. Often broader, reverse arrow-shaped expansions are present in the anterior parts of V2–V4, sometimes also on lateral stripes, which are absent in other populations. The vertebral stripe extends forward to the anterior part of V2, sometimes mid-V1, but never reaches the nuchal; usually reaching the nuchal in others. V2 is often wider than long, while often as wide as long in E, and always longer than wide in A, B and C; nuchal scute nearly as wide as long (squarish), while longer than wide in others. Plastron: An orange lateral border covers 30–95% of the anterior pectoral scutes, narrowing sharply towards the rear; narrower overall in others. The gulars are black with yellow along the intergular seam that covers 10–70% of the gular scutes; yellow not present in others. Humerals are predominantly yellow, with a horizontal black bar along the humeral-pectoral seam, covering 10–30% of the scute (similar to Cuora mccordi), whereas the humerals are primarily black in others. Sometimes a thin black anterolateral peripheral humeral border is present, connecting with the black gular pattern; not present in others. The shape of the plastral pattern forms a compressed, boletus-like figure, more prominent in E, absent in other (A, B and C) populations. The ventral marginals here are orange; while yellow-orange, orange-pink, pink or yellow in others. The black bridge markings coalesce into one large, elongated, black spot, whereas they usually remain separated in others. A minimal black-on-yellow radiating pattern sometimes occurs on the central plastron; more so in others; the central plastron is black, not brownish-yellow, as in A, B and C. The dorsal head color is olive-yellow posteriorly, orange-brown centrally, and grayish on the nose, whereas olive, toffee-brown or yellow is seen in others. The postorbital patch is usually olive-brown or gray-brown, lighter in A and B and darker in C and E. The upper dark brown border of the lateral head stripe never uninterruptedly reaches the dorsal side of the head, nor does it uninterruptedly extend posterior to the tympanum; whereas this stripe is black, reaches the dorsal surface of the head and extends posterior to the tympanum in all others. The thin posterior dorsolateral head stripe is olive in color and fades posteriorly into the dorsal head pattern; while it is well defined and black-bordered in specimens from other localities. The lateral head coloration is orange here, but white, pink, yellow or cream-yellow in others. The chin, entire ventral side of the neck and soft tissue are orange here, whereas yellow, cream-yellow, pink, white, yellow-orange and pink-red coloring is seen to varying degrees in the other populations. The iris is blue-green, somewhat paler than in E; usually brown in others. Size: Known to reach 27 cm in females and 22 cm in males; smaller in A, B and C, larger in E. See the molecular conclusions and cladogram above showing the relative phylogenetic positions and distinctiveness of different forms of C. trifasciata sensu lato when compared to each other and to other Cuora species, particularly the specific distinctiveness of Vietnamese and western Guangxi, China populations. (Blanck et al. 2006) Additional details (9077 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Conservation: This is one of the most endangered turtle species according to a 2003 assessment by the IUCN. Distribution: Not on Hainan fide Bu et al. 2023, Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 22(1): 80-88 (2023). Synonymy: see also Cuora trifasciata (STUART & PARHAM 2004). Cuora cyclornata may be a hybrid and has been provisionally considered to be a synonym of Cuora trifasciata by SPINKS & SHAFFER et al. (2006) in an “note added in proof”, and more formally in SPINKS et al. (2009). |
| Etymology | Named after the Greek word “kýklos”, meaning round, and from Latin “ornatus”, meaning decorated/ornate, referring to the attractive appearance, i.e. “the round and beautiful turtle”. C. c. meieri was named after Elmar Meier for his research and conservation efforts involving Cuora. C. c. kamaroma was named after the Greek kamárôma, meaning “the curved.” |
| References |
|
| External links |