Vietnamese three-striped box turtle

Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN 2.3)
CITES Appendix II (CITES)^[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Geoemydidae
Genus:	Cuora
Species:	C. cyclornata
Binomial name
*Cuora cyclornata* Blanck, Mccord & Le, 2006

The Vietnamese three-striped box turtle or green rice turtle (Cuora cyclornata) is a species of the Southeast Asian genus Cuora (family Geoemydidae). 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.^[2] 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.

Subspecies

Recognized subspecies:^[3] ^[4]

Central Vietnamese three-striped box turtle (C. c. cyclornata): Occurring in Central Vietnam and adjacent Laos, this subspecies can easily be distinguished from Cuora trifasciata and C. c. meieri by its orange chin, its round carapace appearance, the Cuora mccordi/Boletus-like plastral pattern (i.e. a generally large black blotch extending from the anal scutes to the pectorals, in C. trifasciata and C. c. meieri extending to the gulars) with a thin black vertical black stripe along the pectoral-humeral suture only and two separated, black, longitudinal bars on the gular scutes. This subspecies can reach a carapace length of up to 25 cm; males are smaller than females (as usual in Cuora species).
Northern Vietnamese or Meiers three-striped box turtle (C. c. meieri): Occurring in extreme southwestern Guangxi Province, China and adjacent northern Vietnam, this subspecies can be differentiated from C. c. cyclornata and C. trifasciata by its oval shell shape, a white to pinkish chin, rounded humeral-pectoral sutures, and a filled Boletus plastral pattern. This subspecies can reach a carapace length of up to 30 cm; males are smaller than females.
Annamite Vietnamese three-striped box turtle (C. c. annamitica): Occurring in Thanh Hoa Province, Nghe An Province, Ha Tinh Province and northern Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, this subspecies can be differentiated from C. c. cyclornata by its less intense chin coloration, and mainly black plastral front lobe, and can be differentiated from C. c. meieri by chin coloration, shell shape and plastral structure. This subspecies can reach a carapace length exceeding 30 cm.

Gallery

Female C. c. cyclornata
Plastron C. c. cyclornata
Female C. c. meieri
Plastron C. c. meieri
Juvenile C. c. annamitica
Plastron C. c. annamitica

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cuora cyclornata.

^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
^ Zhou, T.; McCord, W.; Blanck, T. & Li, P. P. (2007). "Cuora trifasciata and Cuora cyclornata - captive breeding in China". Reptilia (GB). (50): 68-73.
^ Blanck, T.; Mccord, W. P. & Le, M. (2006). "On the Variability of Cuora trifasciata". Edition Chimaira. 153 pp.
^ Blanck, T., Protiva, T., Zhou, T., Li, Y., Crow, P., and Tiedemann, R. (2017). New subspecies of Cuora cyclornata, Cuora trifasciata and Cuora aurocapitata. Sichuan Journal of Zoology. (36): 368–385

Family Geoemydidae

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Subclass: Anapsida
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudinoidea
Family: Geoemydidae

Genera

Species of the family Geoemydidae

†Banhxeochelys

†Banhxeochelys trani

Batagur

Cuora

Cyclemys

†Echmatemys

†Echmatemys septaria
†Echmatemys stevensoniana
†Echmatemys wyomingensis

Geoclemys

Black pond turtle

Geoemyda

Hardella

Brahminy river turtle

Heosemys

Leucocephalon

Sulawesi forest turtle

Malayemys

Mauremys

Melanochelys

Morenia

Notochelys

Malayan flat-shelled turtle

Orlitia

Malaysian giant turtle

Pangshura

Rhinoclemmys

Sacalia

Siebenrockiella

Vijayachelys

Cane turtle

Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. †=Extinct.

Testudines

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Diapsida
Order: Testudines

Genus

Chelonioidea
(Sea turtles)

Cheloniidae	†Allopleuron Caretta †Carolinochelys Chelonia †Eochelone Eretmochelys †Gigantatypus †Glarichelys †Itilochelys Lepidochelys †Mexichelys †Miocaretta Natator †Pacifichelys †Syllomus †Tasbacka
Dermochelyidae	†Arabemys †Corsochelys †Cosmochelys Dermochelys †Eosphargis †Mesodermochelys †Psephophorus
	†Euclastes †Peritresius †Procolpochelys †Protosphargis †Puppigerus

Kinosternoidea

Dermatemydidae	Dermatemys
Kinosternidae	Claudius †Hoplochelys Kinosternon Staurotypus Sternotherus

Testudinoidea

Emydidae	†Acherontemys Chrysemys Clemmys Deirochelys Emys Actinemys Emydoidea Glyptemys Graptemys Malaclemys Pseudemys Terrapene Trachemys †Wilburemys
Geoemydidae	Batagur †Banhxeochelys Cuora Cyclemys Geoclemys Geoemyda Hardella Heosemys Leucocephalon Malayemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Notochelys Orlitia Pangshura Rhinoclemmys Sacalia Siebenrockiella Vijayachelys
Platysternidae	Platysternon
Testudinidae	Aldabrachelys Astrochelys Centrochelys Chelonoidis Chersina Cylindraspis †Cymatholcus †Floridemys Geochelone Gopherus †Hadrianus †Hesperotestudo Homopus Indotestudo Kinixys Malacochersus Manouria †Megalochelys †Oligopherus Psammobates Pyxis †Solitudo Stigmochelys †Stylemys Testudo

Trionychia

Carettochelyidae	†Allaeochelys †Anosteira Carettochelys
Trionychidae	Amyda Apalone †Axestemys Chitra Cyclanorbis Cycloderma †Drazinderetes Dogania †Gilmoremys †Hutchemys †Khunnuchelys Lissemys Nilssonia Palea †Palaeoamyda Pelochelys Pelodiscus Rafetus Trionyx
	†Basilochelys †Sinaspideretes

Chelydridae	Chelydra †Chelydrops †Chelydropsis †Emarginachelys †Macrocephalochelys Macrochelys †Planiplastron †Protochelydra
†Nanhsiungchelyidae	†Anomalochelys †Basilemys †Jiangxichelys
†Protostegidae	†Alienochelys †Archelon †Atlantochelys †Bouliachelys †Calcarichelys †Cratochelone †Desmatochelys †Iserosaurus †Notochelone †Ocepechelon †Pneumatoarthrus †Protostega †Rhinochelys †Santanachelys †Terlinguachelys
	†Adocus †Argillochelys †Bashuchelys †Ctenochelys †Prionochelys †Toxochelys

Pleurodira

†Araripemydidae	†Araripemys
†Bothremydidae	†Araiochelys †Arenila †Azabbaremys †Bothremys †Cearachelys †Chedighaii †Chupacabrachelys †Eotaphrosphys †Foxemys †Galianemys †Ilatardia †Inaechelys †Itapecuruemys †Jainemys †Kinkonychelys †Kurmademys †Labrostochelys †Nigeremys †Phosphatochelys †Polysternon †Puentemys †Rosasia †Rhothonemys †Sankuchemys †Taphrosphys †Ummulisani †Zolhafah
Chelidae	Acanthochelys Chelodina Chelus Elseya Elusor Emydura Hydromedusa †Lomalatachelys Mesoclemmys Myuchelys Phrynops Platemys †Prochelidella Pseudemydura Rheodytes Rhinemys †Yaminuechelys
Pelomedusidae	Pelomedusa Pelusios
Podocnemididae	†Albertwoodemys †Bauruemys †Brontochelys †Caninemys †Carbonemys †Cerrejonemys †Cordichelys Erymnochelys †Lapparentemys †Latentemys Peltocephalus Podocnemis †Stupendemys
†Sahonachelyidae	†Sahonachelys †Sokatra

	†Caribemys †Caririemys †Tacuarembemys

Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on Turtles of the World 2017 Update: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status. † = extinct.

See also List of Testudines families