Studbook CUORA (PYXIDEA) MOUHOTII Keeled Box Turtle

Annual report 2007

Studbook keeper Job Stumpel Co studbook keeper Richard Struijk

Annual Report 2007

Job Stumpel, Studbook coordinator

Juvenile Cuora (Pyxidea) mouhotii. © Job Stumpel

Introduction The studbook Cuora (Pyxidea) mouhotii had a re-start in the last months of 2006, and was assigned to a new studbook keeper. Due to the fact that the registration of new animals had not been worked on for some time, it was decided to contact the few participants and to start recruiting new animals and participants into the studbook. This resulted in the studbook as it is at this moment, with 46 live animals registered, representing both subspecies (and 2 known hybrids). The animals are housed at 11 locations in The Netherlands (6), Belgium (3), Austria (1) and Germany (1).

Eggs were laid at four locations, but only one location hatched 4 juveniles. Eggs at one location were infertile. Incubation temperatures might have been too high at another location. The eggs that hatched were incubated at relatively high humidity and temperatures of 29-30°C.

Studbook population males females unknown Cuora (Pyxidea) m. mouhotii 12 13 13 Cuora (Pyxidea) m. obsti 2 5 0 Cuora (Pyxidea) m. mouhotii x obsti 0 0 2

All 32 adult animals are wild-caught individuals, all animals of unknown sex were captive-bred.

One nominate female died at one location. It is possible that this female was the mother of all 10 of the studbooks nominate juveniles of unknown sex and therefore the only reproducing female. The number of adult females, possibly capable of reproducing, however gives a hopeful prospect for the coming years.

There is a good capacity for housing juveniles at registered or new locations.

Literature Choudhury, A. (1996) The keeled box turtle Pyxidea mouhotii Gray on the north bank of the Brahmaputra - a new record. Journal- Bombay Natural History Society 93(1): 97.

Choudhury, A. (1998) Pyxidea mouhotii (Gray) in Southern Assam and Mizoram. Journal- Bombay Natural History Society 95(3):511.

Ernst, CH, RGM Altenburg & RW Barbour. Turtles of the World - genus Pyxidea (Keeled box turtles). ETI, 2001. (CD-ROM)

Fritz, U. & Obst, F.J. (1997 ): Zum taxonomischen Status von Cuora galbinifrons serrata (Iverson & McCord 1992) und Pyxidea mouhotii (Gray, 1862) . Zoologische Abhandlungen, Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde Dresden, Band 49, Nr.14, 10.

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Nicol, E.B. (1985) Parasites in Cuora galbinifrons and Cyclemys mouhoti. The Tortuga Gazette 21(4):5-6

Sachsse, W. (1973) Pyxidea mouhotii, eine landbewohnende Emydide sudost- Asiens. Salamandra 9(2):49-53.

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Vetter, H & PP van Dijk. Turtles of the World Vol 4: East and South Asia. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, 2006. (pp. 100-101)