Cuora amboinensis amboinensis

(Obst & Reimann, 1994)

Vernacular names
English : Moluccan box turtle
French : Tortue boite d’Amboine

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Testudines
Family : Geoemydidae
Notes : 1 other subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach a shell length of 20 cm. Domed shell, back dark grey to nearly black. Yellowish plastron with large black blotches. Blackish head with three horizontal yellow stripes, the upper one reaching neck. Subspecies with flatter shell.

Range and habitat
This subspecies occurs in central Indonesia, in the Moluccas archipelago. Species also found on Sulawesi. Lives in marshes, ponds, pools, rice paddies and forest areas nearby.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : ENDANGERED
CITES : Appendix I
Status : This species is on the verge of being critically endangered. It is poached in unsustainable numbers and suffers from habitat loss as well. The species has now been split and needs to be reassessed.
Ex-Situ Programs : EEP in Europe

Observation

 

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