NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Coahuilan box turtle
Terrapene coahuila Schmidt & Owens, 1944
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Coahuilan box turtle (Terrapene coahuila), also known commonly as the aquatic box turtle, is an endangered species of turtle in the family Emydidae. Unlike the other members of the genus Terrapene, this turtle spends roughly 90% of its time in water.
It is a close relative to the common box turtle (Terrapene carolina). Researchers have therefore suggested that it developed from a nonaquatic species in order to survive in the desert springs of Cuatro Ciénegas.
Wikipedia contributors, Coahuilan box turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:55:51.039451+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Terrapene coahuila Schmidt & Owens, 1944
- Name authority
- Schmidt & Owens, 1944
- Common name
- Coahuilan box turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Emydidae
- Genus
- Terrapene
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderTestudines Batsch, 1788
- suborderCryptodira
- superfamilyTestudinoidea
- familyEmydidae
- genusTerrapene
- speciesTerrapene coahuila Schmidt & Owens, 1944
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Terrapene. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mexican Box TurtleTerrapene mexicana (Gray, 1849) | EmydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern Box Turtle [carolina]Terrapene carolina (Linnaeus, 1758) | EmydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Spotted box turtleTerrapene nelsoni Stejneger, 1925 | EmydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Terrapene&species=coahuila Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:55HWK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.