NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Indochinese Box Turtle
Cuora galbinifrons Bourret, 1939
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 Indochinese box turtle, Vietnamese box turtle, or flowerback box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons) is a species of Asian box turtles from China (Hainan and Guangxi), northern and central Vietnam, Laos, and possibly northeastern Cambodia. It is found in high altitude woodland where it tends to hide in the undergrowth. There is considerable confusion as to the taxonomy of this species with several subspecies being recognised by some authorities. and not by others. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered".
Wikipedia contributors, Indochinese box turtle; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:07:56.134588+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cuora galbinifrons Bourret, 1939
- Name authority
- Bourret, 1939
- Common name
- Indochinese Box Turtle
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Testudines
- Family
- Geoemydidae
- Genus
- Cuora
- 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
- familyGeoemydidae
- genusCuora
- speciesCuora galbinifrons Bourret, 1939
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cuora. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pan's Box TurtleCuora pani Song, 1984 | GeoemydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chinese Three-striped Box TurtleCuora trifasciata (Bell, 1825) | GeoemydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern Yellow-headed Box Turtle [aurocapitata]Cuora aurocapitata Luo & Zong, 1988 | GeoemydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Keeled Box TurtleCuora mouhotii (Gray, 1862) | GeoemydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Southern Vietnam Box TurtleCuora picturata Lehr, Fritz & Obst, 1998 | GeoemydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| McCord's Box TurtleCuora mccordi Ernst, 1988 | GeoemydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Central Vietnamese Three-striped Box Turtle [annamitica]Cuora cyclornata Blanck, Mccord & Le Minh, 2006 | GeoemydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Indonesian Box TurtleCuora couro (Schweigger, 1812) | GeoemydidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cuora galbinifrons serrata Iverson & Mccord, 1992 Iverson & Mccord, 1992 | synonym |
| Cyclemys flavomarginata hainanensis Li, 1958 Li, 1958 | synonym |
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=Cuora&species=galbinifrons 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:6C3PF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.