A report on the hybridization between two species of threatened Asian box turtles (Testudines: Cuora) in the wild on Hainan Island (China) with comments on the origin of 'serrata'-like turtles

Abstract

Ten new turtle taxa were described from pet trade specimens from China since the 1980s (see Fritz and Obst, 1998; Fritz and Obst, 1999; Parham et al., 2001 for a review). Specimens similar to one of these taxa, Cuora serrata Iverson and McCord, 1992 (originally Cuora galbinifrons serrata, elevated by Fritz and Obst, 1997), were shown to be hybrids of male Cuora mouhotii (Gray, 1862; formerly Pyxidea, but see Stuart and Parham, 2004) and females of Cuora galbinifrons Bourret, 1939 or Cuora bourreti Obst and Reimann, 1994 (Parham et al., 2001; and Stuart and Parham, 2004).