Added 19 March 2023. Last updated 3 April 2023: added Batagur and Morenia.
A large family (formerly known as Bataguridae) of freshwater turtles found mainly in Asia, but also in Europe, North Africa and Central and South America. Quite a number are seen in the pet trade, but the danger to the wild populations comes less from collecting for hobbyists than from unrestricted collecting for Asian food markets and traditional medicine.
Some of these turtles are fairly hardy and easy to keep, and it is urged that all keepers therefore do their utmost to achieve captive breeding in the light of the difficulties that some of these species are in.
As of 2023, the following changes have been made in the past few years:
Kachuga species (Roofed or Tent Turtles) have been variously reassigned to either Batagur or Pangshura
Callagur (the Biuku) is reassigned to Batagur
Chinemys species (Asian Pond Turtles) are reassigned to Mauremys
Ocadia species are variously reassigned to either Cuora or Mauremys
Pyxidea (the Keeled Box Turtle) is reassigned to Cuora
Hieremys (the Yellow-Headed Temple Turtle) is reassigned to Heosemys
the species variously known as Heosemys or Geoemyda silvatica is assigned to its own genus, Vijaychelys
|
Genus |
Common Name |
No. of species |
Distribution |
Notes |
|
Family BAGATURIDAE |
||||
|
Batagur |
6 |
Burma (Irrawaddy River), |
Includes former genus Callagur and some of former genus Kachuga. All 6 species are considered endangered. |
|
|
Cuora |
Asian Box Turtles |
13 |
Mainly China, also India and SE Asia inc. Philippines, Japan and Indonesia |
|
|
Cyclemys |
Leaf Turtles |
7 |
China and SE Asia inc. Indonesia |
|
|
Black Pond Turtle |
1 |
S Pakistan, N India, Bangladesh |
Protected under CITES I. |
|
|
Geoemyda |
Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle |
2 |
Japan, China, Vietnam, Indonesia |
|
|
Brahminy River Turtle |
1 |
N India, Bangladesh, Pakistan |
|
|
|
Heosemys |
Asian Forest Turtles |
4 |
Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, India |
|
|
Leucocephalon |
Sulawesi Forest Turtle |
1 |
Indonesia (Sulawesi) |
|
|
Snail-Eating Turtle |
3 |
S Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, probably S Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia |
|
|
|
Mauremys |
Caspian, Japanese and Asian Yellow Pond Turtles |
11 |
Vietnam, S Russia, S Europe, Middle East, China, S Japan, SW Europe, NW Africa, Hainan, Taiwan, Burma |
|
|
Indian Black Turtles |
2 |
Indian subcontinent inc. islands, Nepal, Burma |
|
|
|
Eyed Turtles |
2 |
NE India, Bangladesh, Burma, China, NW Malaysia |
Extremely rare turtles, very little or no captive breeding recorded. |
|
|
Notochelys |
Malayan Flat-Shelled Turtle |
1 |
Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, West Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore |
|
|
Orlitia |
Malayan Giant Turtle |
1 |
Malaysia, Indonesia |
|
|
Wood Turtles |
9 |
Mexico, C & South America as far south as Brazil and Ecuador |
|
|
|
Sacalia |
Eyed Turtle |
2 |
China, Vietnam |
|
|
Siebenrockiella |
Siamese Temple Turtle |
2 |
S Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore |
|
|
Vijayachelys |
Cochin Forest Cane Turtle |
1 |
SW India |
|
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