Cuora amboinensis

Studbook breeding programme
Cuora amboinensis
(Malayan box turtle)
Annual report 2008
Merijn Kerlen, studbook keeper
Joris Drubbel, co studbook keeper
KvK nr. 41136106
www.studbooks.eu
Studbook breeding report 2008 – Cuora amboinensis
Introduction
Harry Kal stopped his volunteer job as assistent studbook keeper. Joris
Drubbel will continue where Harry stopped. I will thank Harry for his
help.
New husbandry guidelines for Cuora amboinensis have been written and
published on the ESF website
(http://www.studbooks.org/houdbaarheid/Husbandry%20guidelines%20C
uora%20amboinensis.pdf).
Since the last report (annual report 2007), the number of, international,
members and contacts is still growing just as the years before.
For this year 2 animals died. New breedings, 4, have been reported from
2 locations.
The number of locations (16), animals (74) and breedings (4) is
decreasing. The reason is the lack of information send by the keepers.
Also some people moved all their animals to keepers outside the
studbook and who won’t or are not allowed to participate within the
studbook.
One more country is added to the studbook; Swiss. At the moment the
studbook has locations in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands,
Sweden, Swiss and United Kingdom.
4 Different subspecies are known (amboinensis, couro, kamaroma and
lineate). Except lineata, all subspecies are present in the studbook. Far the
most of them are subspecie kamaroma followed by amboinensis.
From subspecie couro one breeding is reported. All other breedings
belong to kamaroma.
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Studbook breeding report 2008 – Cuora amboinensis
Still some people are looking for adult Cuora’s but only the sub specie
couro and some female amboinensis. Animals offered are mainly
kamaroma and male amboinensis. This is exactly the same as the years
before.
Studbook population
The total population;
Date
Locations
Specimens
Birth
Death
1999
2000
2001
till 09-2002
till 04-2004
31-12-2004
31-12-2005
31-12-2006
31-12-2007
31-12-2008
36 (9, 12, 15)
47
55 (13, 16, 26)
109 (31, 44, 34)
111 (27, 41, 43)
116 (29, 44, 43)
82 (25, 35, 22)
99 (28,33,38)
113 (27,34,52)
74 (23,20,31)
2
5
4
8
11
0
8
8
13
4
?
1
2
25
20
2
1
3
2
2
7
10
14
26
23
25
17
21
19
16
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Studbook breeding report 2008 – Cuora amboinensis
The total population over the past 4 years separated by subspecie;
SubSpecie
amboinenis
couro kamaroma lineata
Total
Male
Female
unkown
Orange colored;
Green colored;
Black colored;
Red colored;
10,11,11,7
7, 7, 3
3, 3, 3
1, 1, 1
2008
2007
2006
2005
9,4,2,2
1, 1, 0
2, 1, 2
1, 0, 0
23,47,37,42
8, 9, 10
17, 17, 16
22, 11, 16
1,1,1,0
0, 0, 0
1, 1, 0
0, 0, 0
unknown
31,50,48,31
11, 11, 12
11, 11, 14
28, 26, 5
Number of locations over the past 10 years;
30
25
20
15
locations
10
5
0
1999
2000
2001
Till 09- Till 04- 31-12- 31-12- 31-12- 31-12- 31-122002 2004 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Growth of the population over the past 10 years, total and separated by
sex;
140
120
100
male
80
female
60
unknown
total
40
20
0
1999
2000
2001 Till 09- Till 04- 31-12- 31-12- 31-12- 31-12- 31-122002 2004 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
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Studbook breeding report 2008 – Cuora amboinensis
The population over the past 10 years, birth, death and total;
140
120
100
birth
80
death
60
total
40
20
0
1999
2000
2001
Till 09- Till 04- 31-12- 31-12- 31-12- 31-12- 31-122002 2004 2004 2005
2006 2007 2008
Transfers
Date
Transfers
1999
2000
2001
Till 09-2002
Till 04-2004
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2
5
9
68
19
7
7
11
8
18
The number of transferred animals is high for 2008 compared to the years
before. The main reason is some keepers with many animals had to
transfer most of their animals because of their changed private situation.
Discussion
The number of locations but mostly the number of animals is decreasing.
This is because many participants didn’t send their details for 2008. So It
is really important to have a solid base of really interested people.
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Studbook breeding report 2008 – Cuora amboinensis
At the moment there are still many problems with people looking for
(sub)species of Cuora amboinensis. Finally, when some animals are
offered, they’re not interested anymore. Because of this problem it’s
almost impossible to find new locations for offered animals. As
mentioned in the introduction the offered animals are all kamaroma and
male amboinensis, this in contrast to the people looking for couro and
female amboinensis.
References
• Daudin, F. M. 1802. Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des
reptiles. 2. F. Dufart, Paris. 432 pp.
• Ernst, C.H. & R.W. Barbour, 1989. Turtles of the world: 147.
• Filella, E., 1999. Cuora amboinensis and its subspecies. Reptilia
(English edition) 9: 65-69.
• Gorman, G. C. 1973. The chromosomes of the Reptilia, a
cytotaxonomic interpretation. In: A. B. Chiarelli and E. Capanna
(eds.), Cytotaxonomy and Vertebrate Evolution, pp. 349-424.
Academic Press, New York.
• Hofstra, J., 1989. De kweek met de ambonese waterdoosschildpad
(Cuora amboinensis). Lacerta 47(6): 162-164.
• Hofstra, J., 1994. Kweken met de Ambonese doosschildpad (Cuora
amboinensis). Lacerta 53(1): 18-22.
• Inskeep, R. 1984a. A note on the captive breeding of the box turtle
Cuora ambioinensis (Daudin, 1802). British J. Herpetol. 6: 383384.
• Inskeep, R. 1984b. Second breeding of Cuora ambionensis
(Daudin 1802). Brit. Herpetol. Soc. Bull. 9: 28.
• Iverson, J. B. 1992. A Revised Checklist with Distribution Maps of
the Turtles of the World. Privately printed. Paust Printing,
Richmond, Indiana. 363 pp.
• Khan, M. A. R. 1982. Chelonians of Bangladesh and their
conservation. J. Bombay Natur. Hist. Soc. 79: 110-116.
• McCord, W.P. & H-D. Philippen, 1998. A new subspecies of box
turtle, Cuora amboinensis lineata. Reptile Hobbyist, Neptune City,
N.J, 3(7): 51 – 58
• Moll, E. O., and J. Vijaya. 1986. Distributional records for some
Indian turtles. J. Bombay Natur. Hist. Soc. 83: 57-62.
• Mudde, P.M., 1987. Voortplanting van de Ambonese
waterdoosschildpad (Cuora amboinensis) in het terrarium. Lacerta
45(5): 70-80.
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Studbook breeding report 2008 – Cuora amboinensis
• Mudde, P.M., 1999. Breeding the Amboina Box Turtle. Cuora
amboinensis kamaroma. Reptilia (English edition) 9: 60-64.
• Pritchard, P.C.H., 1979. Encyclopedia of turtles: 211-213.
• Rummler, H.J. & U. Fritz, 1991. Geographische Variabilität der
Amboina Scharnierschildkröte Cuora amboinensis mit
Beschreibung einer neuen Unterart, C.a.kamaroma. Salamandra
27(1): 17-45.
• Saxena, A. 1994. Captive husbandry of the Malayan box turtle
(Cuora amboinensis ) from the Nicobar Islands. Hamadryad 19:
93-94.
• Schweigger, A. F. 1812. Monographiae Cheloniorum. Königsberg.
Arch. Naturwiss. Math. 1: 271-368, 406-458.
• Smith, M. A. 1931. The fauna of British India, including Ceylon
and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia, vol. 1, Loricata and
Testudines. Taylor and Francis, London. 185 pp.
• Taylor, E. H. 1920. Philippine turtles. Philippine J. Sci. 16: 111144.
• Welch, K.R.G., 1994. Turtles, Tortoises and Terrapines. A
Checklist: 17-19.
May 2009
Merijn Kerlen, Studbook keeper
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