Cuora galbinifrons picturata:
photos by R. Crisanti & M. Grasso
This C. g. picturata shows the characteristic light colored undersides of the marginal scutes. The dark medial band on the carapace continues through to the front marginals. (A lighter colored area just behind the marginals is characteristic of C. g. galbinifrons.) There is a well defined light, thin stripe down the center of the carapace. The head and legs have a gray pattern on a yellowish ground.
This subspecies comes from southernmost Vietnam, parts of Cambodia, and possibly Cochinchina.
The owners tell us that this turtle is not at all shy, but is quite outgoing, responsive, and a hardy eater.
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April 2011 update:
Many researchers now consider this animal a separate species, Cuora picturata.
Although it had been previously known primarily from market animals, a Vietnamese
graduate student, Tri Ly, with support from the Turtle Conservation Fund,
has now documented eight individuals in the wild. They were found at at
three localities on the Langbian Plateau of southern Vietnam. The observations
were reported in the journal, Biological Conservation and the associated
website, under the title "Market Turtle Mystery Solved in Vietnam"
by Ly, T., H. D. Hoang, and B. L. Stuart.