Class Reptilia | Phylum Chordata Order Testudines Genus Cyclemys Rank Species | |
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Similar Western black‑bridged leaf turtle, Oldham's leaf turtle, Enigmatic leaf turtle, Myanmar brown leaf turtle, Assam leaf turtle |
The eastern black-bridged leaf turtle (Cyclemys pulchristiata) is a species of Asian leaf turtles found in southern Indochina.
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Description
In this species, the carapace is reddish brown, ovoid to elongated, with wide, radiating, black lines or large, black specks. The plastron is mostly yellow and may have short, fat lines, specks, or be uniformly colored. The head is speckled, with a yellow throat. The neck is striped. Hatchlings have wide head and neck stripes and yellow plastrons. The bridge is predominantly yellow with black stripes or entirely black. It is mostly morphologically indistinguishable from the western black-bridged leaf turtle, C. atripons, requiring genetic sampling to confidently identify. Some authorities consider this species to be a junior synonym to or a subspecies of C. atripons.
Distribution
It is found in Cambodia and Vietnam.