Belongs within: Testudinidae.
Contains: Geochelone.
The Testudininae contains the land tortoises most closely related to the type genus, Testudo, with many species having been referred in the past to either that genus or Geochelone. Among the members of the group are the giant tortoises of the Seychelles islands in the genus Aldabrachelys. The genus Testudo includes species found in the Mediterranean region and western Asia, including Hermann’s tortoise T. hermanni which is commonly kept in captivity around Europe. Astrochelys includes two species native to Madagascar. Kinixys, the hinged tortoises, is a genus of African tortoises that possess a hinge in the rear part of the shell allowing the rear legs to be covered after retraction.
Synapomorphies (from Gaffney & Meylan 1988): Process of surangular interdigitates with dentary, lower jaw relatively gracile; mental glands absent; medial centrale large, separating distal end of radius from contact with medial proximal carpals.
<==Testudininae [Megalochelyina, Megalochelyini, Testudinina, Testudinini] | i. s.: Protestudo Chkhikvadze 1970FB-E07 | Dipsochelys Bour 1982N10 | |--D. abrupta (Grandidier 1868) [=Geochelone abrupta]N10 | |--D. arnoldi Bour 1982N10 | |--D. daudinii (Dumeril & Bibron 1835) [=Geochelone daudinii]N10 | |--D. giganteusWW10 | `--D. hololissa (Gunther 1877) [=Geochelone hololissa]N10 |--+--GeocheloneFB-E07 | `--+--+--+--Chersina Gray 1831FB-E07 | | | | `--C. angulata (Schweigger 1812)FB-E07, JPG04 | | | `--Homopus Duméril & Bibron 1835FB-E07 | | | |--H. areolatus (Thunberg 1787)JPG04 | | | |--H. boulengeri Duerden 1906JPG04 | | | |--H. femoralis Boulenger 1888JPG04 | | | `--H. signatus (Gmelin 1789)FB-E07 | | `--+--Stigmochelys Gray 1873FB-E07 | | | `--*S. pardalis (Bell 1828)FB-E07, JPG04 [=Geochelone pardalisFB-E07, Psammobates pardalisFB-E07] | | | |--S. p. pardalisFB-E07 | | | `--‘Geochelone’ p. babcockiFB-E07 | | `--Psammobates Fitzinger 1835FB-E07 | | |--P. geometricus (Linnaeus 1758)JPG04 | | |--P. oculifer (Kuhl 1820)FB-E07 | | `--P. tentorius (Bell 1828)JPG04 | `--+--Astrochelys Gray 1873 [incl. Angonoka Le et al. 2006]FB-E07 | | |--*A. radiata (Shaw 1802)FB-E07, JPG04 [=Geochelone radiataFB-E07, Testudo radiataUSDI77] | | `--A. yniphora (Vaillant 1885)FB-E07, JPG04 (see below for synonymy) | `--+--+--AcinixysGM88 | | `--Pyxis Bell 1827FB-E07 | | |--P. arachnoides Bell 1827JPG04 | | `--P. planicauda (Grandidier 1867)JPG04 | `--+--MegalochelysGM88 | `--Aldabrachelys Loveridge & Williams 1957FB-E07, N10 | |--A. abrupta (Grandidier 1868)FB-E07 | |--A. elephantinaCP03 | |--A. gigantea (Schweigger 1812)ICZN13 (see below for synonymy) | | |--A. g. giganteaH81 | | `--‘Geochelone’ g. gouffei (Rothschild 1906)H81 | |--A. grandidieri (Vaillant 1885)M94, N10 (see below for synonymy) | `--A. robustaM94 `--+--+--Malacochersus Lindholm 1929FB-E07 | | `--M. tornieri (Siebenrock 1903)FB-E07 | `--Indotestudo Lindholm 1929FB-E07 | |--I. forstenii (Schlegel & Müller 1844)FB-E07, JPG04 | `--+--I. elongata (Blyth 1853)FB-E07, JPG04 | `--I. travancorica (Boulenger 1907)FB-E07, JPG04 `--Testudo Linnaeus 1758FB-E07, L58 (see below for synonymy) | i. s.: T. abingdoniiS99 | T. antakyensis Perälä 1996TK03 | T. carinata Linnaeus 1758L58 | T. carolina Linnaeus 1758L58 | T. clausaJ23 | T. cultrata Cope 1873 (n. d.)H96 | T. denticulata Gray 1866G66 | T. ephippiumS99 | T. exornata Lambe 1906 (n. d.)H96 | T. forsteniB28 | T. klettiana Cope 1875C77 | T. loveridgiiLW08 | T. lutaria Linnaeus 1758L58 | T. microphycesS99 | T. orbicularis Linnaeus 1758L58 [=Emys orbicularisK08] | T. perses Perälä 2002TK03 | T. pusilla Linnaeus 1758L58 | T. scabra Linnaeus 1758L58 | T. tabulata Gray 1866G66 | T. undata Cope 1875C77 | T. weissingeriCP03 | T. werneri Perälä 2001JPG04 |--+--T. hermanni Gmelin 1789FB-E07, JPG04 (see below for synonymy) | | |--T. h. hermanniM55 | | `--T. h. robertmertensiM55 | `--T. horsfieldii Gray 1844FB-E07, JPG04 [=*Agrionemys horsfieldiiFB-E07] `--+--*T. graeca Linnaeus 1758JPG04, FB-E07, TK03 [incl. T. ibera Pallas 1814FB-E07] | |--T. g. graecaTK03 | |--T. g. anamurensis Weissinger 1987TK03 | |--T. g. armeniaca Chkhikvadze & Bakradze 1991TK03 | |--T. g. ibera Pallas 1814TK03 | `--T. g. terrestris Forsskål 1775TK03 `--+--T. kleinmanni Lortet 1883FB-E07, JPG04 `--T. marginata Schoepff 1792FB-E07
Aldabrachelys gigantea (Schweigger 1812)ICZN13 [=Testudo giganteaICZN13, Geochelone (Aldabrachelys) giganteaICZN13; incl. Aldabrachelys arnoldiFB-E07, Testudo dussumieri Gray 1831 (nom. rej.)ICZN13, A. dussumieriFB-E07, Dipsochelys dussumieriICZN13, Geochelone dussumieriN10, Aldabrachelys hololissaFB-E07]
Aldabrachelys grandidieri (Vaillant 1885)M94, N10 [=Geochelone grandidieriN10, Dipsochelys grandidieriN10, Testudo grandidieriM94]
Astrochelys yniphora (Vaillant 1885)FB-E07, JPG04 [=*Angonoka yniphoraFB-E07, Geochelone yniphoraFB-E07, Testudo yniphoraUSDI77]
Testudo Linnaeus 1758FB-E07, L58 [incl. Agrionemys Khozatsky & Młynarski 1966FB-E07, Chersine Merrem 1820FB-E07, Eurotestudo Lapparent de Broin et al. 2006FB-E07, Medaestia Wussow 1916FB-E07]
Testudo hermanni Gmelin 1789FB-E07, JPG04 [=Agrionemys hermanniFB-E07, *Eurotestudo hermanniFB-E07, Protestudo hermanniFB-E07; incl. Testudo boettgeriFB-E07, Eurotestudo boettgeriFB-E07, T. graeca Merrem 1820 non Linnaeus 1758FB-E07, *Chersine graecaFB-E07, *Medaestia graecaFB-E07, T. hercegovinensisFB-E07, E. hercegovinensisFB-E07]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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