From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Genus of tortoises
Aldabrachelys
[1]
is
genus
of giant tortoises, including the
Aldabra giant tortoise
(
Aldabrachelys gigantea
) native to the
Seychelles
, as well as two extinct species,
Aldabrachelys abrupta
and
Aldabrachelys grandidieri
known from Madagascar.
Naming
[
edit
]
This name is problematic in that the type specimen actually represents
Chelonoidis denticulata
;
[2]
however, this was discussed and petitioned before the ICZN
[3]
and accepted: the name
Aldabrachelys
is therefore the correct name for this genus.
Taxonomy
[
edit
]
Within Testudinidae,
Aldabrachelys
is most closely related to
Astrochelys
and
Pyxis
,
which are also native to Madagascar, suggesting that they share a common origin on the island. Within the genus,
Aldabrachelys abrupta
is more closely related to
A. gigantea
than it is to
A. grandidieri
, but
A. abrupta and A. gigantea
are relatively genetically divergent, suggesting that they are not synonymous as had sometimes been previously proposed, and that they diverged from each other several million years ago. The proposed subspecies of
A. gigantea
show relatively little genetic differentiation from each other.
[4]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Loveridge A
,
Williams EE
(1957). "Revision of the African tortoises and turtles of the suborder Cryptodira".
Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard
115
: 163?557.
- ^
Bour R
(2006). "Identity of
Testudo gigantea
Schweigger, 1812 and rediscovery of the type specimen".
Emys
13
(4): 12?23.
- ^
Frazer J (2009). "
Testudo gigantea
Schweigger, 1812 (currently
Geochelone (Aldabrachelys) gigantea
; Reptilia, Testudines): proposed conservation of usage of the specific name by maintenance of a designated neotype, and suppression of
Testudo dussumieri
Gray, 1831 (currently
Dipsochelys dussumieri
)".
Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature
66
(1):
Case:3463
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
Kehlmaier, Christian; Gracia, Eva; Ali, Jason R.; Campbell, Patrick D.; Chapman, Sandra D.; Deepak, V.; Ihlow, Flora; Jalil, Nour-Eddine; Pierre-Huyet, Laure; Samonds, Karen E.; Vences, Miguel; Fritz, Uwe (2023-01-13).
"Ancient DNA elucidates the lost world of western Indian Ocean giant tortoises and reveals a new extinct species from Madagascar"
.
Science Advances
.
9
(2): eabq2574.
Bibcode
:
2023SciA....9.2574K
.
doi
:
10.1126/sciadv.abq2574
.
ISSN
2375-2548
.
PMC
9833658
.
PMID
36630487
.