Centrochelys Explained

Centrochelys is a genus of tortoise. It contains one living species, the African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata), native to the Sahel and adjacent areas. A number of fossil species have been attributed to this genus, but their placement in the genus is considered equivocal.^[1]

• "Centrochelys" atlantica^[2] Sal Island, Cape Verde, Pleistocene
• "Centrochelys" burchardi Tenerife, Canary Islands, Middle Pleistocene carapace length NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches).
• "Centrochelys" marocana Morocco, North Africa, latest Pliocene-earliest Pleistocene, c. 2.6 mya carapace length ~200cm (100inches).
• “Centrochelys” punica Tunisia, North Africa, Early Pliocene carapace length ~NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches).
• "Centrochelys" vulcanica Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Pliocene only known from femur, estimated carapace length 61cm (24inches)

The conservation status of Centrochelys sulcata has been changed from Vulnerable to Threatened with extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because of seasonal wildfires, the international pet trade, and competition for food and space with other domestic animals.^{[3] [4]}

Centrochelys robusta from the Pleistocene of Malta has been transferred to the extinct genus Solitudo.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Georgalis . Georgios L. . Macaluso . Loredana . Delfino . Massimo . 2021-04-02 . A Review of the Fossil Record of Afro-Arabian Turtles of the Clade Testudinoidea . Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History . 62 . 1 . 10.3374/014.062.0103 . 0079-032X.
2. Book: Turtle Extinctions Working Group . Rhodin, A.G.J. . Thomson, S. . Georgalis, G. . Karl, H.-V. . Danilov, I.G. . Takahashi, A. . de la Fuente, M.S. . Bourque, J.R. . Delfino M. . Bour, R. . Iverson, J.B. . Shaffer, H.B. . van Dijk, P.P. . Turtles and tortoises of the world during the rise and global spread of humanity: first checklist and review of extinct Pleistocene and Holocene chelonians. . 8 . 000e.1–66 . Chelonian Research Monographs . 10.3854/crm.5.000e.fossil.checklist.v1.2015 . 2015 . 5 . 978-0965354097 . free. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921185503/https://iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Accounts/crm_5_000e_fossil_checklist_v1_2015.pdf. 21 September 2022. live .
3. Eshar. David. Gancz. Ady Y.. Avni-Magen. Nili. Wagshal. Effi. Pohlman. Lisa M.. Mitchell. Mark A.. Selected Plasma Biochemistry Analytes of Healthy Captive Sulcata (African Spurred) Tortoises (Centrochelys Sulcata). December 2016. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. en. 47. 4. 993–999. 10.1638/2016-0051.1. 28080924. 24158913. 1042-7260.
4. Petrozzi. Fabio. Hema. Emmanuel M.. Ségniagbeto. Gabriel Hoinsoudé. Amadi. Nioking. Akani. Godfrey C.. Burke. Russell L.. Chirio. Laurent. Luiselli. Luca. 2019-06-14. Correlates of African Spurred Tortoise, Centrochelys sulcata, Occurrence in the West African Sahel. Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 18. 1. 19. 10.2744/CCB-1302.1. 196646719 . 1071-8443.
5. Valenti . P. . Vlachos . E. . Kehlmaier . C. . Fritz . U. . Georgalis . G.L. . Hernández Luján . À. . Miccichè . R. . Sineo . L. . Delfino . M. . 2022 . The last of the large-sized tortoises of the Mediterranean islands . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 196 . 4 . 1704–1717 . 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac044.