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Chelonoidis nigra (QUOY & GAIMARD, 1824)

IUCN Red List - Chelonoidis nigra - Vulnerable, VU
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Higher TaxaTestudinidae, Testudines (turtles) 
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Charles Island Giant Tortoise
G: Elefantenchildkröte; Galapagos-Riesenschildkröte 
SynonymTestudo nigra QUOY & GAIMARD 1824 (nomen novum)
Testudo californiana QUOY & GAIMARD 1824 (nomen oblitum)
Testudo elephantopus HARLAN 1827 (nomen dubium)
Testudo Nigra — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1835: 115
Testudo Nigra — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854: 221
Testudo planiceps GRAY 1854 (non T. planiceps SCHOEPFF 1792)
Testudo planiceps GRAY 1855: 135 (nomen dubium)
Testudo elephantopus — GÜNTHER 1874: 312
Testudo galapagoensis BAUR 1889:1044
Testudo nigra — BOULENGER 1889
Testudo clivosa GARMAN 1917 (nomen dubium)
Testudo typica GARMAN 1917 (nomen dubium)
Testudo elephantopus elephantopus — MERTENS & WERMUTH 1955
Geochelone elephantopus elephantopus — PRITCHARD 1967
Chelonoidis elephantopus elephantopus — OBST 1985
Geochelone elephantopus — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989
Geochelone nigra — KING & BURKE 1989
Chelonoidis nigra — DAVID 1994
Chelonoidis nigra nigra — DAVID 1994
Geochelone elephantopus elephantopus — SWASH & STILL 2000
Geochelone elephantopus — SWASH & STILL 2000
Geochelone elephantopus — VALVERDE 2004
Chelonoidis nigra — MCCORD & JOSEPH-OUNI 2004
Chelonoidis nigra — GERLACH (pers. comm.)
Chelonoidis nigra — LE et al. 2006
Geochelone elephantopus — POULAKAKIS et al. 2008
Chelonoidis nigra — RHODIN et al. 2010
Chelonoidis elephantopus — GARRICK et al. 2012 
DistributionEcuador (Galapagos: Charles [Floreana] Map legend:
TDWG region - Region according to the TDWG standard, not a precise distribution map.

NOTE: TDWG regions are generated automatically from the text in the distribution field and this does not always work properly. We are working on it.
 
Types 
CommentTaxonomy: This is a member of the Chelonoidis nigra species complex (formerly Geochelone elephantopus). Rhodin et al. (2010) listed the various forms/subspecies separately but under the heading “C. nigra species complex”.

Synonymy: mostly after RHODIN et al. 2010.

Conservation: This species and Testudo galapagoensis are extinct now. See also extensive comment in KING & BURKE 1989. IUCN: Extinct (1996), as Chelonoidis nigra nigra; CITES: Appendix I.

Size: wight up to 400 kg

Reproduction: oviparous. 
References
  • Alderton, D. 1988. Turtles and tortoises of the world. Facts on File, New York.
  • Beheregaray, Luciano B.; Claudio Ciofi, Dennis Geist, James P. Gibbs, Adalgisa Caccone, and Jeffrey 2003. Genes Record a Prehistoric Volcano Eruption in the Galápagos. Science 302: 75
  • Beheregaray, Luciano B.; James P. Gibbs; Nathan Havill; Thomas H. Fritts; Jeffrey R. Powell and Adal 2004. Giant tortoises are not so slow: Rapid diversification and biogeographic consensus in the Galápagos. PNAS 101 (1): 6514–6519
  • Bonin, F., Devaux, B. & Dupré, A. 2006. Turtles of the World. English translation by P.C.H. Pritchard. Johns Hopkins University Press, 416 pp.
  • Caccone, Adalgisa; Gabriele Gentile; Catherine E. Burns; Erminia Sezzi; Windsong Bergman; Morgan Rue 2004. Extreme difference in rate of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evolution in a large ectotherm, Galápagos tortoises. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 31: 794–798 - get paper here
  • Caccone, Adalgisa; George Amato; Oliver C. Gratry; John Behler and Jeffrey R. Powell 1999. A Molecular Phylogeny of Four Endangered Madagascar Tortoises Based on MtDNA Sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 12 (1): 1–9 - get paper here
  • Chiari, Ylenia; and Julien Claude 2011. Study of the Carapace Shape and Growth in Two Galápagos Tortoise Lineages. JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY 272:379–386
  • Cisneros-Heredia, D.F. 2006. Turtles of the Tiputini Biodiversity Station with remarks on the diversity and distribution of the Testudines from Ecuador. Biota Neotrop. 6 (1): 1-16 - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M.C., G. BIBRON & A. DUMÉRIL 1854. Erpétologie générale ou Histoire Naturelle complète des Reptiles. Vol. 9. Paris, XX + 440 S. - get paper here
  • Duméril, A.M.C., and G. Bibron. 1835. Erpétologie Générale ou Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles, Vol. 2. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Paris, iv + 680 p. - get paper here
  • Ernst,C.H. and Barbour,R.W. 1989. Turtles of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. - London
  • Fritz, Uwe and Olaf R.P. Bininda-Emonds 2007. When genes meet nomenclature: Tortoise phylogeny and the shifting generic concepts of Testudo and Geochelone. Zoology 110 (4): 298-307 [erratum in vol. 111 (1): 84] - get paper here
  • Garrick, R.C.; E. Benavides, M.A. Russello, J.P. Gibbs, N. Poulakakis, K.B. Dion, C. Hyseni, B. Kajd 2012. Genetic rediscovery of an 'extinct' Galápagos giant tortoise species. Current Biology 22 (1): R10-R11 - get paper here
  • Gray,J.E. 1855. Description of a new species of tortoise (Testudo planiceps), from the Galapagos islands. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (2) 15: 134-136 - get paper here
  • Günther, A. 1874. Description of the living and extinct races of gigantic land-tortoises. Parts I. and II. introduction and the tortoises of the Galapagos islands. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. (4) 14: 311-313 - get paper here
  • Günther, A. 1875. Description of the living and extinct races of gigantic land-tortoises. Parts I. and II. introduction and the tortoises of the Galapagos islands. Phil Trans. Roy. Soc. 165:251-284 - get paper here
  • Higgins, P.J. & Rand, C. 1975. Galapagos reptiles: serum protein immunoelectrophoresis. [Dromicus slevini?] Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 50B: 637-638
  • Hill, W. 2004. Giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands. Reptilia (GB) (37): 31-34 - get paper here
  • Joseph-Ouni M. 2003. Profiles of extinction #5: Charles Island Tortoise. Reptilia (GB) (31): 3 - get paper here
  • Joseph-Ouni, M. 2004. Profiles of Extinction #9. Narborough Island Tortoise. Reptilia (GB) (35): 3 - get paper here
  • Le, Minh; Christopher J. Raxworthy, William P. McCord and Lisa Mertz 2006. A molecular phylogeny of tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 450 (2): 517-531 - get paper here
  • Louis, Edward Emile, Jr. 1997. Genetic analysis of the Galapagos tortoise, Geochelone nigra: taxonomic relationships among subspecies and population assignment of captive individuals. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Texas<br />A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, 207 pp.
  • Lourenço, João M.; Julien Claude, Nicolas Galtier, Ylenia Chiari 2011. Dating cryptodiran nodes: Origin and diversification of the turtle superfamily Testudinoidea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62 (1): - get paper here
  • Márquez, C.; Snell, H. & Snell, H. 2004. La Niña, El Niño, and the Giant Galapagos Tortoises of Isabela. Geochelone nigra vandenburghi. Reptilia (GB) (37): 27-30 - get paper here
  • McCord, W.P. & Joseph-Ouni, M. 2004. Chelonian Illustrations #14: North and South American Tortoises. Reptilia (GB) (34): 47-50 - get paper here
  • Nicholls, H. 2004. One of a kind. Nature 429: 498-500
  • Parham, J.F. 2008. Rediscovery of an ‘‘extinct’’ Galápagos tortoise. PNAS 105: 15227–1522
  • Poulakakis, Nikos; Scott Glaberman, Michael Russello, Luciano B.Beheregaray, Claudio Ciofi, Jeffrey 2008. Historical DNA analysis reveals living descendants of an extinct species of Gala´ pagos tortoise. PNAS 105 (40): 15464–15469
  • Quoy, J.R., and J.P. Gaimard. 1824. Zoologie. In: M.L. de Freycinet: Voyage Autour du Monde, Entrepris par le ministére et conformément aux instructions de s. exc. M. le Vicomte du Bouchage, Secrétaire d'etat au Department de la Marine, Exécuté sur les corvettes de S.M. l'Uranie et la Paris. iv + 712 pp.
  • Rhodin, A.G.J.; van Dijk, P.P.; Iverson, J.B. & Shaffer, H.B. [turtle taxonomy working group] 2010. Turtles of the World, 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status. Chelonian Research Monographs (ISSN 1088-7105) No. 5, doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v3.2010
  • Russello, M.A.; Glaberman, S.; Gibbs, J.P.; Marquez, C.; Powell, J.R. & Caccone, A. 2005. A cryptic taxon of Galápagos tortoise in conservation peril. Biology Letters 1 : 287-290
  • Russello, M.A.; Hyseni, C.; Gibbs, J.P.; Cruz, S.; Marquez, C.; Tapia, W.; Velensky, P.; Powell, J.R 2007. Lineage identification of Galapagos tortoises in captivity worldwide. Animal Conservation 10: 304–311
  • Sulloway, F.J. 2009. Tantalizing Tortoises and the Darwin-Galápagos Legend. Journal of the History of Biology (2009) 42:3–31
  • Swash,A. & Still,R. 2000. Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands. Pica Press, 168 pp.
  • Valverde, J. 2004. Giant tortoises. Reptilia (GB) (37): 11-19 - get paper here
  • Valverde, J. 2004. Riesenschildkröten. Reptilia (Münster) 9 (50): 20-28 - get paper here
  • Valverde, J. 2009. Südamerikanische Schildkröten. Reptilia (Münster) 14 (6): 16-27 - get paper here
  • Van Denburgh, John 1907. Expedition of the California Academy of Sciences to the Galapagos Islands, 1905-1906. I. Preliminary descriptions of four new races of Gigantic Land Tortoises from the Galapagos Islands Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 1: 1-6 - get paper here
  • Van Denburgh, John 1914. Expedition of the California Academy of Sciences to the Galapagos Islands, 1905-1906. X. The Gigantic Land Tortoises of the Galapagos Archipelago Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. 2 (1): 203-374 +112 plates - get paper here
  • Werning, H. 2006. Geochelone (Chelonoidis) nigra. Galapagos Tortoise (Quoy & Gaimard 1824). Reptilia (GB) (48): 43-46 - get paper here
  • Wilson, D.S. et al. 2003. Estimating age of turtles from growth rings: a critical evaluation of the technique. Herpetologica 59 (2): 178-194 - get paper here
 
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