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Gopherus agassizii (COOPER, 1861)

IUCN Red List - Gopherus agassizii - Vulnerable, VU
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Higher TaxaTestudinidae, Testudinoidea, Testudines (turtles)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise, (Californian) Desert Tortoise
S: Galápago del Desierto 
SynonymXerobates agassizii COOPER 1861
Testudo agassizii — BOULENGER 1889
Gopherus agassizii — STEJNEGER 1893
Gopherus polyphemus agassizii — MERTENS & WERMUTH 1955
Gopherus agassizii— AUFFENBERG & FRANZ 1978
Gopherus agassizii — STEBBINS 1985: 104
Xerobates lepidocephalus OTTLEY & VELÁZQUES SOLIS 1989
Gopherus agassizii — ERNST & BARBOUR 1989: 273
Gopherus agassizii — LINER 1994
Gopherus agassizii — CROTHER 2000
Gopherus agassizii — TTWG 2014
Gopherus agassizii — TTWG 2021 
DistributionUSA (S Nevada, SW California, W Arizona, New Mexico),
Mexico (N Baja California)

Xerobates lepidocephalus: Sierra San Vincente region, approx. 1.5 km north of the Buena Mujer Dam, 20 km (by air) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Type locality: mountains near Fort Mojave, California. Restricted to “California, San Bernardino County; Mountains of California, near Fort Mojave; Soda Valley (very approximately 35° 6' N, 116° 6' W), by MURPHY et al. 2011.  
ReproductionOviparous. Gopherus agassizii can hybridize with Gopherus berlandieri (Edwards et al. 2010). Exhibits temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) fide Cornejo-Páramo et al. 2020 (and references therein). 
TypesLectotype: USNM 7888 (designated by MURPHY et al. 2011)
Holotype: BYU 39706 [G. lepidocephalus] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (2805 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentThe date of publication is 1861, rather than 1863 (MURPHY et al. 2011).

Genome: A draft genome and transcriptome has been published by Tollis et al. 2017. Scott et al. 2020 show that genomic heterozygosity improves survival and adaptability in nature.

Distribution: not in Sonora (including Tiburon Island in the Gulf of California) fide Lemos-Espinal et al. 2019. Not in Sinaloa (Lemos-Espinal & Smith 2020). 
EtymologyNamed after Louis Agassiz (1807-1873), Swiss zoologist. See Bastos & Sa 2011 for further biographical details. 
References
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  • Walde, Andrew D. 2014. TSA teams up with the Marines for Desert Tortoise research. Turtle Survival 2014: 55-56 - get paper here
  • WALDE, ANDREW D. & DAVID K. DELANEY. 2021. GOPHERUS AGASSIZII (Mohave Desert Tortoise). BURROW ASSOCIATE. Herpetological Review 52 (3): 629–630. - get paper here
  • Walde, Andrew D., Angela M. Walde and A. Peter Woodman. 2016. Gopherus agassizii (Mojave Desert Tortoise) Burrow associate. Herpetological Review 47 (1): 121-122 - get paper here
  • Walde, Andrew D., Meagan L. Harless, David K. Delaney and Larry L. Pater. 2006. Gopherus agassizii Diet. Herpetological Review 37 (1): 77-78 - get paper here
  • Walde, Andrew D.; Andrea Currylow 2015. Gopherus agassizii (Mojave Desert Tortoise) and Coleonyx variegatus variegatus (Desert Banded Gecko). Spring Burrow Cohabitation. Herpetology Notes 8: 501-502 - get paper here
  • Walde, Andrew D.; Andrea Currylow, Angela M. Walde 2015. Discovery of a new burrow associate of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), the Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii). Herpetology Notes 8: 107-109 - get paper here
  • Walde, Angela M., Andrew D. Walde and Charlie Jones. 2014. Gopherus agassizii (Mohave Desert tortoise) and Crotalus mitchelli (speckled rattlesnake) burrow associate. Herpetological Review 45 (4): 688 - get paper here
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