Spider Tortoise
Pyxis arachnoides
Summary 4
The Spider Tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) is a species of tortoise in the Testudinidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar and is one of only two species in the genus Pyxis.
Diagnosis 5
Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides - plastron totally devoid of markings and anterior lobe will close completely to touch carapace
Pyxis arachnoides oblonga - plastron with black markings on scutes and anterior lobe will close completely to touch carapace
Pyxis arachnoides brygooi - plastron totally devoid of markings but anterior lobe will not close fully to touch carapace
Pyxis planicauda - no plastral hinge whatsoever, and obviously lower in profile than the three sub-species of arachnoides [1]
Conservation 5
Very little is known about the life cycle of this endangered tortoise, which is believed to live for up to 70 years. The remaining tortoises are found only in south western Madagascar, where they inhabit the spiny vegetation of the sandy coastal areas. Here they feed on young leaves, insect larvae, and even the droppings of larger animals.
Their trade is illegal in Madagascar, but they are extensively smuggled [2] for food, body parts, and illegal pets.[3]
Sources and Credits 5
- Zovickian, William. "Spider Tortoises". Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- http://www.traffic.org/home/2011/7/27/malagasy-frontier-police-seize-indonesia-bound-shipment-of-w.html
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/19035/0
Sources and Credits
- (c) markus lilje, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by markus lilje
- (c) 2014 James H. Harding, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=611468&one=T
- (c) Bernard DUPONT, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/9634344879_5456482831_o.jpg
- Adapted by calebcam from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyxis_arachnoides
- (c) calebcam, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
