Hesperotestudo

Hesperotestudo Temporal range: Miocene-Pleistocene
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	† Hesperotestudo Williams, 1950

Hesperotestudo is an extinct genus of tortoise that lived from the Miocene to the Pleistocene. Its remains are known from North America, Central America and Bermuda.^[1][2] Further specimens identifiable only to genus have been found in El Salvadore (TEWG, 2015).^[3]

Taxonomy

Species list is based on Rhodin et al. 2015^[3]

† Hesperotestudo Williams 1950^[4]

• Eupachemys Leidy 1877 (nomen oblitum)
• Hesperotestudo Williams 1950:25
  • Caudochelys Auffenberg 1963:69

Hesperotestudo annae (Hay 1923)^[5]

• Testudo annae Hay 1923:114 (Early Pleistocene, Irvingtonian, USA (Texas))
  • Testudo francisi Hay 1923:116 [Early Pleistocene, USA (Texas)]

Hesperotestudo bermudae Meylan and Sterrer 2000^[1]

• Hesperotestudo bermudae Meylan and Sterrer 2000:51 [Middle Pleistocene, Bermuda], ca. 310,000 years before present (YBP) - Size: CL ca. 50 cm

Hesperotestudo campester (Hay 1908)^[6]

• Testudo campester Hay 1908:455 [Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene, Blancan, USA (Texas)] - Size: CL ca. > 100 cm
  • Testudo rexroadensis Oelrich 1952:301 [Late Pliocene, Early Blancan, USA (Kansas)]

Hesperotestudo crassiscutata (Leidy 1889)^[7]

• Eupachemys obtusus Leidy 1877:232 (Pleistocene, USA (South Carolina)) (nomen oblitum) - Size: CL ca. 120–125 cm
• Eupachemys rugosus Leidy 1889:29 (Late Pleistocene– Early Holocene, Rancholabrean, USA (Florida)) (ex errore for Eupachemys obtusus)
• Testudo crassiscutata Leidy 1889b:31 [Late Pleistocene– Early Holocene, Rancholabrean, USA (Florida)], 14C age: 12,030 ± 200 YBP, calibrated age*: 12,896–11,465 YBP (10,946 BC–9515 BC)
  • Testudo ocalana Hay 1916:45 (Late Pleistocene, USA (Florida))
  • Testudo distans Hay 1916:48 (Late Pleistocene, USA (Florida))^[8]
  • Testudo sellardsi Hay 1916:49 (Late Pleistocene, USA (Florida))^[8]
  • Testudo luciae Hay 1916:52 (Late Pleistocene, USA (Florida))^[8]

Hesperotestudo equicomes (Hay 1917) ^[9]

• Testudo equicomes Hay 1917:41 (Late Pleistocene, Rancholabrean, Sangamonian, USA (Kansas)) - Size: CL ca. 34 cm

Hesperotestudo incisa (Hay 1916)^[8]

• Testudo incisa Hay 1916:46 (Late Pleistocene, Rancholabrean, Sangamonian, USA (Florida)) - Size: CL ca. 29 cm

Hesperotestudo johnstoni (Auffenberg 1962)^[10]

• Geochelone johnstoni Auffenberg 1962:627 (Early Pleistocene, Late Blancan, Pre-Nebraskan glaciation, USA (Texas)) - Size: CL ca. 24 cm

Hesperotestudo mlynarskii (Auffenberg 1988)^[11]

• Geochelone mlynarskii Auffenberg 1988:592 (Middle Pleistocene, Late Irvingtonian, USA (Florida)) - Size: CL ca. 20 cm

Hesperotestudo oelrichi (Holman 1972)^[12]

• Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) oelrichi Holman 1972:59 (Pleistocene, Long Pine and Keim Formations, Pre-Nebraskan glaciation, USA (Nebraska)) - Size: CL ca. 28 cm

Hesperotestudo percrassa (Cope 1899)^[13]

• Clemmys percrassus Cope 1899:194 [Middle Pleistocene, Late Irvingtonian, USA (Pennsylvania: Port Kennedy)] - Size: “not large”

Hesperotestudo turgida (Cope 1892)^[14]

• Testudo turgida Cope 1892:127 (Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene, Blancan, USA, Texas), (Early Pleistocene) - Size: CL ca. 23 cm

Hesperotestudo wilsoni (Milstead 1956)^[15]

• Testudo wilsoni Milstead 1956:168 (Late Pleistocene, Late Wisconsinan, USA (Texas)], ¹⁴C age: ca. 11,040 YBP, 9090 BC,(Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene, until ca. 9050 BC, ca. 11,000 YBP) -

Size: CL ca. 23 cm

References

1. Meylan, P. A.; Sterrer, W. (January 2000). "Herperotestudo (Testudines: Testudinidae) from the Pleistocene of Bermuda, with comments on the phylogenetic position of the genus". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 128 (1): 51–76. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2000.tb00649.x.
2. Olson, S. L.; Meylan, P. A. (December 2009). "A Second Specimen of the Pleistocene Bermuda Tortoise, Hesperotestudo bermudae Meylan and Sterrer". Chelonian Conservation and Biology 8 (2): 211–212. doi:10.2744/CCB-0766.1. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
3. 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., and van Dijk, P.P.). 2015. Turtles and tortoises of the world during the rise and global spread of humanity: first checklist and review of extinct Pleistocene and Holocene chelonians. Chelonian Research Monographs. 5(8):000e.1–66.
4. Williams , E.E. 1950. Testudo cubensis and the evolution of Western Hemisphere tortoises. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 95:1–36.
5. Hay, O.P. 1923. Characteristics of sundry fossil vertebrates. Pan-American Geologist 39:114–120.
6. Hay, O.P. 1908. The Fossil Turtles of North America. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 75:1–568.
7. Leidy, J. 1889. Description of vertebrate remains from Peace Creek, Florida. Transactions of the Wagner Free Institute of Science of Philadelphia 2:19–31.
8. Hay, O.P. 1916. Descriptions of some Floridian fossil vertebrates, belonging mostly to the Pleistocene. Annual Report of the Florida State Geological Survey 8:39–76.
9. Hay, O.P. 1917. On a collection of fossil vertebrates made by Dr. F.W. Dragin in the Equus beds of Kansas. Kansas University Science Bulletin 10:39–51.
10. Auffenberg, W. 1962. A new species of Geochelone from the Pleistocene of Texas. Copeia 1962(3):627–636.
11. Auffenberg, W. 1988. A new species of Geochelone (Testudinata: Testudinidae) from the Pleistocene of Florida (U.S.A.). Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia 31:591–604.
12. Holman, J.A. 1972. Amphibians and reptiles. In: Skinner, M.F. and Hibbard, C.W. (Eds.). Early Pleistocene pre-glacial and glacial rocks and faunas of north-central Nebraska. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 148(1):55–148.
13. Vertebrate remains from Port Kennedy bone deposit. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (2)11:193–267.
14. Cope, E.D. 1892. A contribution to the vertebrate palaeontology of Texas. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 30:123–131.
15. Milstead , W.W. 1956. Fossil turtles of Friesenhahn Cave, Texas, with the description of a new species of Testudo. Copeia 1956(3):162–171.