Spider tortoise

Spider Tortoise
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Pyxis
Species:	P. arachnoides
Binomial name
Pyxis arachnoides Bell, 1827
Synonyms[1]
Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides Pyxis arachnoides Bell, 1827 Testudo (Pyxis) aranoides Gray, 1831 (ex errore) Pyxis aranoides Gray, 1831 Pyxis madagascariensis Lesson, 1831 Testudo (Pyxis) arachnoides Fitzinger, 1835 Bellemys arachnoides Williams, 1950 Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides Bour, 1979 Pyxis arachnoides brygooi Pyxoides brygooi Vuillemin & Domergue, 1972 Pyxis arachnoides brygooi Bour, 1979 Pyxis arachnoides oblonga Pyxis arachnoides matzi Bour, 1979 Pyxis arachnoides oblonga Bour, 1985

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.

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]

References

1. Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology 57 (2): 292–293. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
2. http://www.traffic.org/home/2011/7/27/malagasy-frontier-police-seize-indonesia-bound-shipment-of-w.html
3. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/19035/0

• Leuteritz, T. & Walker, R. (Madagascar Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Red List Workshop) (2008). "Pyxis arachnoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 21 May 2014.