Home - Taxonomy - Geography - Biodiversity - Literature - Purchase RepFocus Recent updates Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk). Latest update: December 31st, 2022. Taxonomy of the family Testudinidae Bibliography of the genus Aldabrachelys Biodiversity of the family Testudinidae Genus Aldabrachelys Aldabra Tortoise Seychellen-Riesenschildkröte, Aldabra-Riesenschildkröte Aldabra-kæmpeskildpadde 1843 Megalochelys Fitzinger [not Megalochelys Falconer & Cautley 1837 (Testudinidae)] (type species: Testudo gigantea Schweigger 1812; syn. Fritz & Havas 2006) 1957 Aldabrachelys Loveridge & Williams (type species: Testudo gigantea Schweigger 1812) 1982 Dipsochelys Bour (type species: Testudo elephantina Dumeril & Bibron 1835; syn. Fritz & Havas 2006) Contents: 1 species, which is endemic. Endemism: 0% 100% Remarks: Previously included in Testudo (e.g., Wermuth & Mertens 1977) and, more recently, in Geochelone (e.g., Valverde 2004; Zug 2009). Frazier (2006) reviewed the confusing history of the usage of the generic names Aldabrachelys and Dipsochelys. Distribution: As for the single species. Aldabrachelys gigantea Aldabra Tortoise, Aldabra Giant Tortoise Seychellen-Riesenschildkröte, Aldabra-Riesenschildkröte Aldabra-kæmpeskildpadde 1812 Testudo gigantea Schweigger Geochelone gigantea Fitzinger 1835 Aldabrachelys gigantea Percy 1970 Megalochelys gigantea Obst 1978 Dipsochelys gigantea Bour 1984 1831 Testudo dussumieri Gray (ICZN 2013: Opinion 2316) Dipsochelys dussumieri Gerlach & Canning 1996 Geochelone dussumieri Farkas & Sasvári 1999 Aldabrachelys dussumieri Austin, Arnold & Bour 2003 1835 Testudo daudinii Duméril & Bibron (Fritz & Havas 2006) Testudo gigantea daudini [lapsus] Rothschild 1906 Geochelone gigantea daudinii Pritchard 1967 Dipsochelys daudinii Bour 1982 Geochelone daudinii Farkas & Sasvári 1999 Aldabrachelys daudinii Austin, Arnold & Bour 2003 1835 Testudo elephantina Duméril & Bibron (Fritz & Havas 2006) Testudo gigantea elephantina Rothschild 1897 Geochelone elephantina Pritchard 1967 Dipsochelys elephantina Bour 1982 Aldabrachelys elephantina Iverson 1986 1877 Testudo hololissa Günther (Fritz & Havas 2006) Dipsochelys hololissa Bour 1982 Geochelone hololissa Farkas & Sasvári 1999 Aldabrachelys hololissa Austin, Arnold & Bour 2003 1877 Testudo ponderosa Günther (Fritz & Havas 2006) Aldabrachelys ponderosa Austin, Arnold & Bour 2003 1892 Testudo sumeirei Sauzier (Fritz & Havas 2006) Testudo gigantea soumeirei [lapsus] Rothschild 1906 Geochelone sumeiri [lapsus] Loveridge & Williams 1957 Dipsochelys sumeirei Bour 1984 Megalochelys sumeirei Obst 1985 Aldabrachelys sumierei [lapsus] Austin, Arnold & Bour 2003 Dipsochelys dussumieri sumeirei Gerlach 2004 1906 Testudo gouffei Rothschild (Fritz & Havas 2006) Geochelone gouffei Pritchard 1967 Geochelone gigantea gouffei Auffenberg 1974 Megalochelys gouffei Obst 1985 Aldabrachelys gouffei Austin, Arnold & Bour 2003 1982 Dipsochelys arnoldi Bour (Fritz & Havas 2006) Aldabrachelys arnoldi Austin, Arnold & Bour 2003 Remarks: Taxonomy of this species has been controversial (Pritchard 1986). Previously referred to as Aldabrachelys elephantina (e.g., Broadley & Howell 1991, King & Burke 1989), Dipsochelys gigantea (e.g., Bour 1984), Dipsochelys dussumieri (e.g., Gerlach & Canning 1998a; Spawls, Howell, Drewes & Ashe 2002), or Megalochelys gigantea (e.g., Obst 1985). Aldabrachelys gigantea is now the valid name for the species (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 2013: Opinion 2316). The native distributions of arnoldi and hololissa, sometimes regarded as separate species (e.g., Gerlach & Canning 1998b), are unknown and currently only known from captive or introduced groups or individuals in the granitic central island group (Gerlach 2009a, 2011a). There is evidence that all non-Madagascan taxa within Aldabrachelys (living or extinct) represent a single species (Austin, Arnold & Bour 2003; Palkovacs, Marschner Ciofi, Gerlach & Caccone 2003). The subspecies daudinii (origin uncertain, possibly Mahé) became extinct around 1850 (Dijk, Iverson, Shaffer, Bour & Rhodin 2012). Introduced to: Mauritius (Rodrigues, Round Island), Reunion, Seychelles (Praslin), Tanzania (Zanzibar). Distribution: Seychelles (Aldabra). Aldabrachelys gigantea © Henrik Bringsøe