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A NEW SPECIES OP GIANT TORTOISE. 

 By the Hon. WALTER ROTHSCHILD, Ph.D. 



Testudo gouff^i. 

 HIS tortoise is at once distinguishable from (ji(janten, and its subspecies, 

 (hmdiiii and soumeirei, which form this group of the genus Testudo, by its 

 much more elevated carapace, which is also more declivous in front, mnch larger 

 scutes, and squarer front edge to the carapace. 



But the most prominent and easily perceived distinctive character is the 

 develojiment of the scutes on the forelegs and hind part of head. On the legs 

 the scutes are raised and j)rotrnde separately, almost as prominently as in T. calcarata 

 of Abyssinia. On the head the scutes, instead of being sunk in the skin, stand 

 out like flattened knobs. These characters were even more ap])arent when the 

 animal was alive. There is a double nuchal plate. Caudal and marginal jilates 

 behind somewhat recurved, thus approaching those of T. daudini. 



Skull considerably smaller than in an individual of T. giyantea of similar size. 

 Central alveola on ridges of upper jaw much closer at the front of jaw, 12 mm. 

 apart, as ojiposed to 15 mm. The front margin of intermaxillaries does not project 

 as far as in T. gigantea, so that the nasal opening does not slope so obliquely. 

 Palatal region less concave than in gigantea, and the central ridge more pronounced. 

 Edges of pterygoid much contracted posteriorly, while in T. gigantea they run 

 almost parallel. The inner edges of the alveolar surface do not meet at the anterior 

 extremity of the vomer, and form a short broad isosceles triangle between that and 

 the foramina palatina, while in T. gigantea these edges meet and form a long 

 narrow triangle. In this new species the basi-occipital is much raised above the 

 ex-occipital owing to the deeji concavity of the latter, while in T. gigantea it is 

 almost in the same plane. The posterior lateral jwrtions of the pterygoid which 

 join the quadrate are strongly concave, and sunk much below the posterior portion 

 (if the sharp edge of the jtterygoid, while in T. gigantea these portions are almost 

 flat, and are level with the sharp edge of the pterygoid. 

 Skull : 



Greatest width, T. gouffci : \\ inches = 114 mm. 



„ ,, 7'. gigantea : \\ inches = 114 mm. 



Length to end of liasi-occipital, T. goujfii : 5i inches = 140 mm. 

 „ ., ,, 7'. gigantea : ()\ inches = 15S mm. 



3| inches = 90 mm. 

 4 A inches = 103 mm. 

 : 4| inches = 104 mm. 

 4 inches = 102 mm. 



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