Where do you come from, stranger? A scientific-historical digression with discussion on nomenclature and taxonomy of Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758

By

Schweiger, Mario
Gemel, Richard

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2020-4-9

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

33

Pages

31--38

Subjects

Algeria , Distribution , Morocco , North Africa , Reptilia , Spur thighed tortoise , terra typica designata , terra typica restricta , Testudines , Testudinidae

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.33.e39155

 

Abstract

It is shown that the location data for the terra typica restricta ofTestudo graecaand for the terra typica designata forTestudo graecaare based on an incorrectly assigned location. In fact, the original place corresponds to Santa Cruz, known today as Agadir (Morocco) and not the old Spanish fortress of Santa Cruz near Oran in Algeria. Accordingly, populations ofTestudo graecafrom the Agadir environment have to be namedTestudo graeca graecainstead ofTestudo graeca soussensis. For the populations ofTestudo graecafrom the vicinity of Algiers, “mauritanica” is the next available name for this subspecies ofgraeca. Therefore,Testudo graeca mauritanicahas to be used instead ofTestudo graeca graeca. ForTestudo graeca mauritanica, a lectotypus is designated.