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The Tortuga Gazette and Education Since 1964 Volume 56, Number 2 • March/April 2020

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The Tortuga Gazette and Education Since 1964 Volume 56, Number 2 • March/April 2020 Dedicated to CALIFORNIA TURTLE & TORTOISE CLUB Turtle & Tortoise Conservation, Preservation, the Tortuga Gazette and Education Since 1964 Volume 56, Number 2 • March/April 2020 Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides, the common spider tortoise, photographed in Tsimanampetsotsa National Park on the southwestern coast of Madagascar. Photo © 2018 by Charles J. Sharp Spider Tortoise, Pyxis arachnoides (Bell 1827) The Malagasy Spider Tortoise by M. A. Cohen nhabiting a narrow strip of word pyxi-, meaning a box, and the inches (13 centimeters) in length, Icoastline in southern Mada- species name arachnoides derives while the slightly smaller males av- gascar, the spider tortoise, Pyxis from the Greek root word arachni-, erage 4.5 inches (11 centimeters) arachnoides, is one of only two meaning a spider or a spider web. in length (Smithsonian). species in the genus Pyxis. The The term “Malagasy” is a noun Brown or black in background flat-tailed or flat-shelled tortoise, or an adjective that refers to an coloration, the species' carapace P. planicauda, is the other species inhabitant of the island of Mada- displays yellow or tan, radiating in the genus Pyxis, and it is endem- gascar; it is also the name of the patterning on each vertebral and ic to western Madagascar. Both Austronesian language spoken on pleural scute that resembles a Pyxis species are included on the the island. spider’s web. There is considerable World Atlas’s “The Nine Species variation in the carapacial patterns of Tortoise on the Brink of Ex- Description of the species. It is these web-like tinction,” according to the IUCN Rarely exceeding 6 inches (15 carapacial markings that give the Red List of Threatened Species. centimeters) in carapace length, the spider tortoise is the small- spider tortoise its common name. Small in size, the spider tortoise est tortoise species native to The plastron coloration and the is a species of tortoise in the Te- Madagascar. The female common range of motion of the plastral studinidae family. The genus name spider tortoises typically average 5 hinge vary by subspecies, and are Pyxis derives from the Greek root 2 Tortuga Gazette 56(2) • March/April 2020 The Malagasy Spider Tortoise by M. A. Cohen 1 C The Tortoise Palace by Emma Baldwin 4 O Fun with Photoshop by Robert Parker 7 The Turtle’s Garden: Bougainvillea 8 N Killing gods: the last hope for the world’s rarest reptile by Jeremy L. Hance 10 T Forty-Year Captive Breeding Program for Española Tortoises Concludes 13 E The global scientific community mourns the loss of world-renowned turtle 14 N conservationist Dr. Peter Pritchard T Mike’s Turtle Net Picks by Michael J. Connor, Ph.D. 16 Meetings and Programs S Rare turtles saved from shrinking waterholes — Wildlife experts are moving rare Manning River turtles from rapidly drying waterholes 18 described in more detail in the ¶ P. a. brygooi, the northern spider 50% canopy coverage to better “Subspecies” section below. tortoise, was formally described in regulate their body temperatures The head of the spider tortoise is 1972 by Vuillemin and Domergue. (Anon, Smithsonian National Zoo). brown or black with yellow speck- It occupies the northernmost por- The species’ range, which extends ling, and its limbs and tail are tion of the spider tortoise range from coastal Madagascar to 16 typically brown. "southwest of the Mangoky River to 80 miles (10 to 50 kilometers) between Morombe, Lake Ihotry, inland, is dominated by xerophytic 1 Besides being slightly smaller than and Fanemotra Bay" (Naturalis spiny vegetation, primarily suc- the female, the male spider tor- Biodiversity Center). culents and shrubs, coupled with toise has a longer, thicker tail that sparse, irregular rainfall. features a more pronounced ter- The plastron of this subspecies minal spine. is yellow with some dark blotch- Natural History ing, and its anterior hinge lacks Because it has not been well-stud- Subspecies mobility. ied, the life cycle of P. arachnoides Biologists currently recognize ¶ in the wild is largely unknown. Ac- three subspecies of Pyxis arach- P. a. oblonga, the southern spider tortoise, was described by cording to Pyxis authority Ryan C. noides based on their geographic J. Walker, "P. arachnoides has, until variations. British zoologist John Edward Gray (1800-1875) in 1869. It occurs, recently, been almost completely ¶ ✦ P. arachnoides arachnoides, as its common name implies, in overlooked by the scientific and the common spider tortoise, was the southernmost portion of the conservation community." scientifically described by English species range “along the southern In the absence of hard evidence, zoologist Thomas Bell (1792- coast of Madagascar from La Linta biologists estimate that the spe- 1880) in 1827 and was the only to Lake Anony“ (Naturalis Biodi- cies lives some 70 years. recognized species of P. arachnoi- versity Center). des for over 40 years. P. arachnoides is primarily active The plastron of P. a. oblonga is during the wet season which, in Having the largest range of the yellow with some dark pigmenta- Madagascar, occurs from Novem- three subspecies, the common tion and a mobile anterior hinge ber to April. During the dry season, spider tortoise "occurs along the that allows the tortoise to close roughly May to October, the spe- southwestern coast of Madagas- its plastron to its carapace for cies will typically enter a period of car in the vicinity of the Onilahy self-defense. summer dormancy called estiva- River, which virtually splits its Range and Habitat tion when they commonly burrow range into northern and southern into the sand in their habitats. portions" (Naturalis Biodiversity Inhabiting the arid, deciduous, Center). tropical forests and the coast- The term 'fecundity' refers to the al sandy regions of Madagascar ability to produce an abundance The plastron of P. a. arachnoides “from the Mahajamba River south- of offspring. With the onset of the is solid yellow in color and features ward around Cape Sainte-Marie wet season, spider tortoises be- a mobile anterior hinge that the almost to Fort-Dauphin” (Naturalis come active and set out to search tortoise can close to meet its car- Biodiversity Center), the three 1 apace, affording the animal some spider tortoise subspecies usu- xerophyte ['ze-roh-fyt']: a botanical protection against predators. term describing a type of plant that ally occur in locations with 30 to requires very little water. 3 Tortuga Gazette 56(2) • March/April 2020 to spider tortoise pop- Union have signed on. ulations. Researchers The CITES agreement grew out of surmise that some a resolution adopted in 1963 at a 80% of spider tor- meeting of the International Union toise habitat has been for the Conservation of Nature compromised. (IUCN), a global organization that The northern subspe- assesses the status of the natu- cies, P. a. brygooi, is ral world. The IUCN maintains the considered the most Red List of Threatened Species, threatened of the in which P. arachnoides is catego- three subspecies. The rized as Critically Endangered, the Two spider tortoises. The heavily spined plant on the right side northern subspecies last category before Extinct in the of the image is the trunk of a species of Pachypodium, a genus of does not live in legally Wild. succulents native to Madagascar and southern Africa. The Pachy- protected areas (i.e., Nationally, since 1960 Madagascar podium is typical of the xerophytic vegetation that occurs in spider parklands or wild- tortoise habitat. Public domain. has a law protecting spider tor- life reserves) so it is toises from exploitation. Several particularly suscep- for mates. Researchers charac- protected areas and reserves exist tible to habitat loss and human in country. A breeding center run terize the spider tortoise as being exploitation. a species of low fecundity. The by the French non-governmental female usually lays a single egg per Although spider tortoises are pro- organization Village des Tortues clutch but the number of clutches tected under Malagasy law, they at Mangily-Ifaty that seeks to per breeding season is not known. are illegally hunted and harvested protect both radiated and spider The species' eggs incubate for for food locally, for the Asian tra- tortoises (Astrochelys radiata and ditional medicine markets, and for P. arachnoides), both occurring in some 220 to 250 days prior to hatching. the international exotic pet trade. the breeding-center area. Foods consumed by spider tortois- Conservation References es include both young and dried In 2005 P. arachnoides was uplist- Anon. International Union for the Conservation of Nature. [online]. Available from: https:// leaves, fallen fruits and flowers, ed to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endan- www.iucn.org plant roots, insects, and the dung Anon. What is CITES?. [online]. Available from: gered Species of Wild Fauna and of larger animals that often con- https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/ tains insect larvae. At least one Flora (CITES). Appendix I is part what-is-cites.html subspecies, P. a. arachnoides, has of an international agreement Leuteritz, T. and Walker, R. (2014). Spi- der Tortoise. [online]. Available only been observed eating during between signatory counties that restricts commercial trade to from: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ the warm, wet season (Walker, species/19035/50987297#habitat-ecology varying degrees in listed fauna and et.al 2008). Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Turtles of the flora in an attempt to ensure spe- World. [online]. Available from: https:// Threats cies survival in the wild. Currently turtles.linnaeus.naturalis.nl/linnae- Beginning in 2014, P. arachnoides 182 nations and the European us_ng/app/views/species/nsr_taxon. is categorized as Critically En- php?id=8139&epi=11 dangered on the IUCN Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Red List of Threatened Biology Institute. Spider Tortoise. [online]. Available from: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/ Species.
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