Bell's hinge-back tortoise

Bell's hinge-back tortoise
Kinixys belliana "nogueyi"
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Kinixys
Species:	K. belliana
Binomial name
Kinixys belliana Gray, 1831
Synonyms
Kinixys belliana belliana Testudo (Kinyxis) belliana Gray, 1831 Kinixys belliana — Gray, 1831 Cinixys (Cinothorax) belliana — Fitzinger, 1835 Cinothorax bellianus — Fitzinger, 1843 Kinixys schoensis Rüppell, 1845 Kinixys belliana zombensis Hewitt, 1931 Kinixys belliana zuluensis Hewitt, 1931 Kinixys belliana belliana — Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934 Kinixys zuluensis — Hewitt, 1937 Kinixys zombensis — F. J. Mitchell, 1946 Kinixys belliana schoensis — Mertens & Wermuth, 1955 Kinixys belliana mertensi Laurent, 1956 Madakinixys domerguei Vuillemin, 1972 Kinixys shoensis [sic] Pritchard, 1979 (ex errore) Madakinixys domergei [sic] Gaffney, 1979 (ex errore) Kinixys belliana domerguei — Bour, 1985 Kinixys belliana nogueyi Homopus nogueyi Lataste, 1886 Cinixys dorri Lataste, 1888 Cinixys nogueyi — Siebenrock, 1903 Kinixys nogueyi — Hewitt, 1931 Kinixys belliana nogueyi — Mertens, L. Müller & Rust, 1934

Bell's hinge-back tortoise (Kinixys belliana), also known commonly as Bell's eastern hinged tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to central Africa. It has the hinge that characterizes all tortoises in the genus Kinixys. There are no recognized subspecies.

Etymology

Both the specific name, belliana, and the common name are in honor of English zoologist Thomas Bell.

Description

Bell's hinge-back tortoise is a medium-sized light brown tortoise. They can grow up to 22 cm. On the back of its shell, the tortoise has a 90 degree hinge which, when closed, can protect its rear legs and tail from predators. This broad band of flexible connective tissue is located between the 4th and 5th costals and the 7th and 8th peripherals in adults.

The scutes on its slightly domed and elongated shell typically have a radiating pattern of dark patches, though these can fade. Adult males have a concave belly. Most Bell's hinge-backs have five claws on each forefoot.

Distribution and habitat

Engraving of Bell's Hinge-back tortoise from "The Royal Natural History" (1896).

In its habitat, Bell's hinge-back tortoise favours tropical and sub-tropical savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa.

It was traditionally considered to be the most common and widespread hinge-back tortoise, found throughout a large part of sub-Saharan Africa such as in Sudan, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and down to southern Africa. However, a revision of the species advocated by Kindler et al. (2012) restricted it only to the central African populations, ranging from Angola to Burundi.

Diet

Bell's hinge-back tortoise is an omnivore, with a very varied diet consisting mainly of a range of different plants, but also including insects and other meat.

It feeds on vegetables, twigs, roots, leaves, fruits, earthworms, snails, tadpoles and other small invertebrates.

Threats and conservation

In its natural habitat, its predators are leopards, hawks and eagles.

Currently it is mainly threatened by widespread collection from the wild for the illegal international trade in the species. It is also collected by local peoples for food and human population growth in the area is putting pressure on the species. Human-induced fire is also a threat.

Its shells are used as musical instruments by the priests of the Oroko and other peoples of southwestern Cameroon to accompany religious incantations.

As of March 22, 2000, the USDA has banned importation of the Bell's hinge-back tortoise, leopard tortoise and the African spurred tortoise.

Subspecies

No subspecies are currently recognized as being valid. Formerly the following subspecies were recognized:

• K. b. belliana – Bell's hinge-back
• K. b. domerguei – Madagascan hinge-back
• K. b. nogueyi – western hinge-back
• K. b. zombensis – southeastern hinge-back

Kindler et al. (2012) raised the subspecies K. b. zombensis (which they considered a senior synonym of K. b. domerguei) and K. b. nogueyi to the ranks of species, respectively Kinixys zombensis and Kinixys nogueyi. K. b. domerguei is now treated as subspecies of Kinixys zombensis (i.e., Kinixys zombensis domerguei).

Parasites of hinge-back tortoises

Kinixys tortoises play host to a number of ectoparasites (external) and endoparasites (internal) A survey (by Alan Probert & Clive Humphreys) of mixed captive K. spekii and K. belliana (mostly K. spekii) in Zimbabwe showed that ticks (Arachnida) and roundworms (Nematoda) of genera Angusticium, Atractis and Tachygontria infect these tortoises. This has been reported by others as well. However, some of the tiny roundworms (photographed under SEM) are very likely new species and as yet remain undescribed.

References

• Smylie, A. Kinixys (Hinged-Back Tortoises). Gulf Coast Turtle and Tortoise Society.
• Hingeback Central. Kinixys belliana Bell's Hingeback Tortoise.

Bibliography

• Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Iverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley (2010-12-14). "Turtles of the World 2010 Update: Annotated Checklist of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution and Conservation Status" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2010-12-15.