Post by Ceratodromeus on Feb 19, 2016 10:50:06 GMT 5
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Superfamily: Testudioidea
Family: Testudinidae
Genus: Gopherus
Species: G.evgoodei
Description
A recent discovery found in the thorn and deciduous woodlands of central/Nothern Mexico, this species of desert tortoise is just another example of the diversity of a species group figured to be monophylectic for over a century. Likewise, this particular species was figured to be a synonymous southern variant of the Sonoran gopher tortoise(G.morafkai) until the study on mitochondrial DNA analysis, as well as morphological differences, separated them into different species{1}; an example of this morphological difference would be the 'flattened' shell profile of G.evgoodei, which is not seen in G.morafkai or G.agazii. The holotype is an adult male, with a (over the curve) carapace length of 254mm(10in). There are three paratype animals attributed to this species(one male and two females) as well as a number of referred specimens in museum collections.
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{1}The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group
Abstract
Desert tortoises (Testudines; Testudinidae; Gopherus agassizii group) have an extensive distribution throughout the Mojave, Colorado, and Sonoran desert regions. Not surprisingly, they exhibit a tremendous amount of ecological, behavioral, morphological and genetic variation. Gopherus agassizii was considered a single species for almost 150 years but recently the species was split into the nominate form and Morafka’s desert tortoise, G. morafkai, the latter occurring south and east of the Colorado River. Whereas a large body of literature focuses on tortoises in the United States, a dearth of investigations exists for Mexican animals. Notwithstanding, Mexican populations of desert tortoises in the southern part of the range of G. morafkai are distinct, particularly where the tortoises occur in tropical thornscrub and tropical deciduous forest. Recent studies have shed light on the ecology, morphology and genetics of these southern ‘desert’ tortoises. All evidence warrants recognition of this clade as a distinctive taxon and herein we describe it as Gopherus evgoodei sp. n. The description of the new species significantly reduces and limits the distribution of G. morafkai to desertscrub habitat only. By contrast, G. evgoodei sp. n. occurs in thornscrub and tropical deciduous forests only and this leaves it with the smallest range of the three sister species. We present conservation implications for the newly described Gopherus evgoodei, which already faces impending threats.
link to description paper
