Spider tortoise

The spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae that is endemic to Madagascar and is one of only two species in the genus Pyxis.^[4]

Spider tortoise
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Pyxis
Species:	P. arachnoides
Binomial name
Pyxis arachnoides Bell, 1827
Synonyms[3]
Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides Pyxis arachnoides Bell, 1827 Testudo (Pyxis) aranoides Gray, 1831 (ex errore) Pyxis aranoides Gray, 1831 Pyxis madagascariensis Lesson, 1831 Testudo (Pyxis) arachnoides Fitzinger, 1835 Bellemys arachnoides Williams, 1950 Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides Bour, 1979 Pyxis arachnoides brygooi Pyxoides brygooi Vuillemin & Domergue, 1972 Pyxis arachnoides brygooi Bour, 1979 Pyxis arachnoides oblonga Pyxis arachnoides matzi Bour, 1979 Pyxis arachnoides oblonga Bour, 1985

Habitat

The remaining tortoises are found only in south western Madagascar, where they inhabit the spiny vegetation of the sandy coastal areas.

Spider tortoise in captivity.

Life cycle and breeding

Very little is known about the life cycle of this endangered tortoise, which is believed to live for up to 70 years.^[5] Here they feed on young leaves, insect larvae, and even the droppings of larger animals. When the wet season arrives, the dormancy period ends and the tortoises begin to mate. Females only lay one egg when they reproduce, and the egg is incubated for about 220–250 days. The largest threats the endangered tortoise faces are the pet trade, poaching for food, and habitat destruction.

Conservation

Their trade is illegal in Madagascar, but they are extensively smuggled^[6] for food, body parts, and illegal pets.^[5]

References

1. Leuteritz, T.; Walker, R. (2020). "Pyxis arachnoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T19035A177075588. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T19035A177075588.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
3. Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 292–293. doi:10.3897/vz.57.e30895. ISSN 1864-5755.
4. Glaw, Frank; Vences, Miguel (2007). A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar (3rd ed.). Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlags. ISBN 978-3929449037.
5. Leuteritz, T.; Walker, R. (2014). "Pyxis arachnoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T19035A50987297. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T19035A50987297.en. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
6. "Malagasy Frontier Police seize Indonesia-bound shipment of 'world's rarest' tortoises - Wildlife Trade News from TRAFFIC".

7. Walker, Ryan C. “The decline of the critically endangered northern Madagascar spider tortoise (pyxis arachnoides brygooi).” Herpetologica, vol. 66, no. 4, Dec. 2010, pp. 411–417, https://doi.org/10.1655/09-047.1.