Forsten's tortoise explained

Forsten's tortoise (Indotestudo forstenii), also known commonly as the Sulawesi tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to Sulawesi Island, Indonesia.

Taxonomy

Forsten's tortoise is one of three tortoise species placed in the genus Indotestudo, the others being the elongated tortoise (I. elongata), and the Travancore tortoise (I. travancorica).

Etymology

The specific name, forstenii, is in honor of Dutch botanist Eltio Alegondas Forsten.^[1]

Geographic range

I. forstenii can be found on Sulawesi Island of Indonesia, and its nearby islands such as Halmahera island. In Sulawesi, it is found in the central and northern parts of the island.^[2]

In North Sulawesi, it is found in Mount Boliahutu and around Buol, while in Central Sulawesi, it is found in Santigi, Morowali Reserve, Palu Valley, Kulawi Valley, Bora Village near Gimpu, and along the western border of Lore Lindu National Park.^[3]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of I. forstenii is forest.

Reproduction

I. forstenii is oviparous.^[4] Sexually mature females lay clutches of eggs throughout the year. Each clutch consists of one or two eggs.

See also

• Sulawesi forest turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi) – another threatened turtle endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1907). "A new tortoise from Travancore". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 17: 560–564.
• Iverson JB, Spinks PQ, Shaffer HB, McCord WP, Das I (2001). "Phylogenetic relationships among the Asian tortoises of the genus Indotestudo (Reptilia: Testudines: Testudinidae)". Hamadryad 26 (2): 271–274.
• Pritchard PCH (2000). "Indotestudo travancorica. A Valid Species of Tortoise?" Reptile & Amphibian Hobbyist 5 (2): 18–28.
• Radhakrishnan C (1998). "Additional record of the travancore tortoise, Indotestudo forstenii (Schlegel & Müller) (Testudinita: Reptilia) in Kerala". Cobra 34 (Oct.–Dec.): 19–20.
• Schlegel H, Müller S (1845). "Over de Schildpadden van den Indischen Archipel ". pp. 29–36. In: Temminck CJ (1839–1847) Verhandelingen over de Natuurlijke Geschiedenis der Nederlandische overzeesche bezittingen, door de leden der Natuurkundige Commisië in Oost-Indie en andere Schrijvers. Part 3, Zoologie, Schildpadden. Leiden: Luchtmans and van der Hoek. (Testudo forstenii, new species). (in Dutch).

External links

• http://itgmv1.fzk.de/www/itg/uetz/herp/photos/Indotestudo_forsteni1.jpg
• http://studbooks.org

Notes and References

1. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]
2. [Turtle Taxonomy Working Group]
3. Web site: Harvest sustainability of Sulawesi tortoise Indotestudo forstenii in Indonesia . 2018-09-19 . 2016-09-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160909084845/http://ani_mardiastuti.staff.ipb.ac.id/files/2011/11/Report_-Indotestudo-forstenii.pdf . dead .
4. www.reptile-database.org.