Egyptian Tortoise

Testudo kleinmanni Lortet, 1883

[= Testudo kleinmanni Lortet, 1883]

Lortet, 1883, Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Lyon 3:188.

Paralectotype: USNM 10979 (formerly MNHN 21) (alcoholic adult female, CL 108 mm); Egypt; exact locality, collector, and date unknown; cataloged 29 Jul 1881.

Type Locality: “Dans les sables de la basse Égypte, surtout dans les environs d’Alexandrie” [vicinity of Alexandria, Egypt].

Other Type Material: Lectotype: MG 42000414 (see “Remarks”). Paralectotypes: BMNH 1947.3.4.35 (see “Remarks”), MCZ 5081 (see “Remarks”), MG 42000413, 42006110, 42006125, 42006132, 42006138; MNHN DC 183, 1878-602, 1878-603 (lost), 1987-971, 1876-416, 1992-197, 9462.

Etymology: The name kleinmanni is a patronym honoring Mons. Kleinmann, who apparently collected the specimens described by Lortet.

Remarks: Lortet (1883:188–189) did not list the syntypes in the original description, so the total number and their identities remain uncertain. The present lectotype, MG 42000414, was designated by Perälä (2001:579). Earlier, Mertens (1967:52) designated SMF 7810 as a lectotype without description or discussion; however, this specimen is not from the original syntopic series (Perälä 2001:579) and thus is ineligible for designation as the lectotype. Perälä (2001:582) mentioned MNHN 7838 (1879-774), but this specimen was collected by “Letourneux” and is also not of the syntopic series (in Litt., Roger Bour to C. H. Ernst, 3 Jun 2005). Paralectotypes BMNH 1947.3.4.35 and MCZ 5081 are also syntypes of Testudo leithii Günther, 1869:502. Boulenger (1889:176) referred to an alcoholic female specimen (BMNH 1888.4.24.2) from Alexandria, Egypt, sent from the MG by Lortet as “typical of T. kleinmanni”; however, no mention of type status appears in the BMNH register (in Litt., Colin McCarthy to C. H. Ernst, 6 Feb 2004). It is possible that BMNH 1888.4.24.2 is a paralectotype of T. kleinmanni, but there is no proof.

Testudo mauritanica Duméril and Bibron, 1835

[= Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758; fide, Auffenberg, 1974: 200]

Duméril and Bibron, 1835, Erpétologie Génerale …, p. 44.

Syntype: USNM 10980 (formerly MNHN 22) (alcoholic adult male, CL 110 mm), Algeria; exact locality, collector, and date unknown; cataloged 29 Jul 1881.

Type Locality: None provided, but stated to be common in area of “Alger”; restricted to “Algier” by Mertens and Wermuth, 1955:378.

Etymology: The name mauritanica refers to ancient Mauritania, North Africa.

Remarks: USNM 10980 is a possible syntype of Testudo mauritanica; type specimens were not identified in the original description (Duméril and Bibron, 1835:44), but the specimen was present in the Paris Museum at the time of the description, and the locality is in agreement.