Chelonoidis niger

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Cladus: Archelosauria
Division: Pan-Testudines
Division: Testudinata
Ordo: Testudines
Subordo: Cryptodira
Superfamilia: Testudinoidea

Familia: Testudinidae
Genus: Chelonoidis
Species: Chelonoidis niger
Subspecies: † C. n. abingdonii – C. n. becki – C. n. chathamensis – C. n. darwini – C. n. donfaustoi – C. n. duncanensis – C. n. hoodensis – † C. n. niger – † C. n. phantasticus – C. n. porteri – C. n. vicina
Name

Chelonoidis niger (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Holotype: BMNH 1947.3.4.90
Type locality: Ecuador – Galapagos: Charles (Floreana)

Synonyms

Testudo californiana Quoy & Gaimard 1824:90 (nomen oblitum)
Testudo nigra Quoy & Gaimard 1824:174 (nomen protectum)
Testudo galapagoensis Baur 1889:1044

References

Quoy, J.R., and J.P. Gaimard. 1824. Zoologie. In: M.L. de Freycinet: Voyage Autour du Monde, Entrepris par le ministére et conformément aux instructions de s. exc. M. le Vicomte du Bouchage, Secrétaire d'etat au Department de la Marine, Exécuté sur les corvettes de S.M. l'Uranie et la Paris. iv + 712 pp.
TTWG (Turtle Taxonomy Working Group) 2021. Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (9th Ed.). Chelonian Research Monographs 8: 1–472. DOI: 10.3854/crm.8.checklist.atlas.v9.2021.PDF Reference page.
[1] Listed animal in CITES Appendix I

Vernacular names
čeština: Želva sloní
English: Galapagos tortoise
magyar: Galápagosi óriásteknős, elefántteknős
日本語: ガラパゴスゾウガメ
한국어: 갈라파고스땅거북
polski: Żółw słoniowy
português: Tartaruga-gigante-de-Galápagos
slovenčina: Korytnačka slonia
ไทย: เต่ายักษ์กาลาปากอส, เต่ากาลาปากอส
Türkçe: Dev galapagos kaplumbağası
中文: 加拉帕戈斯象龜

Chelonoidis niger, also known as the Floreana giant tortoise or Charles Island giant tortoise, is an extinct species of giant tortoise endemic to the Galápagos archipelago in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean. The specific epithet niger (‘black’) probably refers to the colouration of the holotype specimen.[2] The species name has often been misspelled as nigra, an error introduced in the 1980s when Chelonoidis was elevated to genus and mistakenly treated as feminine, an error recognized and fixed in 2017.[3]

Taxonomy

This tortoise is a member of the Chelonoidis niger species complex, comprising all Galápagos tortoise taxa, of which it is the nominate form.[4]
Description

Male tortoises grew to about 138 cm and females to 88 cm in length, with strongly saddlebacked carapaces.[2]
Behaviour

The tortoises used to descend to the lower slopes of their volcanic island to graze on new vegetation after wet season rains. They fed on grass, bitterbush and cacti, obtaining water from springs and from cracks in the lava rocks.[2]
Distribution and habitat

The tortoise's natural range was limited to 173 km2 Floreana Island (formerly Charles Island) where it inhabited deciduous and evergreen forests.[2]
Conservation

The tortoise population of Floreana is estimated to have originally comprised some 8,000 individuals. Extinction occurred during the 1840s or 1850s following overexploitation for food by sailors and settlers, as well as predation and habitat degradation from introduced species, including goats, pigs, dogs, cats, donkeys, and rodents. However, several hybrids between this species and Chelonoidis becki were discovered around Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island, apparently from some of the Floreana tortoises being transported there in the early 19th century, and there is an ongoing breeding program which is attempting to bring back the Floreana species with de-extinction.[2]
References

van Dijk, P.P., Rhodin, A.G.J., Cayot, L.J. & Caccone, A. (2017). "Floreana Giant Tortoise". Red List. IUCN. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
Arteaga, A; Bustamante, L; Vieira, J; Guayasamin, JM (2020). Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Quito: Universidad Tecnológica Indoamereica.
Turtle Taxonomy Working Group: Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R., Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B. & van Dijk, P.P. (2017) Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.). Chelonian Research Monographs 7: 1–292. ISBN|978-1-5323-5026-9. doi|10.3854/crm.7.checklist.atlas.v8.2017. Full article (PDF).
"Chelonoidis niger (QUOY & GAIMARD, 1824)". Reptile Database. Peter Uetz and Jakob Hallermann. Retrieved 30 June 2021.