Indotestudo travancorica

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
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: Indotestudo
Species: Indotestudo travancorica
Name

Indotestudo travancorica (Boulenger, 1907)
Synonyms

Geochelone travancorica
Testudo travancorica

Vernacular names
čeština: Želva travancorská
Deutsch: Travancore-Landschildkröte
English: Travancore tortoise
日本語: トラバンコアリクガメ

The Travancore tortoise (Indotestudo travancorica)[2] is a large forest tortoise growing up to 330 millimetres (13 in) in length. The species was first described by George Albert Boulenger in 1907. It primarily feeds on grasses and herbs. It also feeds on molluscs, insects, animal carcass, fungi and fruits. It occurs in hill forests at 450–850 m elevation. Males combat by ramming their shell during their breeding season between November and March. It makes a shallow nest in the ground and lay 1 to 5 eggs. Hatchlings are 55–60 mm in size. The tortoise is hunted and it is threatened due to forest fires, habitat destruction and fragmentation.
Juvenile

Identification: a scute right behind the head is absent and the second scute along the vertebral column is located at the highest point of the shell.
Status: IUCN Red list - vulnerable; Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule IV.
Distribution: restricted to the Western Ghats, in the Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Vernacular names:
Tamil: periya amai, kal amai
Kadas: vengala amai
Kannada: betta aame, gudde aame, kadu aame
Malayalam: kattu aama

References

Fritz Uwe; Peter Havaš (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World" (PDF). Vertebrate Zoology. 57 (2): 284–285. ISSN 1864-5755. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 December 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.