Gopherus hexagonatus Cope 1893 (gopher tortoise)

Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae

Alternative combination: Gopherus hexagonata

Synonyms: Bysmachelys canyonensis Johnston 1937, Gopherus canyonensis Johnston 1937, Gopherus huecoensis Strain 1966, Testudo campester Hay 1908

Full reference: E. D. Cope. 1893. A preliminary report on the vertebrate paleontology of the Llano Estacado. Fourth Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Texas 1892:11-136

Belongs to Gopherus according to E. Vlachos 2018

See also Bramble 1982, Hay 1908, Hay 1930, Johnston 1937 and Reynoso and Montellano-Ballesteros 2004

Sister taxa: Gopherus (Gopherus), Gopherus (Oligopherus), Gopherus agassizii, Gopherus auffenbergi, Gopherus berlandieri, Gopherus brevisternus, Gopherus depressus, Gopherus donlaloi, Gopherus edae, Gopherus flavomarginatus, Gopherus laticuneus, Gopherus mohavensis, Gopherus morafkai, Gopherus polyphemus, Testudo milleri

Type specimens:

  • Gopherus hexagonatus: TMM 30967-1817, a partial shell (shell fragments). Its type locality is head of Rock Creek, Mayfield Ranch, which is in an Irvingtonian terrestrial horizon in the Tule Formation of Texas.
  • Bysmachelys canyonensis: Panhandle Plains Historical Mus. No. 1534, a partial skeleton (almost complete skeleton lacking most of the carapace). Its type locality is North Cita Canyon (Middle Stratum), which is in a Pliocene fluvial sandstone in Texas.
  • Gopherus huecoensis: TMM 40240-27 (holotype), a partial skeleton (plastron with associated appendicular elements). Its type locality is Hudspeth (TMM 40240), which is in a Blancan terrestrial horizon in the Fort Hancock Formation of Texas.
  • Testudo campester: AMNH 3930 (holotype), a partial shell. Its type locality is near Mount Blanco, Site 5, which is in a Pliocene terrestrial horizon in the Blanco Formation of Texas.

Ecology: ground dwelling herbivore-herbivore

Distribution:

• Quaternary of United States (5: Texas collections)

• Blancan of United States (2: Texas)

• Pliocene of United States (2: Texas)

Total: 9 collections each including a single occurrence

Show more details


Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.


Click image to enlarge. Click to access iDigBio record.