Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae
Alternative combinations: Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) osborniana, Testudo (Hesperotestudo) osborniana, Testudo osborniana
Synonyms: Caryoderma snovianum Cope 1886, Geochelone (Caudochelys) arenivaga Hay 1906, Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) impensa Hay 1908, Geochelone farri Hay 1908, Testudo (Hesperotestudo) arenivaga Hay 1906, Testudo (Hesperotestudo) farri Hay 1908, Testudo (Hesperotestudo) impensa Hay 1908, Testudo arenivaga Hay 1906, Testudo farri Hay 1908, Testudo impensa Hay 1908, Testudo snoviana Cope 1886, Xerobates snovianum Cope 1886
Full reference: O. P. Hay. 1904. A new gigantic tortoise from the Miocene of Colorado. Science 19:503-504
Belongs to Hesperotestudo according to E. Vlachos and M. Rabi 2018
See also Auffenberg 1962, Auffenberg 1963, Cope 1886, Cope 1889, Hay 1902, Hay 1904, Hay 1906, Hay 1908, Hay 1930, Loomis 1909, Osborn 1930, Vlachos 2018, Williams 1953 and Williston 1898
Sister taxa: Eupachemys, Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) angusticeps, Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) orthopygia, Geochelone (Hesperotestudo) wilsoni, Hesperotestudo bermudae, Hesperotestudo crassiscutata, Hesperotestudo ducateli, Hesperotestudo gilbertii, Hesperotestudo harrisi, Hesperotestudo orthopygia, Hesperotestudo turgida, Hesperotestudo williamsi, Testudo tedwhitei
Type specimens:
- Hesperotestudo osborniana: AMNH No. 5868, a partial skeleton. Its type locality is Pawnee Creek (B. Brown AMNH collection), which is in a Hemingfordian/Barstovian terrestrial horizon in the Pawnee Creek Formation of Colorado.
- Caryoderma snovianum: KU 1262, a set of limb elements (osteoderm and an ungual).
- Testudo arenivaga: CM 1609, a partial shell (pygal, peripheral, and suprapygal). Its type locality is Agate (2 Miles NE), which is in a Harrisonian terrestrial horizon in the Marsland Formation of Nebraska.
- Testudo farri: UNSM 10486, a partial shell (partial carapace and complete plastron). Its type locality is Smith River valley, which is in a Barstovian terrestrial horizon in the Deep River Formation of Montana.
- Testudo impensa: AMNH 5867, a partial skeleton (complete skull, nearly complete shell, both shoulder-girdles, the left humerus, pelvis, 3 injured cervical and 4 caudal vertebrae, and dermal bones). Its type locality is Between Madison and Gallatin rivers, which is in a Hemphillian terrestrial horizon in the Loop Fork Formation of Montana.
Ecology: ground dwelling herbivore-herbivore
Distribution:
• Hemphillian of United States (1: Montana collection)
• Miocene of United States (2: Colorado, Montana)
• Harrisonian of United States (2: Nebraska)
Total: 5 collections each including a single occurrence
Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.
Click image to enlarge. Click to access iDigBio record.