Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae

Derivation of name: The species name, meaning of Langebaanweg, derives from the site where it was collected, and is currently the only site at which it has been identified. Worth noting is that turtles represent the most common vertebrate taxon at Langebaanweg, and that this species is by far the most common taxon in the turtle assemblage. This species is dedicated to Prof. Margaretha D. Hofmeyr (19502020) for her commitment to the study of African extant tortoises and for having promoted the study of the fossil tortoises from Langebaanweg.

Zoobank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A8B93307-034E-4D7F-96BC-B17F8F32B122.

Full reference: M. Delfino, B. F. Cohen, R. Govender, P. Haarhoff, L. Macaluso, L. Marino, T. Matthews, L. C. M. Wencker, and M. Pavia. 2024. Towards the origin of South African tortoises: a new Chersina species from the Early Pliocene fossil site of Langebaanweg. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 202(3):21

Belongs to Chersina according to M. Delfino et al. 2024

Sister taxon: Chersina angulata

Type specimen: SAM-PQL-20734, a skeleton. Its type locality is Lang. E Quarry-GM, which is in a Miocene foreshore conglomerate in the Varswater Formation of South Africa.

Ecology: ground dwelling herbivore-herbivore

Distribution: found only at Lang. E Quarry-GM

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Specimen images are retrieved through the ePANDDA API.