Kinixys belliana zombensis

Nile crocodiles, terrapins, tortoises and turtles.

View gallery

Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Iggy » Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:48 pm

Once again I am struggling to upload due to internet wobbles, but we had a tortoise dropped off which we think we have correctly identified as this species. We have never seen one in this area (never any of the Bell's subspecies in fact) and am struggling to find info as to what its normal range is, and their numbers. Any info on this stunning little tort appreciated, and will upload as soon as our internet is up and running again (stolen cables) - uploading direct from the blackberry not working!
Perry's Bridge Reptile Park
Hazyview, Mpumalanga
"Through Inspiration Comes Conservation"
http://www.snakes-uncovered.com
FIND US ON FACEBOOK!
Iggy
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 756
Joined: Sat May 27, 2006 6:08 pm
Location: Mpumalanga

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Sico » Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:04 pm

Iggy I took a squizz through The South African Tortoise Book by Borquin and Boycott, revised edition, and they have Kinixys natalensis and Kinixys spekii as being more in your range with K. belliana belliana being more to the east, not appearing to come over the Mozambique border much at all. They don't mention K. b zombensis at all in the book. What did you use as a reference work? Good luck uploading pics, it will be very interesting to see this torty. Do you know where it was picked up?
K. natalensis seems to have a very narrow range in your neck of the woods, with a slight curve from Swaziland up through towards the middle of the KNP, while K. spekii appears to be very much more widespread, coming up from northern Natal, through Swaziland, covering most fo the KNP region (and slightly west of that) right up into most of Limpopo, part of Northwest, the bulk of Zimbabwe and up into the Caprivie strip and northern Delta region fo the Okavango.
The key in the front of the book for hinged tortoises shows that K. natalensis has a tricuspid upper beak, aqnd the plastron is in a V shape and appears bisected by a single line anteriorly to posteriorly. The other hinged tortoises have a unicuspid upper beak and rather normal plastron. Of the remainder K. lobatsiana has upturned and serated posterior marginals (although it does not appear to be found in Mpumalanga), K. spekii has a plain brown or zonary pattern (concentric circles in the plates) and the ratio of shell height to shell length is normally more than 1:23. K.belliana has a shell with radial pattern (like G. pardalis) and a ratio of shell height to shell length of normally less than 1:23. Basically K. spekii looks more like a pancake than K. belliana. Hope that helps a bit?
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Iggy » Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:46 pm

Thanks for the response :). We keep specke's hingebacks in the park and this is nothing like them (except from the hinge), this one is far more domed
And the patterning on the carapace is very striking, very dark and almost
like a flower or star. Sent the photo to mr s (MP parks board) who commented that it was
almost like a geometric tort fromthe cape. If you search for zombensis a photo comes up which is almost
identical, think it was the chelonian trust? People who dropped it off said they found it locally, but
as the initial intention was to sell it that may be unreliable. Will try to upload
again tomorrow.
Perry's Bridge Reptile Park
Hazyview, Mpumalanga
"Through Inspiration Comes Conservation"
http://www.snakes-uncovered.com
FIND US ON FACEBOOK!
Iggy
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 756
Joined: Sat May 27, 2006 6:08 pm
Location: Mpumalanga

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Iggy » Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:10 pm

Okay, finally managed to upload a pic, but struggling to get the image to show from my BB - maybe someone more techie than me can help is this doesn't wor'!
Image
Perry's Bridge Reptile Park
Hazyview, Mpumalanga
"Through Inspiration Comes Conservation"
http://www.snakes-uncovered.com
FIND US ON FACEBOOK!
Iggy
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 756
Joined: Sat May 27, 2006 6:08 pm
Location: Mpumalanga

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Carpetpythons » Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:39 pm

That looks like a tent tortoise? It could also be just a very clean hinged tortoise. The star pattern and domed shell makes it look like a Psammobates! If it has a hinge on the other hand then it might just be a clean example of a hinged. I'm not sure of their distribution range anymore as I have been out of SA for years. I remember one of the Psammobates occurring in the warmer northern parts of Transvaal.
User avatar
Carpetpythons
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 280
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 10:52 am

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Iggy » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:15 am

It definitely is hinged, and it IS clean :). But which clean hingeback is it ? :)
Perry's Bridge Reptile Park
Hazyview, Mpumalanga
"Through Inspiration Comes Conservation"
http://www.snakes-uncovered.com
FIND US ON FACEBOOK!
Iggy
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 756
Joined: Sat May 27, 2006 6:08 pm
Location: Mpumalanga

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby alexander » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:52 am

That is definitely a Bell's Hinged Tortoise, the markings are quite distinct. It's distribution seems to border your area, so I think it is K. b. nogueyi

From Bill's book:
K. b. belliana (Eastern) has usually 5 claws on each forefoot, while K. b. nogueyi (Western, and I assume South africa) usually has 4.
Life is but a glimpse of triumph amongst incomprehensible failure.
User avatar
alexander
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1228
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:39 pm
Location: CAPE TOWN

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Sico » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:55 am

Looking at that pic I would be inclined to go with it being a Bell's as opposed to Speke's. Knowing where it came from would be so helpful in assisting with an ID as well as helping to improve distribution maps. Nice one Iggy! :-)
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Iggy » Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:37 am

Thanks guys! The photo of zombensis I found is from this page:
http://www.chelonia.org/kinixys_gallery.htm
7th row down in the centre. Any info on whether this subspececies is no longer recognised?
Perry's Bridge Reptile Park
Hazyview, Mpumalanga
"Through Inspiration Comes Conservation"
http://www.snakes-uncovered.com
FIND US ON FACEBOOK!
Iggy
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 756
Joined: Sat May 27, 2006 6:08 pm
Location: Mpumalanga

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby alexander » Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:54 am

Sorry guys, got mixed up, the Eastern one (K. b. belliana) is the one we get down here. But there are two disjunct distributions, one in the east and one in the south east. I can see from the site that they recognise the south eastern distribution as a separate species (zombensis), this is possibly an old name that has been revised? Or maybe needs more evidence for confirmation.
Life is but a glimpse of triumph amongst incomprehensible failure.
User avatar
alexander
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1228
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:39 pm
Location: CAPE TOWN

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby alexander » Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:07 am

its vaild here:
http://www.cites.org/common/com/NC/2006/E-NC2006-Fa-05.pdf
but then so is Kinixys belliana domerguei which was apparently brought over to Madagascar by man.
Life is but a glimpse of triumph amongst incomprehensible failure.
User avatar
alexander
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1228
Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:39 pm
Location: CAPE TOWN

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Sico » Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:31 am

Iggy, I'd suggest contacting someone like Bill Branch, I reckon he'd be the most likely person to tell you exactly what the correct name is and all that. If you do, please keep us posted!
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Will » Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:04 pm

I see this is an old thread. Maybe this comes way after your interest . Your initial ID is dead on correct, it is a zombensis.

Will
Will
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2012 3:43 pm

Re: Kinixys belliana zombensis

Postby Iggy » Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:30 pm

Thankyou :)
Perry's Bridge Reptile Park
Hazyview, Mpumalanga
"Through Inspiration Comes Conservation"
http://www.snakes-uncovered.com
FIND US ON FACEBOOK!
Iggy
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 756
Joined: Sat May 27, 2006 6:08 pm
Location: Mpumalanga


Return to Indigenous chelonians and crocodilians

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests

cron