Bell's hinge-back tortoise (''Kinixys belliana''), also known commonly as Bell's eastern hinged tortoise, is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to central Africa. It has the hinge that characterizes all tortoises in the genus '' Kinixys''. There are no recognized

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

Etymology

Both the

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''belliana'', and the common name are in honor of English zoologist Thomas Bell.

Description

Bell's hinge-back tortoise is a medium-sized light brown tortoise. They can grow up to 22 cm. On the back of its shell, the tortoise has a 90 degree hinge which, when closed, can protect its rear legs and tail from predators. This broad band of flexible connective tissue is located between the 4th and 5th costals and the 7th and 8th peripherals in adults. The scutes on its slightly domed and elongated shell typically have a radiating pattern of dark patches, though these can fade. Adult males have a concave belly. Most Bell's hinge-backs have five claws on each forefoot.

Distribution and habitat

In its habitat, Bell's hinge-back tortoise favours tropical and sub-tropical

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

s of

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...

. It was traditionally considered to be the most common and widespread hinge-back tortoise, found throughout a large part of

such as in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and down to southern Africa. However, a revision of the species advocated by Kindler et al. (2012) restricted it only to the central African populations, ranging from Angola to

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

Diet

Bell's hinge-back tortoise is an omnivore, with a very varied diet consisting mainly of a range of different plants, but also including insects and other meat. It feeds on vegetables,

twigs A twig is a thin, often short, branch of a tree or bush. The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of the twig bark are ...

, roots,

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

fruits In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particula ...

earthworms An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. Th ...

, snails, tadpoles and other small invertebrates.

Threats and conservation

In its natural habitat, its predators are leopards, hawks and

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

s. Currently it is mainly threatened by widespread collection from the wild for the illegal international trade in the species. It is also collected by local peoples for food and human population growth in the area is putting pressure on the species. Human-induced fire is also a threat. Its shells are used as musical instruments by the priests of the Oroko and other peoples of southwestern Cameroon to accompany religious incantations. As of March 22, 2000, the USDA has banned importation of the Bell's hinge-back tortoise,

leopard tortoise The leopard tortoise (''Stigmochelys pardalis'') is a large and attractively marked tortoise found in the savannas of eastern and southern Africa, from Sudan to the southern Cape. It is the only extant member of the genus ''Stigmochelys'', althoug ...

and the African spurred tortoise.

Subspecies

are currently recognized as being valid. Formerly the following subspecies were recognized: *''K. b. belliana'' – Bell's hinge-back *''K. b. domerguei'' – Madagascan hinge-back *''K. b. nogueyi'' – western hinge-back *''K. b. zombensis'' – southeastern hinge-back Kindler et al. (2012) raised the subspecies ''K. b. zombensis'' (which they considered a senior synonym of ''K. b. domerguei'') and ''K. b. nogueyi'' to the ranks of species, respectively '' Kinixys zombensis'' and '' Kinixys nogueyi''. ''K. b. domerguei'' is now treated as subspecies of ''Kinixys zombensis'' (i.e., ''Kinixys zombensis domerguei'').

Parasites of hinge-back tortoises

''Kinixys'' tortoises play host to a number of ectoparasites (external) and endoparasites (internal) A survey (by Alan Probert & Clive Humphreys) of mixed captive ''K. spekii'' and ''K. belliana'' (mostly ''K. spekii'') in Zimbabwe showed that ticks (Arachnida) and roundworms (Nematoda) of genera ''Angusticium'', ''Atractis'' and ''Tachygontria'' infect these tortoises. This has been reported by others as well. However, some of the tiny roundworms (photographed under SEM) are very likely new species and as yet remain undescribed.

References

*Smylie, A
''Kinixys'' (Hinged-Back Tortoises)
Gulf Coast Turtle and Tortoise Society. *Hingeback Central

;Bibliography * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1529918 Kinixys Turtles of Africa Reptiles of Angola Vertebrates of Burundi Reptiles of the Central African Republic Reptiles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Vertebrates of Eritrea Reptiles of Ethiopia Reptiles of Kenya Vertebrates of Rwanda Reptiles of Somalia Reptiles of South Sudan Reptiles of Tanzania Reptiles of Uganda Reptiles described in 1831 Taxa named by John Edward Gray