''Hesperotestudo'' ("Western turtle") is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

tortoise Tortoises ( ) are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for "tortoise"). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like o ...

native to North and Central America (ranging as far south as Costa Rica) from the

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to ...

to the

Late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as the Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division ...

. Species of ''Hesperotestudo'' varied widely in size, with a large undescribed specimen from the Late Pleistocene of

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

reaching in carapace length, larger than that of extant giant tortoises. Historically considered a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

of ''

Geochelone ''Geochelone'', from Ancient Greek γῆ (''gê''), meaning "earth", and χελώνη (''khelṓnē''), meaning "turtle", is a genus of tortoises. ''Geochelone'' tortoises, which are also known as typical tortoises or terrestrial turtles, can be ...

'', it is now considered to be distantly related to that genus. Its relationships with other tortoises are uncertain. The exposed areas of the bodies of ''Hesperotestudo'' species were extensively covered with large dermal ossicles, which in life were covered in keratin. It has been suggested that species of ''Hesperotestudo'' were relatively tolerant of cold weather. ''Hesperotestudo'' became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene roughly co-incident with the arrival of the first humans in North America. There is apparently a site in Florida where one individual may have been killed that some suggested were evidence of butchering, although others suggested that the turtle was neither cooked nor does a ledge that was found near it date at the same time as it.

Taxonomy

Species list is based on Vlachos, 2018 *† ''Hesperotestudo'' Williams 1950Williams , E.E. 1950. ''Testudo cubensis'' and the evolution of Western Hemisphere tortoises. ''Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History'' 95:1–36. **†''Hesperotestudo bermudae'' Meylan and Sterrer 2000 Bermuda, Middle Pleistocene c. 310,000 years

before present Before Present (BP) or "years before present (YBP)" is a time scale used mainly in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events occurred relative to the origin of practical radiocarbon dating in the 1950s. Because ...

(YBP) - shell length c. **†''Hesperotestudo crassiscutata'' (Leidy 1889)Leidy, J. 1889. Description of vertebrate remains from Peace Creek, Florida. ''Transactions of the Wagner Free Institute of Science of Philadelphia'' 2:19–31. Florida, Texas, Illinois, South Carolina, (possibly also El Salvador) Middle-Late Pleistocene shell length c. **†''Hesperotestudo ducateli'' (Collins and Lynn, 1936)

Calvert Formation The Calvert Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. It preserves fossils dating back to the early to middle Miocene, Miocene epoch of the Neogene Period (geology), period. It is one of the three ...

, Maryland, Middle Miocene (

Langhian The Langhian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, an age or stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma and 13.65 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago) during the Middle Miocene.GeoWhen (2007) The Langhian was ...

–

Serravallian The Serravallian is, in the geologic timescale, an List of time periods, age or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the middle Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch/series (stratigraphy), Series, which spans the time between 13.82 annum, Ma and 11.63 Ma (m ...

) **†''Hesperotestudo gilbertii'' (Hay, 1899)

Ogallala Formation The Ogallala Formation is a Miocene to early Pliocene geologic formation in the central High Plains of the western United States and the location of the Ogallala Aquifer. In Nebraska and South Dakota it is also classified as the Ogallala Group ...

, Kansas,

Hemphillian The Hemphillian North American Stage on the geologic timescale is a North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from 10,300,000 to 4,900,000 years BP. It is usually considered t ...

, Late Miocene-Early Pliocene (

Tortonian The Tortonian is in the geologic time scale an age or stage of the late Miocene that spans the time between 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma and 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Serravallian and is followed by the Messinian. The Tort ...

–

Zanclean The Zanclean is the lowest stage or earliest age on the geologic time scale of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 5.332 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago) and 3.6 ± 0.005 Ma. It is preceded by the Messinian Age of the Miocene Epoch, and f ...

) **†''Hesperotestudo orthopygia'' (Cope, 1878) (syn= ''Xerobates cyclopygius'' Cope, 1878 =''Caryoderma snovianum'' Cope, 1886 = ''Testudo rexroadensis'' Oelrich, 1952 = ''Geochelone nordensis'' Holman, 1973) Kansas, California, Nebraska, Late Miocene-Pliocene shell length c. **†''Hesperotestudo osborniana'' (Hay, 1905)(syn= ''Testudo arenivaga'' Hay, 1906 = ''Testudo farri'' Hay, 1908 = ''Testudo impensa'' Hay, 1908 = ''Testudo orthopygia angusticeps'' Matthew, 1924) Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, Early Miocene-Early Pliocene shell length up to **†''Hesperotestudo turgida'' (Cope, 1892) (syn = ''Testudo incisa'' Hay, 1916a = ''Testudo riggsi'' Hibbard, 1944 = ''Testudo wilsoni'' Milstead, 1956 = ''Geochelone johnstoni'' Auffenberg 1962 = ''Geochelone alleni'' Auffenberg, 1966 = ''Geochelone oelrichi'' Holman, 1972a = ''Geochelone mlynarskii'' Auffenberg, 1988) Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, Late Miocene-Late Pleistocene shell length c. **†''Hesperotestudo williamsi'' (Auffenberg, 1964)

Oakville Formation The Oakville Formation is a geologic formation in Texas. It preserves fossils dating back to the Neogene period. See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Texas * Paleontology in Texas Paleontology in Texas refers to paleontol ...

, Texas, Early Miocene (

Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age (geology), age or stage (stratigraphy), stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 annum, Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). Preceded by the Aquitanian (sta ...

) shell length c.

References

{{Testudinidae Testudinidae Miocene turtles Pliocene turtles Pleistocene turtles Cenozoic reptiles of North America Prehistoric turtle genera Extinct turtles