Spider tortoise

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Species of tortoise

title: "Spider tortoise" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["turtles-of-africa", "endemic-reptiles-of-madagascar", "pyxis-(genus)", "reptiles-as-pets", "reptiles-described-in-1827", "species-that-are-or-were-threatened-by-the-pet-trade", "taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot", "madagascar-spiny-thickets"] description: "Species of tortoise" topic_path: "general/turtles-of-africa" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_tortoise" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of tortoise ::

|name= Spider tortoise |image=Pyxis arachnoides brygooi.jpg |status=CR |status_system=IUCN3.1 | status2 = CITES_A1 | status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = |genus=Pyxis |species=arachnoides |authority=Bell, 1827 |synonyms=; Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides

  • Pyxis arachnoides Bell, 1827
  • Testudo (Pyxis) aranoides Gray, 1831 (ex errore)
  • Pyxis aranoides Gray, 1831
  • Pyxis madagascariensis Lesson, 1831
  • Testudo (Pyxis) arachnoides Fitzinger, 1835
  • Bellemys arachnoides Williams, 1950
  • Pyxis arachnoides arachnoides Bour, 1979 ; Pyxis arachnoides brygooi
  • Pyxoides brygooi Vuillemin & Domergue, 1972
  • Pyxis arachnoides brygooi Bour, 1979 ; Pyxis arachnoides oblonga
  • Pyxis arachnoides matzi Bour, 1979
  • Pyxis arachnoides oblonga Bour, 1985 |synonyms_ref= |status_ref=

The spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae that is endemic to Madagascar and is one of only two species in the genus Pyxis.

Habitat

The remaining tortoises are found only in south western Madagascar, where they inhabit the spiny vegetation of the sandy coastal areas.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Spider_tortoise_2014_11_08.ogv" caption="Spider tortoise in captivity."] ::

Life cycle and breeding

Very little is known about the life cycle of this endangered tortoise, which is believed to live for up to 70 years. Here they feed on young leaves, insect larvae, and even the droppings of larger animals. When the wet season arrives, the dormancy period ends and the tortoises begin to mate. Females only lay one egg when they reproduce, and the egg is incubated for about 220–250 days. The largest threats the endangered tortoise faces are the pet trade, poaching for food, and habitat destruction.

Conservation

Their trade is illegal in Madagascar, but they are extensively smuggled for food, body parts, and illegal pets.

References

  1. Walker, Ryan C. "The decline of the critically endangered northern Madagascar spider tortoise (pyxis arachnoides brygooi)." Herpetologica, vol. 66, no. 4, Dec. 2010, pp. 411–417, https://doi.org/10.1655/09-047.1.

References

  1. "Appendices {{!}} CITES".
  2. Fritz Uwe. (2007). "Checklist of Chelonians of the World". Vertebrate Zoology.
  3. Leuteritz, T.. (2020). "''Pyxis arachnoides''".
  4. (2007). "A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar". Vences & Glaw Verlags.
  5. Leuteritz, T.. (2014). "''Pyxis arachnoides''".
  6. "Malagasy Frontier Police seize Indonesia-bound shipment of 'world's rarest' tortoises - Wildlife Trade News from TRAFFIC".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

turtles-of-africaendemic-reptiles-of-madagascarpyxis-(genus)reptiles-as-petsreptiles-described-in-1827species-that-are-or-were-threatened-by-the-pet-tradetaxonomy-articles-created-by-polbotmadagascar-spiny-thickets