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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: December 31st, 2022.


Taxonomy of the family Testudinidae
Bibliography of the genus Kinixys
Biodiversity of the family Testudinidae








Genus
Kinixys

Hinge-back Tortoises, Hinged Tortoises

Gelenkschildkröten

Ledskildpadder

1827 Kinixys Bell (type species: Kinixys castanea Bell 1827)
Cinixys Wagler 1830 [substitute name] (syn. Fritz & Havas 2006)
1835 Cinothorax Fitzinger (type species: Kinixys belliana Gray 1831; syn. Fritz & Havas 2006)
1972 Madakinixys Vuillemin (type species: Madakinixys domerguei Vuillemin 1972; syn. Fritz & Havas 2006)

Contents: 8 species, none of which are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Distribution: SubSaharan Africa, Madagascar.
Reported from: Angola (incl. Cabinda), Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko, Rio Muni), Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province), Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Kinixys belliana

Central African Hinge-back Tortoise, (Eastern Hinge-back Tortoise, Bell's Hinge-back Tortoise)

Glattrand-Gelenkschildkröte

Centralafrikansk Ledskildpadde

1831 Kinixys belliana Gray
Cinixys belliana Fitzinger 1835
Cinothorax bellianus Fitzinger 1843
1845 Kinixys schoensis Rüppell (Fritz & Havas 2006)
Kinixys belliana schoensis Mertens & Wermuth 1955
1956 Kinixys belliana mertensi Laurent (Fritz & Havas 2006)

Remarks: Previously included lobatsiana, nogueyi, spekii and zombensis. Exact distribution limits uncertain. Much of what was previously regarded as the northern range of belliana (s.s.) is now included in nogueyi. Chirio (2009) reported both belliana and nogueyi from Burkina Faso, however, this record of belliana is far from the closest, Central African records of this species, which is also noted by the author himself.
Distribution: Angola (incl. Cabinda), Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.


Kinixys belliana
© Rune Midtgaard

Kinixys erosa

Forest Hinge-back Tortoise, Serrated Hinge-back Tortoise, West African Hinge-back Tortoise, (Schweigger's Hinge-back Tortoise)

Stachelrand-Gelenkschildkröte

Skov-ledskildpadde

1812 Testudo erosa Schweigger
Kinixys erosa Gray 1831
Kinixys belliana erosa Nutaphand 1979
1827 Kinixys castanea Bell (Fritz & Havas 2006)
Cinixys castanea Fitzinger 1835

Remarks: Although reported from Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Rwanda, and Senegal, presence in these countries are regarded as doubtful, due to lack of vouchers. Records from Gambia and Senegal may have been based on trade specimens (Luiselli & Diagne 2014).
Introduced to: Guadeloupe.
Distribution: Angola (incl. Cabinda), Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni), Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo, Uganda.


Kinixys homeana

West African Hinge-back Tortoise, (Home's Hinge-back Tortoise)

Stutz-Gelenkschildkröte

Vestafrikansk Ledskildpadde

1827 Kinixys homeana Bell
Testudo homeana Gray in Griffith 1831
Kinixys belliana homeana Nutaphand 1979

Introduced to: Guadeloupe.
Distribution: Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Kinshasa, Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni), Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Togo.


Kinixys homeana
© Henrik Bringsøe

Kinixys lobatsiana

Lobatse Hinge-back Tortoise

Lobatse-Gelenkschildkröte

Lobatse-ledskildpadde

1927 Cinixys lobatsiana Power
Kinixys belliana lobatsiana Mertens & Wermuth 1955
Kinixys lobatsiana Broadley 1992

Distribution: Botswana, South Africa (Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province).


Kinixys natalensis

Natal Hinge-back Tortoise

Natal-Gelenkschildkröte

Natal-ledskildpadde

1935 Kinixys natalensis Hewitt
Kinixys belliana natalensis Mertens & Wermuth 1955

Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of belliana (e.g., Wermuth & Mertens 1977).
Distribution: Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga).


Kinixys nogueyi

Western Savanna Hinge-back Tortoise, Western Hinge-back Tortoise, (Noguey's Hinged Tortoise)

Westliche Savannen-Gelenkschildkröte, (Spekes Gelenkschildkröte)

Vestlig Savanne-ledskildpadde

1886 Homopus nogueyi Lataste
Cinixys nogueyi Siebenrock 1903
Cinixys belliana nogueyi Boulenger 1906
Kinixys nogueyi McCord, Joseph-Ouni & Tabaka 2005
1888 Cinixys dorri Lataste (Fritz & Havas 2006)

Remarks: McCord, Joseph-Ouni & Tabaka (2005) raised noguey to status as a separate species. This was not followed by Chirio & Ineich (2006), because the type locality of belliana is unknown, however, the former authors designated a new lectotype and its origin ("Medine, Haut-Senegal") as type locality. Subsequently, Chirio & LeBreton (2007) treated it as a valid species. Validity confirmed by Kindler, Branch, Hofmeyr, Maran, Siroký, Vences, Harvey, Hauswaldt, Schleicher, Stuckas & Fritz (2012). Includes much of what was previously regarded as the northern range of belliana (s.s.).
Distribution: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Kinshasa, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Togo.


Kinixys spekii

Eastern Savanna Hinge-back Tortoise, (Speke's Hinge-back Tortoise)

Östliche Savannen-Gelenkschildkröte, (Spekes Gelenkschildkröte)

Østlig Savanne-ledskildpadde

1863 Kinixys spekii Gray
Kinixys belliana spekei [lapsus] Mertens, Müller & Rust 1934
Kinixys spekii Broadley 1992
1902 Homopus darlingi Boulenger (Fritz & Havas 2006)
Kinixys darlingi Hewitt 1931
Kinixys belliana darlingi Mertens & Wermuth 1955
1923 Testudo procterae Loveridge (Fritz & Havas 2006)
Malacochersus procterae Mertens, Müller & Rust 1934
1931 Kinixys australis Hewitt (Fritz & Havas 2006)
Kinixys belliana australis Mertens & Wermuth 1955
1931 Kinixys jordani Hewitt (Fritz & Havas 2006)
1931 Kinixys youngi Hewitt (Fritz & Havas 2006)
1932 Kinixys australis mababiensis Fitzsimons (Fritz & Havas 2006)
Kinixys belliana mababiensis Mertens & Wermuth 1955

Distribution: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West Province), Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Kinixys zombensis

Southeastern Hinge-back Tortoise

Südostafrikanische Gelenkschildkröte

Sydøstafrikansk Ledskildpadde

1931 Kinixys belliana zombensis Hewitt
Kinixys zombensis Mitchell 1946
1931 Kinixys belliana zuluensis Hewitt (Kindler, Branch, Hofmeyr, Maran, Siroký, Vences, Harvey, Hauswaldt, Schleicher, Stuckas & Fritz 2012)
Kinixys zuluensis Hewitt 1937
1972 Madakinixys domerguei Vuillemin (Kindler, Branch, Hofmeyr, Maran, Siroký, Vences, Harvey, Hauswaldt, Schleicher, Stuckas & Fritz 2012)
Kinixys belliana domerguei Bour 1985
Kinixys zombensis domerguei Dijk, Iverson, Shaffer, Bour & Rhodin 2012

Other common names:
domerguei: Madagascar Hinge-back Tortoise
zombensis: Common Southeastern Hinge-back Tortoise
Remarks: Previously regarded as a synonym of belliana (e.g., Fritz & Havas 2006). Revalidated by Kindler, Branch, Hofmeyr, Maran, Siroký, Vences, Harvey, Hauswaldt, Schleicher, Stuckas & Fritz (2012). Exact distribution limits are unclear.
Distribution: Eswatini, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal), Tanzania, Zimbabwe.