Cylindraspis

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Cylindraspis Temporal range: Divergence estimates suggest mid-Eocene origin
Lithograph of a taxidermied specimen of Cylindraspis vosmaeri
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Superfamily:	Testudinoidea
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	†Cylindraspis Fitzinger, 1835

Cylindraspis is a genus of recently extinct giant tortoises. All of its species lived in the Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion) in the Indian Ocean and all are now extinct due to hunting and introduction of non-native predators.

Skull

They are not closely related to any extant group of tortoises, having diverged from the largely African clade including Chelonoidis, Geochelone, and Astrochelys around 40 million years ago during the Eocene, most likely in Africa. The split between species within the genus is also deep, with the split between C. triserrata and all other members of the genus being estimated at around 28 million years ago, during the Oligocene, before the current Mascarene Islands were even formed, meaning that the genus must have colonised the Mascarenes by island hopping from now-submerged paleoislands formed by the Réunion hotspot as part of the Mascarene Plateau, including the Saya de Malha Bank and Nazareth Bank.

Human settlers colonised the Mascarenes in 1663. These giant tortoises were very large and slow, thus making them easy game. Like many island species, they were also reported to have been friendly and unafraid of humans. Most species of this genus were already driven to extinction by 1795 and the last individuals were reputed to have died around 1840 (Arnold 1979, Bour 1980, Cheke and Hume 2008).

Species

The genus contains at least the following species:

• †C. indica, Réunion giant tortoise, also known by the synonym Cylindraspis borbonica, from Réunion
• †C. inepta, saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise, from Mauritius
• †C. peltastes, domed Rodrigues giant tortoise, from Rodrigues
• †C. triserrata, domed Mauritius giant tortoise, from Mauritius
• †C. vosmaeri, saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise, from Rodrigues

• Cylindraspis indica
• C. peltastes
• C. vosmaeri

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cylindraspis.

1. ^ Kehlmaier, Christian; Graciá, Eva; Campbell, Patrick D.; Hofmeyr, Margaretha D.; Schweiger, Silke; Martínez-Silvestre, Albert; Joyce, Walter; Fritz, Uwe (2019-11-25). "Ancient mitogenomics clarifies radiation of extinct Mascarene giant tortoises (Cylindraspis spp.)". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 17487. Bibcode:2019NatSR...917487K. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-54019-y. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6877638. PMID 31767921.

• Arnold, E.N. 1979. Indian Ocean giant tortoises: their systematics and island adaptations. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences 286 (1011): 127-145
• Austin, J.J., Arnold, E.N. (2001). Ancient mitochondrial DNA and morphology elucidate an extinct island radiation of Indian Ocean giant tortoises (Cylindraspis). Proceedings: Biological Sciences, Volume 268, Number 1485, Pages: 2515–2523.
• Bour, R. 1980. Systematique des tortues terrestres des iles Mascareignes: genre Cylindraspis Fitzinger, 1835 (Reptilia, Chelonii). Bulletin Du Museum National D'histoire Naturelle Section a Zoologie Biologie Et Ecologie Animales 2 (3): 895-904
• Bour, R. 1984. Les tortues terrestres geantes des iles de l'ocean Indien occidental. Studia Geologica Salamanticensia 1; 17-76
• Cheke, A., Hume, J. (2008). Lost Land of the Dodo, An Ecological History of Mauritius, Réunion & Rordrigues. T & AD Poyser, London.
• Gerlach, J. 2004. Giant tortoises of the Indian Ocean. The genus Dipsochelys inhabiting the Seychelles Islands and the extinct giants of Madagascar and the Mascarenes. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 208 pp.
• Gerlach, J. & Canning, K.L. 1997. Evolution and history of the giant tortoises of the Aldabra island group. Testudo 4(3); 33-40

v t e Tortoise family
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Subclass: Anapsida Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Testudinidae
Genera	Species of the tortoise family
Agrionemys	Russian tortoise
Aldabrachelys	Aldabra giant tortoise (subspecies: A. g. arnoldi †A. g. daudinii A. g. hololissa) †Aldabrachelys abrupta †Aldabrachelys grandidieri
Astrochelys	Angonoka tortoise Radiated tortoise †Astrochelys rogerbouri
Centrochelys	African spurred tortoise †Centrochelys atlantica †Centrochelys burchardi †Centrochelys vulcanica
Chelonoidis	Chaco tortoise Red-footed tortoise Yellow-footed tortoise †Chelonoidis alburyorum †Chelonoidis cubensis †Chelonoidis lutzae †Chelonoidis monensis †Chelonoidis sellovii †Chelonoidis sombrerensis
Galápagos tortoise Chelonoidis complex	Cerro Azul giant tortoise Chatham Island giant tortoise Eastern Santa Cruz tortoise Fernandina Island tortoise †Floreana Island tortoise Hood Island giant tortoise (Diego) Santa Fe Island tortoise †Pinta Island tortoise †(Lonesome George) Santiago Island giant tortoise Pinzón Island giant tortoise Sierra Negra giant tortoise Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise Volcán Darwin giant tortoise Volcán Wolf giant tortoise Western Santa Cruz tortoise
†Cheirogaster	†Cheirogaster bacharidisi †Cheirogaster gymnesica †Cheirogaster schafferi
Chersina	Angulate tortoise
Chersobius	Nama padloper Karoo padloper Speckled padloper
†Cylindraspis	†Domed Mauritius giant tortoise †Domed Rodrigues giant tortoise †Réunion giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Mauritius giant tortoise †Saddle-backed Rodrigues giant tortoise
Geochelone	Burmese star tortoise Indian star tortoise
Gopherus	Bolson tortoise Desert tortoise Goode's thornscrub tortoise Gopher tortoise Sonoran Desert tortoise Texas tortoise
†Hadrianus	†Hadrianus corsoni †Hadrianus majusculus †Hadrianus octonaria †Hadrianus robustus †Hadrianus schucherti †Hadrianus utahensis †Hadrianus vialovi
†Hesperotestudo	†Hesperotestudo percrassa
Homopus	Common padloper Greater padloper
Indotestudo	Elongated tortoise Forsten's tortoise Travancore tortoise
Kinixys	Bell's hinge-back tortoise Forest hinge-back tortoise Home's hinge-back tortoise Lobatse hinge-back tortoise Natal hinge-back tortoise Speke's hinge-back tortoise
Malacochersus	Pancake tortoise
Manouria	Asian forest tortoise Impressed tortoise
†Megalochelys	†Megalochelys atlas †Megalochelys cautleyi †Megalochelys margae †Megalochelys sondaari
Psammobates	Geometric tortoise Serrated tortoise Tent tortoise
Pyxis	Flat-backed spider tortoise Spider tortoise
Stigmochelys	Leopard tortoise
†Stylemys	†Stylemys botti †Stylemys calaverensis †Stylemys canetotiana †Stylemys capax †Stylemys conspecta †Stylemys copei †Stylemys emiliae †Stylemys frizaciana †Stylemys karakolensis †Stylemys nebrascensis †Stylemys neglectus †Stylemys oregonensis †Stylemys pygmea †Stylemys uintensis †Stylemys undabuna
Testudo	Hermann's tortoise Kleinmann's tortoise Marginated tortoise Spur-thighed tortoise †Testudo brevitesta
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on turtles of the world 2017 update: Annotated checklist and atlas of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution, and conservation status. Key: †=extinct.

v t e Testudines
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Clade: Diapsida Order: Testudines
Suborder	Superfamily Family Genus
Cryptodira	Chelonioidea (Sea turtles) Cheloniidae †Allopleuron Caretta †Carolinochelys Chelonia †Eochelone Eretmochelys †Gigantatypus †Glarichelys †Itilochelys Lepidochelys †Mexichelys †Miocaretta Natator †Pacifichelys †Syllomus †Tasbacka Dermochelyidae †Arabemys †Corsochelys †Cosmochelys Dermochelys †Eosphargis †Mesodermochelys †Psephophorus   †Euclastes †Peritresius †Procolpochelys †Protosphargis †Puppigerus Kinosternoidea Dermatemydidae Dermatemys Kinosternidae Claudius †Hoplochelys Kinosternon Staurotypus Sternotherus Testudinoidea Emydidae †Acherontemys Chrysemys Clemmys Deirochelys Emys Actinemys Emydoidea Glyptemys Graptemys Malaclemys Pseudemys Terrapene Trachemys †Wilburemys Geoemydidae Batagur †Banhxeochelys Cuora Cyclemys Geoclemys Geoemyda Hardella Heosemys Leucocephalon Malayemys Mauremys Melanochelys Morenia Notochelys Orlitia Pangshura Rhinoclemmys Sacalia Siebenrockiella Vijayachelys  Platysternidae Platysternon Testudinidae Aldabrachelys Astrochelys Centrochelys Chelonoidis Chersina Cylindraspis †Cymatholcus †Floridemys Geochelone Gopherus †Hadrianus †Hesperotestudo Homopus Indotestudo Kinixys Malacochersus Manouria †Megalochelys †Oligopherus Psammobates Pyxis †Solitudo Stigmochelys †Stylemys Testudo Trionychia Carettochelyidae †Allaeochelys †Anosteira Carettochelys Trionychidae Amyda Apalone †Axestemys Chitra Cyclanorbis Cycloderma †Drazinderetes Dogania †Gilmoremys †Hutchemys †Khunnuchelys Lissemys Nilssonia Palea †Palaeoamyda Pelochelys Pelodiscus Rafetus Trionyx   †Basilochelys †Sinaspideretes   Chelydridae Chelydra †Chelydrops †Chelydropsis †Emarginachelys †Macrocephalochelys Macrochelys †Planiplastron †Protochelydra †Nanhsiungchelyidae †Anomalochelys †Basilemys †Jiangxichelys †Protostegidae †Alienochelys †Archelon †Atlantochelys †Bouliachelys †Calcarichelys †Cratochelone †Desmatochelys †Iserosaurus †Notochelone †Ocepechelon †Pneumatoarthrus †Protostega †Rhinochelys †Santanachelys †Terlinguachelys   †Adocus †Argillochelys †Bashuchelys †Ctenochelys †Prionochelys †Toxochelys
Pleurodira	†Araripemydidae †Araripemys †Bothremydidae †Araiochelys †Arenila †Azabbaremys †Bothremys †Cearachelys †Chedighaii †Chupacabrachelys †Eotaphrosphys †Foxemys †Galianemys †Ilatardia †Inaechelys †Itapecuruemys †Jainemys †Kinkonychelys †Kurmademys †Labrostochelys †Nigeremys †Phosphatochelys †Polysternon †Puentemys †Rosasia †Rhothonemys †Sankuchemys †Taphrosphys †Ummulisani †Zolhafah Chelidae Acanthochelys Chelodina Chelus Elseya Elusor Emydura Hydromedusa †Lomalatachelys Mesoclemmys Myuchelys Phrynops Platemys †Prochelidella Pseudemydura Rheodytes Rhinemys †Yaminuechelys Pelomedusidae Pelomedusa Pelusios Podocnemididae †Albertwoodemys †Bauruemys †Brontochelys †Caninemys †Carbonemys †Cerrejonemys †Cordichelys Erymnochelys †Lapparentemys †Latentemys Peltocephalus Podocnemis †Stupendemys †Sahonachelyidae †Sahonachelys †Sokatra
	†Caribemys †Caririemys †Tacuarembemys
Phylogenetic arrangement of turtles based on Turtles of the World 2017 Update: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status. † = extinct. See also List of Testudines families

Taxon identifiers
Cylindraspis	Wikidata: Q135344 Wikispecies: Cylindraspis EoL: 4521763 GBIF: 2441713 iNaturalist: 121070 ITIS: 949049 NCBI: 180173 Open Tree of Life: 302065 Paleobiology Database: 364846