On a new species of the genus Testudo

On arranging the tortoises of the genus Testudo in the collections of the Leyden Museum I met with a mounted specimen, collected at the Cape of Good Hope by the late Kuhl and van Hasselt, which though having much in common with Testudo geometrica L., yet in other points differs from that species and shows more resemblance with Testudo elegans Schoepf. In the absence of the nuchal shield as well as in the peculiar form of its gular shields our specimen differs from the South-African species of the genus Testudo allied to Testudo geometrica ¹) and must be regarded as to belong to a new species: Testudo Strauchi nov. spec. Carapace very convex, the dorsal shields, especially the third one, swollen and subconical, lateral marginals nearly vertical not forming an angle with the costal shields, posterior margin feebly reverted and feebly serrated, shields very strongly striated concentrically. No nuchal, supracaudal single feebly incurved, first vertebral as long as broad, the others much broader than long, the third broader than the corresponding costal. Plastron large very openly notched in front, deeply notched behind; gulars very long, the suture between them being nearly one and a half as long as the suture between the humerals, suture between the humerals as long as that between the femorals, suture between the anals smaller than that between the humerals and nearly twice as long as that between the pectorals. Axillary small, inguinal large. Head moderate with feebly hooked beak, upper head shields small and irregular. No large tubercle on the hinder side of the thigh. Carapace dark brown with yellow radiating rays, shields of plastron brown with an excentrically placed yellow spot from which radiate yellow rays.