Hermann's tortoise

Hermann's tortoise
Testudo hermanni hermanni on Majorca
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Suborder:	Cryptodira
Family:	Testudinidae
Genus:	Testudo (disputed)
Species:	T. hermanni
Binomial name
Testudo hermanni Gmelin, 1789
Range map. Western green population is hermanni, eastern blue boettgeri and red hercegovinensis.
Synonyms
T. h. hermanni Testudo hermanni Gmelin, 1789 Testudo graeca bettai Lataste, 1881 Testudo hermanni hermanni Wermuth, 1952 Testudo hermanni robertmertensi Wermuth, 1952 Protestudo hermanni Chkhikvadze, 1983 Agrionemys hermanni Gmira, 1993 Testudo hermanii Gerlach, 2001 (ex errore) Testudo hermannii Claude & Tong, 2004 (ex errore) T. h. boettgeri Testudo enriquesi Parenzan, 1932 Testudo hermanni boettgeri Bour, 1987 Testudo boettgeri Artner, Budischek & Froschauer, 2000 Testudo hercegovinensis Perälä, 2002 Testudo boettgeri boettgeri Artner, 2003 Testudo boettgeri hercegovinensis Artner, 2003 Testudo hermanni hercegovinensis Vinke & Vinke, 2004

Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) is one of five tortoise species traditionally placed in the genus Testudo, the others being the marginated tortoise (T. marginata), Greek tortoise (T. graeca, or spur-thighed tortoise), Russian tortoise (T. horsfieldii ), and Kleinmann's tortoise (T. kleinmanni, or Egyptian tortoise). Two subspecies are known: the western Hermann's tortoise (T. h. hermanni ) and the eastern Hermann's tortoise (T. h. boettgeri ). Sometimes mentioned as a subspecies, T. h. peleponnesica is not yet confirmed to be genetically different from T. h. boettgeri.

The specific epithet, hermanni, honors French naturalist Johann Hermann.

Testudo hermanni can be found throughout southern Europe. The western population (T. h. hermanni ) is found in eastern Spain, southern France, the Balearic islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, south and central Italy (Tuscany). The eastern population (T. h. boettgeri ) inhabits Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey and Greece, while T. h. hercegovinensis populates the coasts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Montenegro.

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