Spider tortoise
{{Short description|Species of tortoise}}
{{Speciesbox
|name= Spider tortoise
|image=Pyxis arachnoides brygooi.jpg
|status=CR
|status_system=IUCN3.1
| status2 = CITES_A1
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = {{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}
|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
- Pyxoides brygooi Vuillemin & Domergue, 1972
- Pyxis arachnoides brygooi Bour, 1979
- Pyxis arachnoides matzi Bour, 1979
- Pyxis arachnoides oblonga Bour, 1985
}}
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.{{cite book|last1=Glaw|first1=Frank|last2=Vences|first2=Miguel|title=A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar|date=2007|publisher=Vences & Glaw Verlags|location=Cologne, Germany|isbn=978-3929449037|edition=3rd}}
Habitat
The remaining tortoises are found only in south western Madagascar, where they inhabit the spiny vegetation of the sandy coastal areas.
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.{{cite iucn |author=Leuteritz, T. |author2=Walker, R. |year=2014 |title=Pyxis arachnoides |volume=2014 |page=e.T19035A50987297 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T19035A50987297.en |access-date=10 January 2020}} 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{{Cite web |url=http://www.traffic.org/home/2011/7/27/malagasy-frontier-police-seize-indonesia-bound-shipment-of-w.html |title=Malagasy Frontier Police seize Indonesia-bound shipment of 'world's rarest' tortoises - Wildlife Trade News from TRAFFIC}} for food, body parts, and illegal pets.
References
{{Reflist}}
7. 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.
{{Testudinidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2376451}}
Category:Reptiles of Madagascar
Category:Endemic fauna of Madagascar
Category:Reptiles described in 1827
Category:Species that are or were threatened by the pet trade