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Solitudo
Discussion
Zoobank registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:08DE006C-E90B-4605-9711-952D72904E5F.
Etymology: From the Latin word solitudo, feminine, third declension, meaning solitude, loneliness, in allusion to the insular isolation of these tortoises. Also, the termination -tudo alludes to the name Testudo and the testudinid affinities of this new taxon.
Taxonomy
Solitudo was named by Valenti et al. (2022). Its type is Testudo robusta.
It was assigned to Testudinidae by Valenti et al. (2022), Georgalis et al. (2025).
It was assigned to Testudinidae by Valenti et al. (2022), Georgalis et al. (2025).
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Solitudo Valenti et al. |
| 2025 | Solitudo Georgalis et al. |
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If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.
G. †Solitudo Valenti et al. 2022
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†Solitudo gymnesica Bate 1914
†Solitudo robusta Leith-Adams 1877
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Invalid names: Testudo robustissima Tagliaferro 1913 [synonym], Testudo spratti Leith-Adams 1877 [synonym]
†Solitudo sicula Valenti et al. 2022
Diagnosis
| Reference | Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| P. Valenti et al. 2022 | Members of Solitudo belong to Testudinidae because of the ventral fusion of the trochanters of the femur. However, Solitudo species show an incomplete fusion of the trochanters dorsally, in contrast to other testudinid genera in which the trochanters are connected proximally via a rounded ridge. Furthermore, members of Solitudo have femurs that are slender, with a femoral head that is narrower than the combined anteroposterior width of the trochanters and an oblique orientation compared to the anteroposterior plane between 25°–45°, in contrast to other genera with relatively massive femora and broad and less oblique femoral heads, forming an angle that is less than 25° with the anteroposterior plane. | |
| G. L. Georgalis et al. 2025 | The Gargano material matches the additional diagnostic characters of the genus, in particularly the slender diaphysis, the femoral head that is narrower than the combined anteroposterior width of the trochanters, and the oblique orientation compared to the anteroposterior plane (30°). Still, we are unable to confidently identify this material as belonging to Solitudo, as the major trochanter of the femur is missing. Thus, the Gargano tortoise material is left with open nomenclature, as cf. Solitudo sp.
Nevertheless, compared to the Sicilian taxon, the Gargano tortoise preserves additional elements of the shell that allow discussing some interesting characters. A striking feature is that the scute sulci are preserved as deep furrows with distinct raised ridges. The extent of the lingual ridge towards the symphyseal area is similar to the condition seen in members of Geochelona and not as in Testudona (or Testudinini in alternative terminology) based on the comprehensive compendium of Evers et al. (2023) |
Measurements
No measurements are available
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| Source: f = family, c = class, subp = subphylum | |||||
| References: Ernst and Barbour 1989, Hendy et al. 2009, Carroll 1988 | |||||
Age range: base of the Messinian to the top of the Late/Upper Pleistocene or 7.24600 to 0.01170 Ma
Collections (35 total)
| Time interval | Ma | Country or state | Original ID and collection number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late/Upper Miocene | Italy | S. sp. (275401) | |
| Vallesian - Turolian | Italy (Foggia) | S. sp. (32931 32942 32944 32948 32949 32950 32953 32955 32960 32966 32969 33239 33287 33289 33297 33303 33304 33305 33306 33311 275395 275396 275397 275398) | |
| Messinian - Early/Lower Pliocene | Italy (Foggia) | S. sp. (143479 143480 143483 275399 275400) | |
| Late/Upper Pliocene - Early/Lower Pleistocene | Spain (Menorca) | Testudo gymnesica (200360) | |
| Pleistocene | Malta | Testudo robusta, Testudo spratti (190860) Testudo robustissima (190862) | |
| Pleistocene | Spain (Islas Baleares) | Testudo gymnesicus (36974) | |
| Late/Upper Pleistocene | Italy (Sicily) | S. sicula (226377) |